The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-03
SEIZURE OF LADRONE ISLANDS
IMPORTANT PRIZE TAKEN BY
MANILA EXPEDITION.
Appearance of American Warship
Caused Scare and the Charles
ton Was Cleared For Action.

San Francisco, Aug. 2.-The steamer
Dcric, from Hongkong today, bring.
the following letter from the CORE,
srondent of the Associated Press al
Manila, under date of July /:
Another link was added to the chair
of territory which connects the U2ited
| States with their newly acquired for
elgn possessions in the Pacific ocean
| On June q. for upon that date Captain
| Glass of the United States steamer
Charleston captured the Ladrone
! Islands, took the governor general, his
staff and the entire military force pris-
oDers. and raised the stars and stripes
over the ruins of the Spanish fort of
Santa Cruz. in the harbor of San Luis
d'Apra- 1t was a bloodiess victory. for
the Spanish, not having heard of the
VSr between their country and the
CEited States, were taken completely
by surprise and surrendered the
islands, their arms and themselves
without offering the slightest resist
aIce.
From a strategic point of view, how
ever, it was a very important one, for
the harbor of San Luis d'Apra- on the
west coast of the main island, Guam,
is an ideal coaling station, and while
the whole group will undoubtedly prove
to be of incalculable value to the Unit
ed States, it commends itself as the
most valuable of all the newly ac-
Quired possessions, on account of it's
situation. 1t lies 5000 miles west by
south of Honolulu, 1850 miles south
east of Yokohama, and $500 miles east
of Luzon, the Philippine island group,
thus being the connecting link between
the United States and the orient Its
Inhabitants, who number about 10000,
are hospitable, peaceful, law-abiding
people, only too anxious to throw off
the Spanish yoke, yet perfectly willing
to shoulder another less CALLING one
OF the islands themselves volumes
might be written and the half not told.
Suffice it TO say that they are of VOL
caEic origin, very prolific, compare
lively healthy and only await capital
to develop their innumerable resources.
For three days the Charleston's run
from Guam to Manila was without in
cldent, but on June IS, shortly after
Point Engana, the northeasterly cape of
Luzon island, had been sighted, a
strange steamer appeared on the hori-
Zon. The Charleston was Immediately
cleared for action, and after the con-
Voy had fallen into line in her wake.
preparations were made for giving the
stranger a warm reception, should she
prove to be hostile.
She turned out to be the United
States steamer Baltimore, however,
which had been waiting the fleet for
ten days. The ships were hove to while
Captain Dyer reported to Captain
Glass, but Immediately upon his re-
turn to the Baltimore the whole feet
again got under way at increased
s2eed.
AS it rounded the north end of the
island, the first rough weather of the
entire trip, in the shape of a southeast
erly monsoon, was encountered. AT 2
p. m, on June so. the Baltimore led the
way into Manila. harbOr, and three
hours later the feet anchored under
the wing of the flagship Olympia, with
in few miles of the wrecks of the
Spanish fleet, which had been annihi-
lated by Rear Admiral Dewey just
two months earlier.
A large fleet of foreign men-of- war
lay at aSchor just above Manila, most
of whom were Germans, and an addi-
ton was made to the fleet by the ar
rival of the Kaiserin Augusta, which
followed the transports into the harbor
from a small cove just outside.