The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-18
AUGUSTA WRITES.
Tells of the Brave Attack by Dewey's
Fleet.

Hong Kong, July 18.-The following is
a translation of an account of the bat
tie of Manila Bay, written by Governor
Augusti and printed in the Diarto de
Manila:
when the enemy's squadron was
sighted in perfect line of battle through
the clouds Of a misty dawn on the
morning Of May 1, gloom and surprise
were general among the people of Ma
Mia. At last these ships had strained
their boldness to the point of appear
ing on our coasts and defying our bat
teries, which showed more courage and
valOr, than effect, when they opened
fire on the squadron 1t needs more
than courage to make prOjectileS pene-
trate; indeed it does.
THE inequality of our batteries, when
compared with those of the squadron,
was enough to transform the tranquil
character of our tropical tempera-
ments. While ladies and children, in
carriages and on foot, fed to the outly-
ing suburbs and adjacent villages, eve
ry man, from the stately personageS to
the most humble workman, merchants
and mechanics, Spaniards and natives,
soldiers and civilians, all Wept, sought
their. stations and put on. their arms,
confident that the enemy would never
land on Manila soil unless they did it
over their corpseS.
From the first the strength of the
enemy'S arnOr and the power of his
guns demonstrated that his ships were
invuInerable to our energies and our
ornaments. The hostile squadron
would never have entered our bay had
not it's safety been guaranteed by its
manifest superiority.
THE city walls, the church towers,
the roofs of high buildings and all eleVa-
ted places convenient for observation
were occupied by those who were not
retained by military duty. The slight
est details of the enemys ships were
noted as they advanced toward CaVite
in a line parallel with the beaches of
Manila. There were no gaps in the line.
The curious public hardly realized the
disparity between their great guns and
the pieces mounted on our Notifications.
Some had glasses and others were with
out them, but all seemed to devOur with
their eyes the intruding strangers, who
were not called upon to show their
courage since the range of their guns
enabled them to preserve their impuni-
ty while doing us as much harm as
SPANISH RAGE.
''A1 who appreciated the impunity
with which the hostile ships maneuVer-
ed as if on a harmless parade, were full
of such rage and desperation as belongs
to the brave man who can make no use
of courage, to whom remains no remedy
except an honorable death rather than
q cowardly inactivity. A soldier of the
First battalion of CazadOreS gazed at
the squadron sweeping over the waters,
out of reach of the fire of our batter
ies, looked out at the ships and then
toward heaven, saying:
If Holy Mary would turn that sea
how we can charge in double time.
For more than an hour and a half
the bombardment held in suspense
those who followed the unequal strug-
gle in which the Spanish ships went
down with their banners flying. What
was going on in the waters of Cavite
we saw from Manila. The two squad
rons appeared mingled together in the
clouds of smoke. This was not far
from triumph of our side, considering
the weakness of our batteries; for, once
alongside of the enemy, the cry of
'boarders away and the flash of cold
steel might have enabled our devoted
seamen to have disturbed the calm in
which the watches and instruments
were regulating and directing these en-
gines of destruction. In the blindness
of our rage how should we paint the
heroic deeds and the waves of valor
that burst forth from our men-of-warY
Those who fought beneath the Span
ish flag bore themselves like men, as
chosen sons of our native land, who
would rather die without ships than live
in ships which have surrendered. To
name those who distinguished them
selves in battle would require the pub
LEGATION of the entire muster rolls of
our ships from captain to cabin boy. To
these victorious seamen of our arms
we offer congratulat for the living
and prayers for the dead"