The Portland daily press., 1898-05-09


exploded mine, or torpedo. This was
followed by a second and similar explo-
sion. They were both utterly unsuccess :
full. The American fleet was then draw
ing nearer and nearer to the Spaniards,
whose gunnery was very poor. the shots
from the Cavite batteries and from the
Spanish ships being equally badly aimed,
either falling short or going wide OF the
mark. When the American feet entered
the bay coming through the Southern
channel between Caballo and F'rfle
islets, the following was their order:
This flagship Olympia, the Baltimore,
the Releigh, Concord, Boston, Pet1el and
McCulloch, with the two store ships, the
Nanshan and Zafiro, bringing up the
grandly before the city and faced3 the
enemy in column line.
Though the Spaniards had opened fire
at 5000 yards, the Americans reserved
their fire until within 1000 yards of the
enemy, when the real battle began.
The Reina Christina, CASTILLO, Don
Antonio de Ulloa, Isla de Cuba, Isla de
Luzon and the Mindanao, were in line of
battle outside of Cavite at that time, with
the four gunboats and the torpedo boats
inside the harbor.
The American ships then passed back
| wards and forwards six times across the
front of the Spaniards, pouring in upon
uIto ittUtE q p6fISCt ldll VI SuOG anu SHELL
Eyery American shot seemed to tell,
while almost every Spanish shot missed
| the mark. After having thus scattered
death and Generalization among the
Spanish fleet and in the Spanish batteries,
the. American fleet retired for breakfast
and Incidentally d council of war was
held on board the Olympia BY this
time the Spanish ships were in a desper-
ate condition. The flagship Reina Chris
tina was riddled with shot and shell, one
of her steam pipes had burst and she was
believed to be on fire. The Castillo was
certainly on fire, and soon afterwards,
their condition became worse and worse,
| until they were eventually burned to the
| waters edge.
| The Don Antonio de Ulloa made
most magnificent show of desperate
bravery. When her commander found
she was SO torn by the American shells
| that he could not keep her ahoat, he
| nailed her colors to the mast, and she
| sank with all hands fighting to the last.
Her hull was completely riddled, and her
upper deck had been swept clean BY the
awful fire of the American guns, but the
| Spaniards, though their vessel was sink
| ing beneath them, continued working the
guns on her lower deck until she. sank
| beneath the waters.
| During the engagement, Spanish tor
| pedo boat crept along the shore ndyround
the nff1ng in an attempt to attack the
| American store ships, but she was
promptly discovered, was driven ashore
and was actually shot to pieces The
Mindanao had in the meanwhile, been
run ashore to save her from sinking and
| the Spanish small craft had sought shell
| ter from the steel storm behind the break
water. The battle which had started at
about $50 a. m., and adjourned at $50,
was resumed about noon, when Commo.
dora Dewey started in to put the finishing
touches upon his glorious work. There
was not much fight left in. the Spaniards,
by that time, and at 2 p. m, the Petrol
and the Concord had shot the Cavite bat
teries into silence, leaving them heaps of
ruins and floating the white flag. The
Spanish gunboats were then scuttled, the
arsenal was on fire, and the explosion of
a Spanish magazine caused further NOR
tality among the defenders of Spain on
shore.
stroyed, Spanish vessels could be seen,
while only the cruiser Baltimore had
suffered in anyway from the fire of the
enemy. A shot struck her exploded some
ammunition near one of her guns and
slightly injured half a dozen of her crew.
Seven shots passed dangerously close to
Commodore Dewey, but little or no dam
age was done on board the flagship.
The other hand about 150 men are said
to have been killed on board the Spanish
flagship. which was totally destroyed.
Admiral Montejo, the Spanish COM
mander. transferred his flag to the Isla
de Cuba, when his ship caught fire, but
the latter was also destroyed in due
course Of time. The Reina Christina lost
her captain, lieutenant, her chaplain
and q midshipman by one shot which
struck her bridge. About 100 men were
killed and about 60 were wounded on
board the Castillo. Indeed, some esti-
mates place the number of Spanish
wounded during the engagement ut over
1000 men.
The Olympia was struck five times
about her upper decks, and whaleboat
on the Raleigh was smashed. Although
Mia were fired continuously during the
engagement, Commodore Dewey did not
reply to them for the battery afterwards
hoisteda white flag in token of surrender.
The terms of the capitulation were still
unsettled when the McCulloch left Ma
Mia, and it was said Commodore Dewey,
feared rioting upon the part of the in
of the remaining fortlhcat1ons OF Ma
Mia. The forts at the entrance of the
bay were dismantled on Wednesday after
they had capitulated.
1t Is said that the Spanish ships did not
get undsr steam until after the alarm
was sounded. Tt Ia said also that the
Spanish commander informed the gov
ernor general that it was advisable to
surrender in the interests of humanity
as it was impossible to resist successful
ly, but that he and his mon were willing
enough to fight and die. Even when the
Spanish flagship was half shot away, her
commander, though wounded, refused to
leave the bridge until the ship was burn
ing and sinking, her stern shattered by
8 cannon shell and her steam pipes burst
AS yet there are no further details of
the fighting. After it was over, Commo-
dore Dewey sent an ultimatum to the city
battery, ordering it to cease firing or he
would lombard. The Petrol chased a
gun boat up the river Pasig and the
Spanish captain came in S boat to nego-
tiate conditions of surrender. The Anne
rican replied: Unconditional surrender
or fight.
To this the Spaniard answered: I'VE
are willing to fight. Please allow us to
send for ammunition because our store
is exhausted. -
On proposal to the existing authorities
to continue temporarily under the Ameri-