South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-27
TORPEDO BOATS OFF
ON GUNBOAT SEARCH
Men on Transports Are of
Opinion That They viii Con-
tinue on Their March to the
Capital of Mexico.
BY CHARLES NICHOLSON.

on board the !. y. 5. dispatch boat
Bailey. via Brownsville. Texas. Apr.
p. - Whatever view may be enter
tanned elsewhere on board the trans
ports proceeding TO Vera Cruz and
on the convoy there is no opinion but
that Gen. Funston will, Immediately
on landing, proceed 10 march on
Mexico City. The Bailey was among
the transports all Sunday afternoon.
The officers will not admit the receipt
OF any orders calling for definite &C
ton, but believe they are going TO
delay just long enough 10 allow the
cavalry and artillery. which were
supposed TO start from Galveston
Sunday, TO catch up before beginning
definite operations.
The theory of aggressive action
was borne out by another piece of
military evidence. The torpedo boats
F'Iusser. Preston and Reid, which
started out 10 convoy the four trans
ports gave place Saturday TO the
big battleship Louisiana which came
from Vera Cruz TO relieve them and
the three torpedo boats shot away to
the west where according TO the
gossip of the feet, they are now gum
boat hunting.
The Mexican gunboats ZaragoZa,
-
be somewhere along the northeast
Mexican coast with instructions TO cut
out the transports
The torpedo boats by reason of
their light drafts can penetrate the
shallow bays and rivers n which the
Mexican gunboats are probably hid
ing.
Nobody on board the transports
takes the orders to the Mexican navy
TO capture or sink them very serious
ly The pursuit of the torpedo boats,
however, marks a departure from the
pacificatiOn methods which have pre-
vailed ever since the landing Of the
marines at Vera Cruz.
A Mexican gunbOat which actually
took part in that action, firing on the
marines from the bay. was merely
firing and was allowed to go on her
way, although she was under the
guns of the whole United States fleet
in those waters.
The Mexican transport gunboat
Yucatan appeared with a Mexican
regiment on board, coming TO rein
force Gen. Mas. She was told that
Gen. Mas was no longer there TO be
reinforced and was ShOOed on her
way without a hostile word, let alone
hostile shot. The change from
! these methods to the gunboat hunt
ing Of which we got word Sunday. is
vastly significant.
The Louisiana. w5-l now consti-
tutes the convoy to the transports, is
putting them through a course of
maneuVers, probably intended more
for drill than for Immediate Drotec-
ton. She took charge a little before
noon. Immediately the transports
formed in line with the battleship in
the center. Probably quarter Of a
mile separated each ship and the line
was absolutely rigid for an hour.
Then the big white transports started
a march reminding one Of one Of Mr.
| Ziegfeld's best choruses. When they
got down to a definite position the
four transports occupied the corners
Of a square mile each way with the
| big battleShip in the Cetner We had
! hardly finished admiring the FIVE of
| diamonds ARRANGEMENTS when the
Louisiana dropped back to the line of
| the Meade and the Mcclellan. There
| she remained for some hours, like a
| sheep herder with a shepherd dog on
either hand. driving the two sheep
ahead
! Presently the Louisiana dropped
still further back while the four
: transports maintained the square.
I Shortly after dark the Louisiana
/ called up the International News Ser
/ vice dispatch boat and stopped while
( we ran up 10 her The sea was run
| ming fairly high, but the battleship
/ got boat away and sent dispatches
and mail on board the Bailey which
We land with this dispatch. We were
! for a time in touch with the Esper-
ANA with American refugees aboard.
! These fugitives seemed .ess delighted
! with their rescue than disguised at
/ the prospect Of six DAYS in quaran-
! tine. which they learned awaits them
/ at Galveston.