Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-05-16
DEWEY'S GREAT BATTLE.

The American fleet entered Manila
BAY on Saturday night with the great
est of ease. Sparks flew up from the
McCulloch's funnel, whereupon few
shots were exchanged with the bat
teries on Corregicor Island but the
feet did not SO " down and soon took
up position near Cavite, awaiting
dawn in order to commence hostil-
tiles.
The early hours of morning revealed
the opposing ships to each other, and
the Spanish flagship opened fire. Her
action was followed by some of the
larger Spanish warships and the Ca
vite forts opened up. The American
squadron did not reply though the
shells of the Spaniards began to strike
the water around them, but they
moved majestically onward.
When nearing Baker bay sudden
upheaval OF water a short distance
ahead of the Olympia showed that the
Spaniards had exploded a mine or
torpedo. This was followed by Sec
ond and similar explosion. They were
both utterly unsuccessful.
The American fleet was then draw
ing nearer and nearer to the Span
iards whose gunnery was very poor,
shots from the Cavite batteries and
the Spanish ships being equally badly
aimed, either falling short or going
wide of the mark. Though the Span
iards had opened fire at 5000 yards,
the Americans reserved their fire
until within 1000 yards Of the enemy
when the real battle began.
The Reina Christina, Castillo, Don
Antonio, De Ulloa, Isla De Cuba, Isla
De Luzon, and Mindanao were in line
of battle outside of Cavite at that
time, with four gunboats and torpedo
boats inside the harbor.
The American ships then passed
backwards and forward six times
across front of Spaniards, pouring in
upon the latter perfect hail of shot
and shell. Every American shot
seemed to tell, while almost every
Spanish shot missed the mark. After
having thus scattered death and de-
moralization among the Spanish fleet
and in the Spanish batteries, the
American feet retired for breakfast,
and incidentally council of war was
held on board the Olympia.
By this time the. Spanish ships were
in desperate condition. The flag
ship Reina Christina was riddled with
shot and shell. One of her steam
pipes had burst and she was believed
tainly on fire and soon afterwards
both were burned to the waters edge.
The Don Antonio De Ulloa, made a
most magnificent show of desperate
bravery. When her commander saw
she was SO torn by American shells
that he could not keep afloat he nailed
her colors to the mast and she sank
with all hands fighting to the last.
Her hull was completely riddled and
her upper deck had been shot clean
by the awful fire of the American
guns, butthe Spaniards, though their
vessel was sinking beneath them con.
tinued working the guns on her lower
deck until she sank beneath the
waters.
During the engagement the Span
ish torpedo boat crept along the shore
in an attempt to attack American
store ships, but she was promptly dis
covered, was driven ashore and act
ually shot to pieces.
The Mindanao had in the meanwhile
been run ashore to save her from
sinking, and the Spanish small craft
had sought shelter from the steel
storm behind the breakwater
The battle which was started at
about $50 a. NJ. and adjourned at $3.50
a. M, was resumed about noon, when
Commodore Dewey started in to put
the finishing touches upon his glorious
work. There was not much fight left
in the Spanish by that time, and at
p. N. the Petrol and Concord had shot
the Cavite batteries into silence, leav
ing them heaps of ruins floating the
white flag.
The Spanish gunboats were then
scuttled, the arsenal was on fire and
an explosion of a Spanish magazine
caused further mortality among the
defenders of Spain on the shore On
the water, the burning, sunken or de-
stroyed Spanish vessels could be seen
while only the cruiser Baltimore had
suffered in any way from the fire of
the enemy, shot which struck her
exploding some ammunition near one
of her guns and slightly injured half
dozen of her crew.
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