The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-12

Views On
TheVictory

New York Herald Rsar Admire. (retir-
sd) Bancsost 0hsrzrdi laid:
"The srsatcat tribute to soe cousags
and Efficiency Of the United States navy
was paid when Manila fsll and The
Spanish hest sunk beneath she guns q
Admiral Dowsy's squadron. That VIC
terry is practical demonstration and
an additional proof, IL any be needed.
that tho great advantages in naval no.
tion are the things pre- eminsnsJy pos
sesssd BY our navy:
"The high efficiency of the drill Of
our men, the constant training they
have had in target practice and the fact
that they have been taught that the
guns aboard ship are not thero to b
looked at, but to be used. and that the
deadly execution they are capable Of do
ing is possible only by their own efforts.
The victory at Manila was full, com.
plete. It would have been impossible to
exceed or add to 1t In any way.
"What 10 Dswey's achievement? He
steams into Manila bay at the dead
hour of the night. through the narrower
Of the two ohannels, and as soon a.
there Is daylight enough to grope hio
wav about ba nuts his sIius in line -
hattie and brinos On AN ancacemsnt tbs
oreatest IN MANY rasract. r. auciart -.
modern warfare The rssuIts ara known
the world over.--sverv sh;p ;r the snar-'
ish feet destroyed, the harbor Dewey'a
own, his own ships safe from the shore
tion he oocup,ai and MANILA his wher.
ever he cares "a take "a onick and AZ.
oisiva was tha blow Ha d;d not wait y,
attaok a weaker nlaca bnt strnck homa
npmindfnl of tha urLnovn dargars th.h
lurked about him.
"Althouph he knaw that tha harhor
of ManiIla was ~ dean .nd broad tbet
he had little to fear froun mines or tor-
nedoes at the entys nee he was ~ corrsa
aware that ~ soina r;art ~ the nav A..
struction awaited hin, vpt he tcoi the
risk. Che ssme AZ his fsr,ous predacasror
and teacher Farraont who at MobiIss
when hs saw one ~ ME shirs hlowr m
bv a tornado and another ran;d,v raar-
inc destruction. said iyo .bead Can
tain Drayton. On the tovnedoesp
What his pnn;l,a lanou.ga was xva A.
not know. but he certainlv lived mn "a
the precepts laid down hv tbo then
preatest naval hero. Anothe- no,nt
which his victory emnhasizes ia that
aopressive snnerior;tv means muob in
naval warfare' In that oual;tv Dewav
was immeasnrablv snnarior to Ia onno.
nents. His attack was fairly a storm
"Another featnra that sbonld mot ~
lost sight of in reoountinv this deed of
bravery Is the fact that he was hantii-
capped woefully in rpaneuveripr. OF
course one Of the first things done &C
Manila by the Spanish authoriiisa was
to remove from the harbor all gri, es to
commeroe. suoh as lfahts and ,,uovs.
This having been done. IL would nave
reouired the highest grade of ineelli-
qence to make use az the limited sailing
directions left In the hands Of his nnvi-
yeriue under friendly ewes he could not
have been more successful in avoiding
tteaoherous shoals than he was a. Ma
nilIa. Durino the neriod of enoa oemant
his sbips were oonstantlv moving vet
never went amiss.
"The accuracy and rapidity of the Ere
attest the thorough drifl and perfect dis
cipline of the men and prove that they
kept ever before them Dexey's words
before they left Mrs Bay, Keep cool
and obey orders. That he was not ia-
norant Of the exact range Of the enemy'b
land batteries In shown by the fact thai
when he desired he Withdrew his ships
and. while keeping out of range him
self, still kept in play his own big guns.
1.-THE lesson in this, as naval skbsrtS
will take it, is that in wide harbor an
OpOOaiuQ fio0k Ouoo mast the fOr Al ficati0un