The western recorder., 1898-05-12
A Marvellous Battle.

puttie ol NnulilH mas no counter
part in history. Tue story of IL
was first told 10 the world BY the
loser. On one side the destruction
was complete, while the other side
escaped virtually unharmcd. The
victor is the one that first annouu-
ces to his own nation and the rest
of mankind the result of great bat
ties. Previous to the fight at Ma
nilla there has been no exception
TO this rulc in the modern egc in
the case of an cpoch-making con-
tiict. Oddly enough, the story IF
the Manila battle ms told by the
loser week ago was substantially
correct. True. the hrst reports
from Madrid on Sunday night last
were misleading. but those which
wore sent out few hours later
made a tolerably close approach, 10
absolute correctness. The calamity
for Spain was no vast that the
Spaniards dared not attempt to
conceal it. Their overthrow was
SO sudden, 90 unexpected and so
crushing that they were tlazed in
to telling the truth. 80 far as the
truth could I've learned Mt that hour.
But the other particular con-
nected with the battle the fnct
that tho dcsiruction was all on one
side was the more marvellous.
SPANS entire fleet, eleven vessels.
was destroyed, while not an Amor
lean ship was damaged. Among
the Spsniurtis, $50 were killed and
400 wounded. These are The hg-
urcs sent by Dewey. and they will
probably, 80 FAR a. regards the
killed. be found to be under the
mark, for the number OF vessels
which were blown to pieces or sunk
would indicate a heavier loss OF
life than this. Not an American
was killed or lmdly injured. and
only six were slightly hurt. To
employ the phrase used by Plutarcll
for the fight between the Spartans
on one side and the Arca,iinus aud
Argines on the other, in 367 B. G..
this was fearless battle" for the
Americans, ~ il was for The Lace
daemonians tlien. The old warrior
who said that 'tnothing is so sad
as a great defdtt except y great
victory" did not oresee last Sun
days battle. There was nothing
sad for the Americans in The Ii .sh,
at Manila.
In still another aspect the battle
4 was memnrablc. The American
ships in the darkness sailel into {
harbor defended by a powerful
feet. by many forts supplied by
modern guns. adequately manned
and ny mines and torpedoes whicl
had been carefully laid to guarc
against such invasion and to de
str7y the invaders. In boltlnesi
of conception and audacity of cxc
culion Dewcy's exploit will ranl
ibesidc brakes attack ON the Span
ish fleet in the harbor OF Cadiz il
1887, in which he burned. sunk O
captured large number Of vessel
|, a feat which he styled ''singeinl
the King OF Spniiis beard'-ant
with Nelson's destruction OF th'
: Danish war ships in the harbor o
!, lCopenhagcn in 1901 But the Ger
imam and French papers which ar
Expressing surprise mt Dewey
lvigor and daring merely show Al
Ignorance OF the long list of bril-
liant achievements which cast thei
.llspiendor across q century of Unites
\ States naval history. Dewey be
'l-lonss to the same race as Pau
Jones, Barry, Perry, McDonough
Decatur. Bainhridge. Farragut an'
the other nccomplishe | and intrep
id sea warriors whose deeds hav'
/ shed nu undying glory on tn
4 American name Globc-Dcnocra