Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-20
DEWEY ON THE ALERT.
How He Received the News That Camara
Had sailed Through >ucz aud His Plans
to Outwit Him,

Murat Halstead who has been for sov-
cral months in the Philippines gathering
muteria. for a book, tells the following
interesting story, in an interview In tho
Chicago Record of how Admiral
Dewey received the news OF the coming
of Camara's fleet and how he prepared
for il:
In the first weeks of July there was
confident anticipation ON all sides that
Camara's squadron was coming" said MI
Halstead 1T was known that Gen
Grrenc's brigade was on the way, and
Gen. Merritt on the Newport with the
Boston battery, some hundreds of of re-
cruits and :l.in"cOO in gold coin, had left
San Francisco on June -. The close calcu-
lations showed that Camara's fleet, SAIL
ng at an average rate of ten knots an
hour, would be about even with Greene
in getting into the China sea"
What was Admiral Dcwcy's judgment
about this"
Wen. he could not go back on the size
and shape of the world, and the results
of Il little figuring IN simple arithmetic.
The Admiral WAS asked from WASHINGTON
whether h, could furnish convoy for
the transports. and he replied that he
could not"
Wiz sort of Information had they at
Manila Bay and CaNttc about the Spanish
flopt?"
ne ntSt OF an newspaper 4UlpIlndll''u
New York correspondent who was with
Dewey in the battle was at Hong Kong
and cab.ct for leave to return home. He
received Il cable saying he must not rv-
turn, for Camara was just passing the
SucH Canal The CORES onhCut sent this
message to the Admiral, who did not
think the Span!ardS would make the Vcn-
turc, but knew hc should be prepared for
them. His victorious fleet was not of
nj
chance OF repairs after heavy engage
mont The situation might become danger
Gus, SO extra hazardous, indeed, that he
must be roeIlurC-d before rsking all in a
baltic.
THE Admlra resolved upon his course
and made ready. His plan was to ,vac-
uatc the harhor with his whole fleet and
the transports that had delivered the
troops under Gen Anderson and so to
the north Of the Isle of LuZon, where h
would wait for the monitors Monterey
and Mcnadnock, and with them return
give Cumara the fight he wanted. The Adj
miraI said that with the monitors he
could sink every ship of the Spanish
fleet.
While Dewey was waiting for the
monitors north OF LuZon Gen. Anderson
was to have taken tn the country with
such supplies of ratons ana cartridges as
could be conveyed, This was just the
tlme- when the Monadnock was 50
tediously rehtting and cOaliug at Homo
lulu.
"'rhe country, highly and in a sense
handsomely and with excessive zeal rs it
appreciated Admiral Dewey, does not
comprehend the fun extent of its in
debtrdnoss to him-has not heard the
whole story of the slender threads his
Will made strong as iron Chains--docs not
know fully OF the Ceascless vigilance
with which for months he has done his
duty, the incessant care with which he
personally has watched every night and
all night, that no harm might come tn
his beloved ships, until he is no longer
able to get more than short maps of
sleep, save in the daylight when he turns
In for slumber after dinner, and thus he
gets his rest of restoration from day to
day"