The herald., 1898-12-11
DEWEY Will SAVE SHIPS
THREE SPANISH VESSELS WILL
BE ADDED TO OUR NAVY
THE KIND OF BOATS WE WANT
With American Arms and American
Men They Will Be Fine Craft
for Service

WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 5.-(Special
Correspondence to The Herald.) The i'm
portant announcement that was dismissed
with few brief telegraphc lines the other
day to the effect that Admiral Dewey pro-
posed to raise three of the sunken Spanish
vessels that lie at the bottom Of Manila
bay, instead of allowing the submerged
hulks to be disposed of by auction as at first
intended is worthy of much more extended
mention than it received. 1t means that
there is prospect, for Dewey would aot
propose anything that he did no. feel rea-
sonably sure of being able to carry out, OF
adding these ships to the United States
navy, and perhaps at some future time using
them to defend the very harbor in which
they are at present sunk.
For 0,0C0, says the reports that have
been received here from Dewey, at least
three vessels Of the sunken fleet can be
raised and put in good condition. These
three ships are the Don Juan de Austria,
the Isla de Cuba and the Jsla de Luzon.
They are boats that will he valuable TO us
when properly manned and defended.
The Isla de Cuba and the lsa de Luzon
are English built, and a.e rated as third
class cruisers. They are steel ships of good
construction, of l04O tons displacement, eco
feet in length, 80 feet wide ana drawing IL
feet 6 inches of water. Their armament,
which can be most easily raised of any part
oil the equipment, ani which will surely be
added to the possession of this country,
whether the ships are raised or not, cou-
sists of six 4.7-inch Hontoria guns, four g.
pound guns, two l-pound Nordenfeld guns
aud tbnna a. A I. ..l
ships can make a speed of fifteen knots.
The other vessel for which the govern
ment has hopes, the Don Juan de Austria,
was, before she came TO such an abrupt end,
tight little ship OF ll52 tons displacement,
2l0 feet in length, 30 feet wide, and draw
ing 12.5 feet of water. She is Spanish built,
and carried an armamen. of four 4.7-inch
Hontoria guns, four 6-pounders and one ma
chine gun.
Apart from the pride of attaching these
vessels to the navy of the United States,
sentiment which caused the government to
make such heroic efforts 10 save the i'll
fated Maria Teresa, these three ships that
Dewey intends to raise to the surface are
really excellent little war vessels. The re-
port of divers who have examined the hulls
is that they can be put in repair without the
expenditure of more money and time than
the effort would warrant, as is the case,
unfortunately, with some of the other ships
that Dewey's accurate shooting sent to the
bottom. Owing to their small and handy
size, they will be just the ships for the
coast guard work of our new islands N the
Orient, and the wreckers will not have th,
same heavy task before them as with the
larger vessels that were sunk at Manila.
The officials Of the naval depal tment here
are especially pleased at the prospect of
Dewey's being able to rescue these three YES
sells from the sea- on account of the disap-
pointment they had over the Maria Teresa.
1t was a great blow to the naval officials to
lose this fine boat after having got her so
near the harbor, and if Dewey can carry out
his intention of raising the trio of boats
at Manila it will go far to send the spirits
of those connected with the department. UP
to joyful pitch again.
1t is known that the work is a most diff
cult one, but Dewey will have this advan-
tage over the naval constructor who under
took to raise the sunken Maria Teresa, that
the vessels in Manila harbor have only to
be raised to the surface of n harbor that
America controls. The other vesesl mad
not only to be raised, a comparatively easy
business, but to be towed great distance
before a safe harbor could be reached.
This last was the most risky part of the
whole undertaking, as was proved by the
fact that all the labor went for naught when
the last part of the work was attempted
This difficulty Dewey will no. have to en-
counter. The department has on this ac-
count the greatest confidence in the brave
admiraPs ability to do as nc promises.
We may therefore be prepared soon to
welcome three new additions to Uncle
Sans navy--the Don Juan de Austria, the
Isla de Cuba and the lsa de Luzon.