Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-06-10
DETAILS OF MANILA BATTLE
Faulty Spanish Gunners-capture Of a
Spanish Revenue Gutter.


advices from Hong Kong by the
steamer Empress Of Japanrare full of
interesting "details Of the battle of
Manila. One report, commenting on
Dewey's well-timed arrival, says:
''rhe victory of the United States
Aslatic squadron is, CT course, due in
q great measure to the splendid marks.
manship OF the American gunners,
but more particularly to the tactics
and strategy of Commodore Dewey"
Notwithstanding the notoriously
bad gunnery Of the Spanish, there
were many shots in the vigorous
cannonade which went pretty near the
mark, and many, stories are told
regarding the number of shells
that struck the differet vessels. The
aim of the Spaniards' smaller guns
was more within range than
the guns of the heavier caliber. The
flagship Olympia was pierced by
numerous seven.pound shot. Had the
firing of the big guns been as accurate
as that of the United States ships,
which are not armored vessels, they
would have Jared rather badly.
The day of the fight was beautiful
Sunday, an ideal first Of May. The
sky was clear, the sun was pouring
down its scorching rays and the bay
was like a large blue lagoon. As the
sun wert down in the west it showed
up the poor battered hulls and with
cred tunnels and masts Of the Spanish
ships. Far away on Bancoor shore,
the Isla de Mindano, destroyed by the
Concord, sent huge column of smoke
broken from time to time by myriads
of sparks and long tongues of flames
as bulkhead after bulkhead collapsed
and the fire spread from stem to stern
At Cavlte, the wooden hull Of the Cas-,
tilla burned and smouldered into the
night, sending IN into the midnight
air lurid glare, beside which all
other conhagrations, with the ex'
ception Of the arsenal, seemed puny
guttering rush-lights.
The gradual destruction Of the ar
senal was long drawn-out series OF
pyrotechnics. About o'clocka tre-
mendous explosion occurred, the flames
shooting up into the alf about lO'
feet. and for many seconds after
loud, thunderous roar travelled across
the bay. 1t was a fine spectacle
terrible in its exemplification of th'
disastrous effects of modern warfare
Commodore Dewey had not evel
the satisfaction of capturing his bray
adversaries. Admiral Montejo, hay
ing scuttled and abandoned his ship
was in the arsenal when the lombard
ment of Cavite occurred. With tn
remainder of his officers and men, tn
admiral, who had been slightl
wounded in the left thigh by an iro
splinter, escaped by the road to Man
lila.
A survey of the remains of tn
Spanish fleet after their surrender n
yealed sight Of desolation. 1hre
large cruiser, eight gunboats and tw
torpedo-boats had been sunk. In th
smoking hulks of the remainder
the fleet floating everything wa
direst confusion, a large number
the crew haYing deserted and lei
article of great value behind. Dea
bodies and wounded men were ais
strewn about the decks.
A large number of Americans SUI
tained slight injuries from splinter
, but nothing of a serious nature.
The naval arsenal at CaYite, col
trary to previous reports, is we
equipped with the latest types
: munition Of war and the stores a
we'll filled with coal.
3 A sad incident occurred on boa
|, the revenue cutter Hugh McCulloc
AS the squadronIwas making its WI
9 through the south channel betwe
!. Corrigidor island and the maiulal
o into Manila bay, the ships steami
I in line up the channel and every lig
n being out, the Hugh McCull0ch 81
!. nailed that the chief engineer "
seriously ill, and asked for consult
Z tlon doctors. This was Of course L
possible, and the warships proceed
{ on their voyage through the cham
d A signal was given from the McCl
loch shortly afterwards that the chi
engineer had died from apoplexy.
4 A Spanish reyenus cruiser sail
!. right into the jaws OF the enemy
few days after the battle For SCI