The two ports on the northern coast of Cuba that seemed most likely to
attract the Spanish fleet were Havana and Matanzas. There was one port
on the southern coast that seemed to be a good one for the Spanish
fleet--the port of Cienfuegos. So our ships continued the blockade of
Havana and Matanzas, and now Commodore Schley was sent with several
vessels to watch Cienfuegos.

The city of Cienfuegos is situated some distance back from the sea, in
a harbor which winds and twists about between high hills, completely
obscuring it from ships a little distance from the shore. The word
Cienfuegos means "a hundred fires." Close by the water's edge there
stood a cable-house, where one end of a submarine cable, which reached
to Santiago, some three hundred miles to the eastward, was secured. On
one side of the cable-house was an old fort or lookout, such as the
Spaniards used to have all along the coast. On the other side was a
light-house. The Americans wished to destroy communication between
Cienfuegos and Santiago, so they sent an expedition to cut the cable
and destroy anything that would be of use to the Spaniards.

The ships that were sent to do this work were the Marblehead, the
Nashville and the Windom. You will remember that the Nashville fired
the first gun in the war with Spain. She is not a pretty boat at all.
She is built differently from other vessels of her class, and her two
tall funnels, or smokestacks, give her an ungainly appearance. Her
commander was a splendid officer, though, and her crew were the
bravest of the brave. I must tell you a little of her work after she
captured the first prize of the war.

One day, while in company with the Marblehead and the Eagle, she saw a
big Spanish mail steamer leave the harbor of Cienfuegos and put to