Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-29
IN CARIBBEAN.
Ottumwa Boy in Navy With
Dewey off West Indies.
TALKS OF WAR G A NJ E
In Letter to His Father, A. w. Ma
hon, Ralph Mahon Describes Naval
Maneuvers and Conditions Sur
rounding American Fleet.


rounding American Fleet.
Since the last letter of Ralph Ma
hon, the Ottumwa boy who is in the
service of Uncle Sam as marine on
board the United States ship Albany,
appeared in the Courier his ship has
returned from the European station in
the Mediterranean to the Caribbean
sea, to join the big fleet modified
there under the command of Admiral
Dewey ostensibly for the purpose of
conducting series of naval maneuv
ers, but as some audacious Americans
have intimated perhaps for the
moral effect the presence of such a
large naval force could have on the
otherwise over-zealous commanders of
the foreign war vessels.
Fear has been expressed in some
quarters that the United States might
become entangled in a war with Que
or more of the foreign powers on ac
count of the Venezuelan affair, but
such fears are probably groundless.
However, it will be of interest to Of
tumwa people to learn that an Ottum-
wa boy is at the scene of action. The
letter, which is written to his father
A. W. Mahon of this city, is as fol-
lows:
'U. S. S. Albany, Target Harbor,
Island of Culebra, West Indies,
December 30, 1902
Dear Father
1--WE arrived here this morning from
Mayaguez, where We spent Christmas,
and before tell you of that, | will say
something of our movements since
last wrote you. We have done a
whole lot of jumping around during
the past two months and the quick
changes have made the cruise very en-
joyable.
You have undoubtedly read some
thing in the papers about our fleet ma
neuvers down here The first thing
on the program was sham war. Our
squadron, the European, and the ships
of the South American station made
up the invading force and the objec-
tive point was the capture of Puerto
Rico. Opposed to us and defending
Puerto Rico were the whole United
States navy and part of the army.
Our squadron, comprising the battle
ship Illinois, the cruisers Chicago, and
Albany and the gunboat Nashville,
joined forces with the battleship Iowa.
cruisers Atlanta and San Francisco
and dispatch boat Eagle in the Gulf Of
Parla aao on the evening of Novem-
Der 4, stealthily crept out of the har-
Dor on our deathly errand. After sail
ing north one day it was determined
at conference of the captains that
the most advisable movement was to
divide the fleet into two sections, send
Ing one section northwest and the 9th
er northeast. The Atlanta, San Fran
cisco, Nashville and Eagle took the
northwestern course and approached
the island from that direction, while
we, with the Iowa, Illinois, Chicago
and Albany cut through the chain of
Islands to the eastward and made a
circle in the Atlantic before approach
ing the island from the north
Just as day was dawning on No
vemper >, we steamed into the port
OF Mayaguez and the city capitulated
without the necessity of firing single
shot. The other division of the fleet
followed us into port in about half an
hour and reported an open course
without SO much as sight OF the enc
my. In fact we completely baffled the
entire opposing forces and, when it is
considered that something like one
hundred boats were patrolling the
coast all the while and that all the
hills overlooking the coast were filled
win signalmen in communication with
the patrol boats, the difficulty of the
feat can be the more readily appre-
c1ated. We held the port for twenty
four hours and then sailed for Culebra
where we found Admiral Dewey and
the whole United States navy waiting
to intercept us on our anticipated pas
sage through these waters.
Admiral Dewey favored us with a
visit this morning and the occasion
was accompanied by all the formali-
ties customary with such events.
After our arrival November ~, we
spent the intervening days until No
vember Is, in maneuvering and drill
practice. Every morning we put out
to sea for the exercise of the day and
returned in the evening.
THE evening of November IS we re-
ceiyed a signal from the flagship May
flower to make ready for sea and con-
vey an officer to the gunboat Machias
lying at La Guayra. Within an hour
we were under way and the evening
OF the next day found us at our desti-
natlon. After delivering the officer
we Immediately put about for the jour
ney back SO that did not have much
opportunity to see anything of the
place. We found Culebra deserted
and continued our way to San Juan
twhere we were given orders to pro-
coed to Mayaguez and spend Christ
mas there.
l spent Christmas roaming among
he oranges, pine-apples, coffee, ba-
nanas, cocoanuts and mangoes of Por-
to Rico and I'm sure never enjoyed
a Christmas more thoroughly. This
country is certainly great. The hills
are all about us and the weather is
Fourth of July all the time. / am
burned as black as a coon. l have
been thinking very seriously of coming
down here to live after my time is
out in the navy. A fellow can build
a house. of the same kind most of the