The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-05-04

officials. The 'ultimatum asserted than
no money levy would be made upon
Manila. 1t is believed in Madrid that
the government has already cabled
Gov August authority to comply with
the demand, no other course being
open.
A dispatch from Hong Kong to the
Daily Mail, dated Monday, says: Com
modore Dewey's feet is off Corregidor
island, hotly engaged with the forts
there. Electrical experiments show
that the cable has been cut on or near
Manila"
An official news agency dispatch
from Madrid says: Senior Sagasta
went to the palace yesterday to com
municate to the queen regent dis
patches announcing that the town OF
Cavite had been razed and the unforti-
fed part of Manila burned. The Amer
leans fred petroleum bombs. The
Spanish losses are estimated at 400 men.
New York, May S.-A Hong Kong
dispatch says: The bombardment OF
Manila has begun. The inhabitants
are fleeing to the country. The oper-
ators in the cable station in the midst
of the forts fed to save their lives.
Washington, May Sup to the close
of Office hours Monday the only infor-
nation that our government had re-
ceived of the brilliant victory of Com
modore Dewey and the winning of the
battle of Manila came to the govern
ment through the medium of press dis
patches. If the report is true that
Commodore Dewey has begun bonn
bardment and blockade of the city of
Manila it is unlikely that he can spare
vessel from his fleet to carry the
news to Hong Kong, the nearest cable
station, so it is not known when offi-
cial advices will come.
There was some expectation that
through the surrender of the city the
commodore might acquire control OF
the cable, but even then there might
be practical difficulties in commuDicat-
ing through it. The officers of Dewey's
fleet include at least one lieutenant
who is practical electrician and tel,
egrapher but it is not known positive
ly that he is able to work cable sue
cessfully. Second, fear is enter
tanned that before retiring from the
city the Spanish troops will smash the
delicate apparatus for the reception
and dispatch of messages, and it is un
certain whether there is enough tech
nical skill in the American feet to re
pair such damage without aid from
the main land. o74s
The mere cutting of the cable as re
ported by the Spaniards is not re
garded as particularly serious, since
being hemmed in port by the Ameri
can blockading feet the Spaniard'
would not be able to make the cut ia
off shore, so the cable could be easil,
grappled and repaired. The creates
anxiety is felt as to the casualties sus
tanned by the American fleet. From
the stubborn defense made by tn
Spaniards it is feared that before the,
burnt, blew up or sunk their ships the,
managed TO infict severe damage upol
Dewey's squadron.
All the ships engaged were vulner
able in one respect--namely, in thei
lack of protection to life. There wa
not an armored ship in Commodor
Deweys fleet, the nearest approac
+ being the flagship Olympia. She ha
some coal protection around the side
and an arched steel deck calculated t
E protect the vitals of the ship. Th
other vessels of the feet save thos
: recently added to the navy, like tn
: McCulloch, have lighter steel decks c
; this character, but in all. cases-wit
the exception of some slight prote'
: ton in the shape of gun shields-th
: men of the ships were exposed to tn
4 fire of the enemy.
If Dewey has lost considerable po
ton of his men it is feared he will b
d mnch embarrassed in the work {
maintaining possession of Manila fc
: lack of sufficient force. United State
naval vessels are always unde
manned. according to European stanC
ards and it will not be possible
5 spare any considerable number of me
+ to keep the city, especially if the el
/ gagement has disabled many of then
= =, There was some talk Monday of SEM
ing troops out from San Francisco
e aid in this work, but this has not "
y taken shape.
Z As to the future of the island, it
L likely that the government will retail
{ possession of at least one good po
u u such as Manila for coaling static
IL and base of supplies during the r
mainder of the war. There was u
E derstood to be considerable SPANS
u force in the Philippines and lart
number of natives are said to
v "loyal," meaning in that sense a
III tached to the Spanish fortunes. Wit
le this material on one hand and the il
,e surgents on the other, the latter stin
le ulated by the overthrow of the Spa
al iards at Manila, it is probable tht
civil war may rage on the islands Fl
,s some time.
u ECHADEn hist IN TIME