Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-05-11

followed Dy second anu Sllnllar eA-
plosion. They were both utterly un-
successful.
The American feet was then draw
ing nearer and nearer to the Spaniards,
whose gunnery was very poor, the
shots from the Cavite batteries and
from the Spanish ships being equally
badly aimed, either falling short or
going wide of the mark.
| When the American feet entered
the bay, coming through the southern
channel the Caballo Frille islets, the
following was the order: The flagship
Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Concord,
Boston, Petrol and McCulloch, with
the storeships, the Nanshan and zafro,
bringing up the rear. And iu that or
der they swept gradually before the
city and faced the enemy in column
line.
Though the Spaniards had opened
fire at 5000 yards, the Americans re-
served their fire until within 1000
yards of the enemy, when the real bat
tie began.
The Reina Cristina, Castillo, Don
Antonio de Ulloa, Isla de Cuba, 1sla
de Luzon and the Mindanao were in
line Of battle outside of Cavi,e at that
time, with four gunboats and the tor
pedo boats inside the harbor.
The American ships then passed
back ward and forward six times across
the front of the 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 decentralization among the Spanish
fleet and in the Spanish batteries, the
American fleet retired for breakfast,
and, incidentally, council of war
was held on board the Olympia.
By this time the Spanish ships were
in a desperate condition. The flag
ship Reina Cristipa was riddled with
shot and shell, one of her steampipes
had burst and she was believed to be
on fire. The Castillo was certainly on
fire soon afterwards. They were both
eventually burned TO the waters edge.
The Don Antonio de Uulloa made a
magnificent show ofdesperate bravery.
When her commander found she was
so torn by the American shells that he
could not keep her aAoat, he nailed
her colors to the mast and she went
down with all hands fighting to the
last. Her hull was completely riddled
and her upper deck had been swept
clean by The awful fire of the Ameri-
can guns, but the Spaniards, though
their vessels were sinking beneath
them, continued working the guns on
her lower deck until she sank.
During the engagement a Spanish
torpedo boat crept along the shore and
round the offing, in an attempt to at
tack the American storeships, but she
was promptly discovered, driven ashore
and shot to pieces.
The Mindanao had in the meantime
been run ashore to keep her from sink.
ing, and the Spanish small craft had
sought shelter from the steel storm
behind the breakwater.
The battle, which was started at
about $50 a. m. and adjourned at $50
a. M, was resumed at noon, when
Commodore Dewey started in to put
in the finishing touches of his glorious
work. There was not much fight left
in the Spaniards by that time, and at
9 p. m. the Petrol and Concord had
shot the Cavite batteries into silence,
leaving them heaps of ruins and float
ing the white flag.
The Spanish gunboats were then
scutt!ed, the arsenal was on fire and
the explosion of Spanish magazine
caused further mortality among the
defenders of Spain on shore.
On the water, the burning, sunken
or destroyed Spanish vessels could be
seen, while only the cruiser Baltimore
had suffered in any way from the fire
of the enemy. A shot which struck
her exploded some ammunition near
one of her guns and slightly injured a
dozen of the crew.
Several shots passed dangerously
close to Commodore Dewey; but little
or no damage was done on board the
flagship.
On the other hand, about $50 men
are said to have been killed on board
the Reina Cristina, which was totally
destroyed. Admiral Montejo, the
Spanish commander, transferred his
flag to the Isla de Cuba when bis ship
caught fire, but the latter was destroy
ed also in due course of time.
The Reina Cristina lost her captain,
lieutenant, her chaplain and mid
shipman by one shot which struck her
bridge.
About 100 men were killed and 60
wounded on board the Castillo. In
deed, some estimates place the number
of Spanish wounded during the en-
gagement at over 1000 men.
The Olympia was struck five times
about her upper works and whale
boat of the Raleigh was smashed.
Although the Krupp guns on the
esplanade of Manila were fired con-
tinuously during the engagement, Com
modore Dewey did not reply to them,
and the battery afterward hoisted u
white flag in token Of surrender.
The terms of the capitulation were
still unsettled when the McCulloch left
Manila, and it was said Commodore
Dewey feared rioting upon the part OF
the insurgents if he attempted bonn
bardment of the remaining fortilica-