Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-08

eral interest, and of Importance only to the
department. The receipt of dispatch at
the state department, however, from COM
mercial sources, indicates that further news
may be coming by commercial steamers.
If congress does not prematurely act, as
1t did in the case of Worden, when he
achieved his famous victory over the Mer-
rimac, Acting Admiral Dewey will become
an actual admiral in few days. The laws
of July IS, 1852, provide that naval officers
who, upon the Recommendation OF the pres
ident, receive the thanks of congress, may
be advanced one grade. The president will
do this in Dewey's case. which will put
81 900 additional in his pocket and jump
him over three commodores as well as over
Acting Admiral Sampson.
Wild Excitement in Warrington.
Notwithstanding the fact that everybody
for several days past has been in moment-
airy expectation of cable advices from Com
modore Dewey, the town was thrown into
the widest excitement at breakfast time
this morning by the issue of extra papers
announcing the arrival of the McCulloch
at Hong Kong, with dispatches for the
government form Commodore Dewey. The
publication of newspaper dispatches telling
of terrible mortality among the Spanish
and the escape of the American forces.
men and ships, from serious injury. added
to the excitement and to the intense salts
faction with which the long-expected news
was received.
There was an instant rush Of newspaper
men to the navy department to secure fur
ther information from official sources, and.
perhaps dismayed by the number and i'm
petuosity of the newspaper contingent. the
officials of the navigation bureau, where
cipher dispatches are Transcribed and
translated. promptly closed and locked
their doors against invasion. One of the
officers of the department had been on
duty every moment of the twenty-four
hours for several weeks past waiting to
| receive cablegrams of Importance. A
similar state of affairs has prevailed at the
state department, where one of the assist
, ant secretaries and the chief clerk have di-
vided up the watches of the nights. Sleep
ing on temporary cots set up in the ante
room.
| First News From Dewey.
/ The state department has the honor of
receiving the first news. 1t came In the
shape of cablegram of three words from
! United States Consul Wildman, at Hong
Kong. and was as follows:
| Hong Kong. McCulloch. Wildman."
| That is the usual form in which naval
movements are reported by cable. This
I dispatch was received by Third Assistant
Secretary Cridler. who was turned out of
his cot by a messenger boy at 4:4O O'Clock
j this morning. The naval officials were
promptly notified and awaited with intense
interest the dispatch which was expected
4 surely to follow from Commodore Dewey,
About half past 3, Manager Marean. of
the Western Union Telegraph Company
/ appeared at the department bringing with
him sheet comprising four lines of the
mysterious jargon which makes I'D the
naval cipher. He handed this directly to
Secretary Long. who gazed at it for a mo-
ment and turned II over to Lieutenant
Whittlesey, one of the cipher experts OF
the navigation bureau, for translation into
English. Then the secretary made a pre-
tense OF sitting down at his desk to trans.
act other business, but 1t was plain to be
seen that. In spirit. he had Joined the anx.