Vou.. VITI: No, 3.
NEW HAVEN, CONN., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1898.
Price Try Cents
——
iy S “CRUISER VALE.
Photograph by Pach.
Formerly the American Line Steamship Paris; Chartered by the United States Government April 22d, 1898;
Name changed to Yale, April 80th; Used as a scout and transport vessel during
the War; Returned to the American Line, August 31st, 1898.
CRUISE OF THE YALL,
A Yale Officer on Board Follows the
Long Wanderings of the Cruiser—
Some Diary Extracts and For-
eign Comments,
At nearly the. hour that the ships of
Admiral Sampson’s fleet were appear-
ing off Havana to capture their first
prize and commence the blockade, the
steamship Paris of the American Line
was coming out of Southampton harbor
and starting on her long voyage home-
ward. In her cabin were barely a
dozen passengers; her hold was filled
with the guns and ammunition so great-
ly needed. It was the twenty-second
of April, and the newspapers contained
accounts of Spanish cruisers and tor-
pedo boats lying in wait for her off the
Needles. But trusting in the speed of
his ship and merely adopting such
precautions as closing the port hole
lights at night and following a course
north of the usual -transatlantic track,
Captain Watkins felt confident that he
could avoid every enemy.
On the last day of April, the Paris
reached New York. The St. Paul, St.
Louis, and Harvard (formerly the New
York) were already off to the South.
The gilded letters “Paris” on her stern
were removed and in their place was
painted ‘“Yale’—the name under which
the ocean greyhound was to serve her
country.
Yale University had already begun to
raise a subscription in order to present
some suitable memorial gift in recogni-
tion of the honor done her in the nam-
ing of the ship. Two rapid fire six
pounders were obtained from Vicars
Sons and Maxim by Mr. John Addison
Porter at the suggestion of Captain
O’Neil (to whose interest and assist-
ance in this matter the University is
greatly indebted). Indeed the naval
officers both on board the Yale and in
the Department at Washington showed
the greatest appreciation of the interest
which the University manifested in this
ship and in the Navy.
The writer had an illustration of this
feeling when in June he was sent to
Hampton Roads to conduct the formal
presentation of the guns. For Captain
Wise then suggested that “it would be
appropriate if the University had a
representative on board.” The officials
in the busy Bureau of Navigation ac-
quiesced in this view, and the writer
was accordingly appointed an Ensign
and ordered to the Yale. In fact the
officers of our navy, though stern dis-
ciplinarians while directing the terrible
routine of a man-of-war, revert when
off duty to that which they are at
heart—university men with all their
college interests fresh, respecting Yale
as a great antagonist in the friendly
rivalry of athletics, and showing the
same appreciation of Yale’s interest and
encouragement in the game which these
representatives of Annapolis were play-
ing against Spain, that Yale men felt
at that alumni dinner when a graduate
of the University of Virginia and ex-
Confederate soldier, told of the pride
with which he watched the brave fight
of the Yale crew at Henley, and how
he “felt that he too was a Yale man
and as he tore along the tow path rent -
high heaven with the rebel yell.”
Between the arrival of the Paris in
New York and her sailing again as
the Yale, no time was given for exten-
sive alterations or armament. The Yale
guns “Eli” and “Handsome Dan” were
mounted on the forecastle; two similar
six pounders were placed upon the
poop; four thousand tons of coal were
poured into her bunkers and hold, 4nd
lastly, three of her officers were mar-
ried.
The former officers and crew were
not enlisted into the navy—time did not
permit it—but signed in with the Ameri-
can Line as if for the usual transatlantic
cruise. The Government merely char-
tered the ship, put Captain W. C. Wise,
S. N., in command with Lieutenant
Key as executive officer and some
twenty marines to man the guns. It is
interesting to remember that at this
time our newspapers were filled with
indignation against Spain for threaten-
ing to issue letters of marque and fit
out privateers. Yet with the exception
of these two naval officers and the
marines, the crew of the Yale on her
first voyage as scout ship and commerce
destroyer were, from the standpoint of
law, pirates. The quiet, efficient, peace-
ful and entirely unromantic officers of
a transatlantic liner became the succes-
sors of the wild buccaneers of the Span-
ish main, who once harried the coast
of Porto Rico, and of Don Francisco
Drake, who was repulsed, say the
Spanish records, in his attack on the
Morro.
CAPTAIN WISE TAKES COMMAND.
At 2.15 Pp. M. on the second of May,
_Captain Wise assumed command. The
house-flag of the American Line was
hauled down, the navy pennant hoisted
and the Yale left her pier (No. 14,
North River). At 7.26 she was off
Sandy Hook; the pilot descended the
Jacob’s ladder over her side, and called
back “Good luck to you, Captain.”
Then the signal was rung from the
bridge to the engine room “full speed
ahead,” the course was laid S. E. 4 E.,
and with a long white line of foam at
her bow, ‘a bone in her teeth,” as the
sailors call it, the Yale went in search
of that fleet from Spain which like a
phantom was to-day at Cadiz, to-mor-
row in the Canaries, or at Porto Rico,
or off the New England coast, and now
lies shattered on the rocky shore at
Santiago.
For four days the course was wtn-
changed, the weather fine. Then on
the sixth of May at noon, the officer of
the deck reported the light-house at
the entrance to the harbor of San Juan
de Porto Rico to bear SxE, distance
four miles. That night and every night
thereafter while the Yale was off Porto
Rico, the marines slept on the deck by
their guns. During the next week the
Yale hung around the coast, now here,
now there. At night she showed no
light; not even a match could be
struck on deck, and the orders were
given in a low voice. Sometimes the
engines drove her ahead full speed;
again they were kept barely turning.
Once she made the complete circuit of
the Island. Twice she put into the
harbor of St. Thomas, where the Cap-
tain and his clerk were busy through