The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-26
DECEMBER 2e, 1904

The chase making frantic efforts to escape, but
the Wasp her down after a chase of an hour and
fired shot over her. which she pluckily returned by
discharge from that carried.
Blakely peremptorily her strike her flag
ranged alongside Upon her refusal to do
and upon her persistence in blazing away at him
time, certainly in the hope of crippng him that
would fall into the clutches Of the liner pounding
furiousy away in chase, Blakey fired broadside into
her nainmast and foretopmast and left her helpless
Sending the first cutter with Mr. Baury and Ned
Boston and a heavily armed boat crew aboard OF her.
with instructions to destroy her without losing
ment, Blakely hove-to the Wasp, coolly waited,
giving the nearest merchantmen a damaging
broadside as he did so from his weather battery.
The cutters in their excitement pulled like
mad they left the side of the Wasp and the heavy
boat fairly thru the racing
the helpless prize. They scrambled of her at
once, meeting resistance from the terrified Eng
lish crew ten men, whom they clapped only
of their boats still left sea~orthy and sent
drifting to be picked by the liner of course.
prize they had captured proved brig Mary,
small and other munition of
The carpenter, who was in the cutter, hurried be-
while the rest of the scattered in direction
the combustiles with which they had provided.
take fire that the carpenter almost cut off below.
In Incredibly short time the prize roaring fur
Waiting until they made sure that she would be
horoy destroyed they scrambled down into their boat
and pulled away to the Wasp. Blake1y standing
the weather quarter waiting in the greatest anxiety for
them. The breeze had freshened somewhat and the
Armada, having last better wind rushing
The English captain was furious with anger
would have given anything cater; American
burning his valuable ship before Indeed
heavy guns, ana but She nave been forced
to bring to in order that her broadsde might
bear which she would have lost valuable dis
tance, the Wasp would already have been under fire.
Therefore there need for haste.
Without stopping to unload her the falls Of
the cutter were hooked and with everything in her
She up to the davits all standing The men on
the Wasp worked hard in their lives before,
quickly they did at that moment AS
the falls Delayed the braces manned the
yards swung, and the little soop rushed away with the
wind on her port quarter Seeing which the lne-of-
ship, whose captain simply foaming with fury
the impudence of the Americans, put her helm
also, and her long broadsde in view she let
fly with gun that bore
One shot carried away the topmast stunsl boom,
another smashed of the boats cile davts Here
and there shroud was parted the lee cross
jack brace shot there huge rent in the
mainsail but nothing serious happened
In deportation the Armada wore, and as her other
broadsde she turned it loose the Wasp Also
but with no effect whatever. They of range.
Then seeing the futiy of further effort suleny
down toward the briggs boat and picked her
fortunate crew. The brig by this time mass of
flame She was so very low in the water, too that if
burned she would have certainly sunk from
the holes they had made in her IS the Americans.
watched her. however of the powder with which.
was stored ignited and she blew UP with roar that
heard for miles
AS for the Wasps men, when they realized the
briancy of their bold and audacious exploit, they
into frantic cheers dancing and yelling hugging
each other the deck and shaking their fists at the
impotent liner in such fashion that Bakely almost
that the English could hear the noise and
commoton
If was one Of the most daring exploits of the war;
The cruise had opened auspcious:y everybody
the best of spirits and the highest humor There
in store for them that day if they only
knew it. =
(To be continued)
Up to Date.
of OOftOObOofOO in central Africa,