The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-09
STORY OF DENEY'S BATTLE.
Special Dispatch To The Sun.

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Special Dispatch To The Sun.
New YORK Cry, May S.-James Cor
don Pennett's correspondent. Naval
Academy graduate on board Admiral
Dewey's flagship Olympia, cables this
vivid account of the triumph OF the
American feet over Spain's warships:
MANILA, Philippine Islands, May I,
via Hong Kong, May 7.---NOt one Span
ish flag flies in Manila Bay today. Not
one Spanish flag floats except as our
prize.
More than 300 spanish dead and
500 to 700 wounded attest to the ac-
curacy of American fire.
Commodore Dewey attacked the Span
ish position at Cavite this morning. He
swept fEe times along the line and
scored one OF the most brilliant sue
cesses in modern warfare.
That our loss is trifing adds to the
pleasure OF victory without detracting
from its value. The number of hits our
vessels received proved how brave and
stubborn was the defence made by the
Spanish forces
Miraculous as it may appear, none OF
our men was killed, and only eight were
wounded. Those who were wounded
suffered only slight injuries.
Commodore Dewey arrived off Man; a
Bay last night, and decided to enter II G
bay at once.
With all its lights ont, the squadron
steamed into Bocagrande with crews at
the guns. This was the order of the
squadron, which was kept during the
whole time Of the first battle The flag
ship Olympia, the Baltimore, the Raleigh,
the Petrol, the Concord the Boston.
1t was just s o'clock, a bright moon
light night. But the flagship passed
Corregidor Island without a sign being
given that the Spanish We're aware of its
approach.
not until the flagship was 4 mile be-
yond Corregidor was gun fired. Then
one heavy shot went screaming over the
Raleigh and the Olympia followed by a
second, which fell farther astern.
The Raleigh, the Concord and the
Boston replied, the Concord's shells eN-
plodipg apparently exactly inside the
shore Battery, which fired no more.
Our squadron slowed down to
barely steerage way, and the men were
allowed to sleep alongside their guns.
Comodore Dewey had timed our ar
rival SO that we were withing lives miles
of the city of Manila at daybreak,
We then sighted the Spanish squad
ron, Rear Admiral Montijo, command
ing, off Cavite-pronounced "Kah-vee-
tay," with accent on the wee
Here the Spaniards had a we'll
equipped navy yard called Cavite ar
senal Admiral Montijo's flag was fly
ing on the 35C0-ton protected cruiser
Reina Cristina. The protected cruiser
Castlla, of 300 tons, was moored ahead
and astern to the port battery, and to
seaward wee the cruisers Don Juan de
Austria, Don Antonio de TIloa, lsla de
Cuba. Isla de Luzon. Quiros, Marquis
del Onero and General LezoN. These
ships and the flagship remained under
way during most of the action.
With tie United States flags flying at
all their mastheads our ships moved to
the attack in line ahead with speed of
eight knots, first passing in front at
Manila, where the action WAS begun by
three batteries mounting guns, powerful
enough t. send shell over us at Il dis
tancc .! ive miles.
T'c Cear3"d's guns doomed out re-
ply to these batteries with two shots.
No more were fired, because Commodore
Dewey could moi engage with these bat
'eries without sending death and de-
Strnction into the crowded city.
As we ncarcd Cavite two very pow
erfiIl submarine MINES were. exploded
ahead of the flagship. This was six
minutes past 5 o'clock.
The Spaniards had evidently mis-
Judged our position. Immense volumes
OF water were thrown high in the air by
these destroycrs, but no harm was done
to our ships.
Commodore Dewey had fought with
Farragut at New Orleans and Mobile
Bay, where he had his first experience
with torpedocs. Not knowing how
many more mines might be ahead he
still kept on without faltering.
No other mines exploded. however
and it is believed that the Spaniarls had
only these two in place.
Only few minutes later the shore
battery at Cavite Point sent over the
flagship shot that nearly hit the bat
tery in Manila, but soon the guns got a
better range and the shells began to
strike near Ms or burst close aboard from
both the batteries and the Spanish yes.
sells. The heat was intense. Men
stripped off all clothing except their
trousers. As the Oh lympia drew nearer
all was as silent on board as if the ships
had been empty except for the whirr Of