Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-06-28
CUBAN BATTLESHIP.
FIRST AND ONLY ONE THE ISLAND
EVER HAD.
Bought by Colonel Prentiss 1ngra.
ham for Five Dollars, II Was Never
in Any Armed Encounter Coniis-
Gated at Wilmington, y. G.

while there Is good deal of talk
these days about Cuba" said the man
who likes TO converse, 1T should not
he forgotten that the man who was
first TO float the Cuban flag over an
armed deck Is in the United states
and is not blovlating about 1t, either.
lie is Colonel Prcntiss lngraham, au-
thor, traveller, soldier, sailor, and lot
OF other things. In the summer Of
1869 Colonel lngraham bought, In New
York City, for the large sum Of 50, the
steamer Hornet. which had once been
the Lady Sterling, a blockade runner
captured by the United States govern
ment and made dispatchboat for the
service Of President Lincoln. A
wealthy Cuban living In New York
had bought her from the government,
and he sold her to Colonel lngraham
for 80 because he wanted to. You see
she had to belong to somebody and
d because he knew his business. She
made two trips to Cuba rs a tilibustcr.
carrying arms which she took on board
mt sea 80 as not to impllcate the Unit.
ed states In any act against friendly
government, Spain being on terms with
us at the time. Colonel lngraham was
In command.
In October of 1869 she cleared from
Philadelphia for Liverpool ana put In
at Halifax under stress of weather. or
SO IL was stated. Here she was met
by Admiral Edward Higgins. an en-
Confederate officer, and formerly OF
the United States navy. The Hornet
remained in Halifax until suspicion
pointed so strongly her way that the
English authorities were about to seize
her second time, though she had nj.
ready been searched and nothing had
right to carry.
She left Halifax in such hurry
that she was fired on from the forts,
but got away all right, making the
run to Cape Sable, sixty miles, In three
hours. At sea Admiral Higgins order.
ed her course southwark, and the forty.
tive sailors on board mutinied, and
there was fight for the ship. the 9th.
GERS winning. on Martha's Vineyard,
the ship was met by several small YES
sells carrying arms and men. and these
Were taken On board, and the Hornet
became fully equipped vessel Of war,
having twenty-six officers, 300 men.
and nine guns, one lOGpound bow
chaser two sIxty.pounders, four thirty
FOUNDERS and two twenty-fOur-pOund.
ers. Once at sea with this equipment,
Colonel Ingraha.n, who had been in
command OF her since her purchase.
turned her over to Admiral Higgins,
the officers received their commissions.
Colonel Ingraham becoming command
ant Of marines, her name was changed
TO the Cuba, and Colonel Ingraham,
with his own hands, raised the Cuban
flag over her, being the first Cuban
flag ever 10 go up over an armed deck
Of a Cuban vessel, and, by the way,
there has not yet been another one,
Not long after this, a month or so,
the Cuba was caught In a hurricane
and had to put in at Wilmington, y. c.,
for coal. She had hard coal, which
would not make steam. and soft was
necessary. The Spanish mail steamer,
with 100000 in treasure and 200
spanish officer from Cuba, had got
away from her on this account, and
this was worse than hurricane She
was suspected by the authorities at
Wilmington, and, though every effort
was made to get away before she could
be searched, it was impossible as her
engines had been uncoupled for re-
pairs, and she was captured. Admiral
Higgins surrendered her TO Colonel
Frank Of the United States army, but
refused 10 pull down his flag until he
had been tried md the ship was finally
contiscated. The trial lasted a month
and resulted in the acqulttal Of Hig.
gins and Ingraham; the other officers
were sent TO Washington under bond,
and released later, and the men were
paid off and discharged. The Cuba,
however, was held and sent 10 New
York, under command Of Captain Maj
fit, formerly Of the famous Confeder-
ate privateer Florida, and she was
later taken to Baltimore where she
was left to rot. l understand she Is
lying in the mud down there now, and
II she Is, the Cubans ought 10 resur-