Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1898-05-13

by these destroyers, but no harm was
done to our ship.
Commodore Dewey had fought with
Farrpgut at New Orleans and Mobile
bay, where he had his first experience
with torpedoes. Not knowing how
many mines exploded, how ever, and It
is believed that the spaniards had only
two in place.
4 few minutes later the shore bat.
terry on Cavite point sent over the flag.
ship shot that nearly hit q battery in
Manila. but soon the guns got better
range and shells began to strike near
us or burst close aboatd from both bat
teriss and the Spanish vessels. The
heat was intense. Men stripped of
all their clothing except their trousers.
As the Olympia drew nearer the ship
grew silent as if empty, except for the
whirl Of blowers and the throb Of en-
gines.
Suddenly, as q shell burst direcely
over MS, q hoarse cry came from the
bosun's mate at an after five-inch gun,
aud 9 Remember the Maine!" rose from
500 men at the guns. The watchword
was caught. Up in the turrets and fire
rooms below, wherever q seaman OF
fireman stood at his post, Remember
the Msine!" had rung ont for defiance
and revenge. The utterance seemed
unpremeditated, but was evidently in
every mans mind, and now that the
moment had come to make adequate
reply to the murder Of the Names
crew, every man shouted what was in
his heart. The Olympia was now ready
to begin the fight.
Commodore Dewey, his chief staff
commander, Lamberton, and aide and
myself, with Executive Officer Lieut..
Rees and Navigator Lieut. Calkins,
who conned the ship most admirably,
were on, the forward bridge. Capt.
Grdley was in the coming tower, as it
was thought unsafe to risk losing all
the senior officers by on she'll
. 3 X f ! n
You may fire when ready, Gridley."
said the commodore, and at forty lone
minutes past o'clock, at q distance Of
$3.50 yards, the starboard eight-inch
gun in the forward turret roared forth
q compliment to the Spanish forts.
Presently similar guns from the Balti-
more and the Boston sent 250-pound
shells hurling toward the Castillo and
the Reina Cristina for accuracy. The
Spaniards seemed encouraged to fire
faster,eknowing exactly our distance,
while we had to guess theirs. Their
ship and shore guns were making things
hot for us.
The piercing scream of shot was
varied often by the bursting Of time
fuse shells. fragments which would lash
the water like shrapnel or cut our hull
and rigging.
One large shell that was coming
straigh at the Olympia's forward bridge
fortunately fell within lees than one
hundred feet away One fragment cut
; r w. I
the rigging exactly over the heads of
Lamberton, Rees and myself. Another
struck the bridge gratings N line with
it, A third passed just under Commo-
dore Dewey and gouged a hole in the
deck. Incidents like these were plenti
full.
Our men naturally chafed at being
exposed without returning fire from all
our guns, but laughed at the danger
and chatted good -humoredly. A few
nervous fellows could not help dodging
mechanically, when shells would burst
right over them, or close aboard, or
would strike the water and. pass over
head, with the peculiar spluttering roar
made by tumbling rided projectile.
Still the flagship steered for the cen
ter of the Spanish line and as our ships
were astern the Olympia received most
of the Spaniard's attention.
Owing to our deep draught, Commo-
dore Dewey felt constrained to change