The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-22
OUR FLEET AT MANILA.
Trials of the SituatiOn-Sickness and
Alarms in Regard to Attack.


The following are extracts from a private
letter received from an officer on one of the
United States ships at Manila. 1T was writ
ten at intervals between May Is and May 90:
"I sent you bit of yarn about the bat
tie of Manila bay. Since then we have been
dividing our time between helping in the
blockade of Manila and in the more active
work of picket duty One night we were
turned out to general quarters three times.
and we have averaged more than one gen.
eral alarm each twenty-four hours. / cor
daily wish some of the bowling idiots who
are so hell-bent on war could assist as
our French friends would say. However,
place in this year of '9S is in the cruise, AMI
as for what comes after. l dare say it is
paid for by the leisurely time l have en-
joyed in the past. So / smoke my pipe and
ALREADY we begin to be bothered with
the sickness that the place, the season and
have been i'll The absence of any fresh
grub and the difficulty of having salt stuff
on board ship that is in any measure pala-
table account for this If they send green
soldiers here land until they do send SOL
diers we can do but little more) we shall
have much loss from such causes.
This morning, just as ! was in my tub.
the general alarm was sounded. Before l
could get on deck they began plunking away
with the main battery Very soon Span
came in in broad daylight, colors flying. and
signals up to the arsenal at Cavite. | saw
the poor devil the lieutenant in command,
later in the day. We collared the gunboat
and paroled him and his officers and men.
He told me that he had been on a cruise in
the islands. ard had no suspicion that war
existed when he came in. He added that
he was between the devil and the deep sea !:
if he went to Manila he would be hanged
for surrendering. and IL he went outside
Cavite he would have his throat cut by the
insurgents. He begged me to intercede AMI
have him sent to Manila by boat as the
lesser of the two evils.
LAS the Spanish navy here has been pretty
thoroughly destroyed, our chief danger
arises, not from regularly armed ships, but
from the possibility that some torpedo may
be launched at US by an improvised tug
torpedo-bo The strictest watch is kept
and beside the battery all night. Amnuni-
ton for the quick-fire guns is on deck all
the time, as we'll as one round for the big
battery Moreover, a picket launch is kept
moving about around the squadron all
night. Yesterday was our turn for this
duty l went with our party. and, in add-
ton to the strain brought on by trying 10
see things where 1t was so dark naught
could be seen, our feelings were all har-
rowed up by our being fired on by the Con-
cord. 1t showed that q bright lookout was
kept on board the Concord but it Jared on
our nerves just the same.
They say Spain has sent out two battle
ships to retake the Philippines. On the face
of it, the yarn is improbable. She ought to
be kept busy by our home fleet. All the
same it is not to be denied that two armor-
clads would give us our work all cut out.
Olympia. Baltimore Raleigh and Boston
ought to do them. but Il would not be an
easy task. Anything from a one-pounder
up goes through any of us anywhere in Our
sides. while even our biggest guns will only
probably pierce the armor-clads and then