On 10 December, she steamed out of Hampton Roads to return south to the Caribbean Sea—Gulf of Mexico area. After a visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, between 16 and 22 December, she began duty with the Caribbean Squadron. In January and early February 1904, she cruised along the coast of Panama in the wake of the revolution which separated that republic from Colombia and paved the way for the construction of the Panama Canal. During the latter part of February, "Topeka" visited Kingston, Jamaica; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, before joining other units of the fleet off the coast of Dominican Republic late in the month. She plied the waters around Hispaniola through the end of March protecting American lives and interests while civil strife tore the island asunder.