| Show SrANISH VfSsS GArTURW FOUR SMALL CRAFT GATHERED I NEAR HAVANA Spanish Reports Say the American Cruiser Displayed the Spanish Flag Spanish Vessels Abandoned Correspondence of the Associated Press Havana June 28 delayed in transmission trans-mission The commander of the Spanish I Span-ish gunboat Ardilla reports that while I reconnoitering on June 26 at Coloma I Punta Cortes and other places at Coy mela he was informed that a strange steamer with one smokestack appar ently a warship of 3000 tons was insight in-sight The stranger scon caught sight of the Ardilla and pursued her The gunboat kept within the blue sia and succeeded in keeping out of range of the guns of the pursuer To the southeast I south-east the stranger which turned out to I strangr ture I be an American warship appeared to be in company with several other vessels I ves-sels The Arallla made a reconnoisance the following day June 27 and discovered discov-ered that the American ship had captured cap-tured the sloops Memesia of Batabano Amistad and Manuelita of Coloma and the pilot boats Luz and Jacinto I is claimed that when the sloops were sighted the American ship hoisted the Spanish Ha which caused Pilot Joaquin Joa-quin Fernandez of the Luz to hoist the Spanish Hag believing he had to do with a Spanish warship The pilot also approached the American vessel and did not find out his mistake until a blank shot and afterwards a loaded shell was fired at the pilot boat The shell it is claimed exploded near her The American ship by this time seemed to have driven the Spanish craft into a bunch including the Luz Jacinto Amistad Nemesia and Manuelita The latter it is further alleged let go their anchors and were abandoned by their crews who made for the shore going in the direction of Punta de Piedras on directon the southwestern extremity of Pinar del Rio between the Isle of Pines and the main land The commander of the Nemeisia with one of his crew remained re-mained on board his sloop and was captured cap-tured and taken on board the American ship Later he was set at liberty after having been questioned regarding the Spanish fleet and the general situation of affairs The American ship is described as carrying one gun forward and one astern and four guns on each side She is said to have been commanded by a frigate captain and to have carried about 600 men with blue pants and red fringe who said they were going to Cuba and afterward to Key West West June 29The American Key 2The aux liary cruiser referred to in the dispatch from Havana was undoubtedly the Yankee Yan-kee manned by the naval reserves which arrived at Key West from Clenfuegos on Monday last She then reported that off the Isle of Pines on the west coast of Cuba she captured burned and destroyed five Spanish small craft loaded with fish and that she also captured two prisoners who were released The auxiliary cruiser which was formerly for-merly the Morgan line steamer El Norte also reported having been engaged with a Spanish gunboat undoubtedly the Ar della referred to In the dispatch from Havana The Yankee met the Spaniard on June 13 oft Clenfuegos and opened fire on her with the result that the Ariiella was greatly damaged the officers of the American ship say and probably sank son afterwards |
