The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-09

forts opened up ana tHe SHIdllcL opdlhSI
vessels brought their guns into play.
lhe American squadron, which had
been led into the bay, and through the
channel by the flagship Olympia, did not
reply. though the shells of the Spanlards
legan to strike the water around them.
The ships moved majestically onward
When nearing Baker Bay sudden up
heavel Of water a short distance ahead
of the Olympia, showed that the Span
iards had exploded a mine, or torpedo
This was followed by a second and simi-
lar explosion. They were both utterly
unsuccessful.
EXPLOSION OF MINES.
The American feet was then drawing
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 aim
ed, either falling short or going wide of
the mark.
When the American fleet entered the
bay, coming through the southern chan
mel between Cabalo Frile Islets, the
following was their order:
The flagship Olympia, Baltimore, Raj
eigh, Concord, Boston, Petrol, and Nc
Culloch, with the two store ships, the
Nanshan and Zafiro bringing up the rear
And in that order they swept grandly be-
fore the city and faced the enemy in
column line.
Though the Spaniards had opened fire
at six thousand yards, the Americans
reserved their fire until within four
thousand yards of the enemy, when the
real battle began.
The Reina Christina. Castillo, Don
Antonio dc Ulloa, Isle de Cuba, Isla de
Ltzon, and the Mmdanao were in line
Of battle outside Of Cavite at that time,
with four gun boats and the torpedo
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 a 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
generalization among the Spanish fleet,
and in the Spanish batteries, the Amerl-
can fleet retired for breakfast and, in
cidentally, IA council of war was held on
board the Olympia.
BY this time the Spanish ships were
in desperate condition. The flagship
Reina Christina was riddled with shot
and shell, one of her steam pipes had
burst and she was believed to be on
fire. The Castillo was certainly on hre,
and soon afterwards they were burned
to the waters edge.
BATTERIES SILENCED.
Tho Don Antonio de I7llOa made a mag
uifcent show of desperate bravery.
When her commander found she was so
torn by the American shells that ne
could not keep her atioat, he nailed hef
col0rs to the mast, and she went down
with all hands fighting TO the last. Her
hulI was completely riddled and her up
uer deck had been swept clean by the
awful fire of the American 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 Spanish tor
pedo boat crept along the shore ana
round the offing, in an attempt TO attack
the American store ships, but she was
promntlv discovered, was driven ashore
and shot to pieces.
i
heen run ashore to save her from sink
inc and the Spanish small craft had
sought shelter from the steel storm be-
hind the breakwaters.
The battle. which was started at about
$50 a. IN. and adjourned at $50 a. M
was resumed about noon, when Com
modore Dewey started in to put the I'm
ishing touches to his glorious work.
rTSI. t1.rltr of in NJ
Spaniards by that time, and ut p. m.
the Petrol and Concord had shot the
Cavite batteries into silence. leaving
them hcaps of ruins floating the white
flag
The Spanish gun boats were then scut-
tied. the arsenal was on fire, and the
explosion of the Spanish magazine
caused further mortality among the de
tenders 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 eN-
ploded some ammunition near one of
her guns and slightly injured half a
dozen of the crew.
Several shots passed dangerously close
to- Commodore Dewey, but little or no
damage was done on board the nag
ship
On the other hand about one hundred
and fifty men are said to have been
killed ON board the Rena Christina.
which was totally destroyed. Admiral
Montejo. the Spanish commander, trans
ferred his flag to the Isla de Cuba when
his ship caught fire, but the latter was
destroyed also in due course of time.
DISMANTLING OF FORTS.
The Reina Christina lost her captain,
Il lieutenant, her chaplain and midship-
man by one shot which struck her bridge.
About one hundred men were killed
and sixty wounded on board the Castil-
la. Indeed. some estimates place the
number of Spanish wounded during the
engagement ct over thousand men.
The Olympia was struck five times
about her upper works. and whale
boat of the Raleigh was smashed
Continued on Second Page.)