The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-05-11
AS TOLD BY AN EYE WITNESS
Thrilling account OF the Voyage of the Aslatlc
Squadron From Hong Kong the Battle
IN the Harb0y and the Utter De-
feat of the >Sbanlards

F, boat. But the fight was practically over b.
! this time.
| The Spanish cruiser Castillo burst int
| flames under the remarkable gunnery o
| Deweys men. The American commodor
| then directed a hot fire against the batter
| les. This was a surprise to Admiral Monte
| 10, who apparently thought himself secur'
| under the guns of the Cavite Notifications
! The Spanish cruiser Refine Maria Crist
| tina received the full effect Of this CALLING
| fire from the American fleet was so bad
ly damaged that she sunk after catching
fire. The other vessels of the Spanish flee
were quickly rddled by the whitening hal
of lead from the American gunboats.
She sunk after catching fire.
The other vessels Of the Spanish flee
were quickly riddled by the whitening hal
of lead from the American gunboats. Two
gunboatS that had put out from the Cavte
bfeakWater, with evident intent to destroy
the nearest American vessels, were speed
lily forced to return within shelter of the
Notifications.
The arsenal Of the Cavite fortified tions
exploded during the engagement, probably
from American shells, and 40 Spaniards
were killed.
The Notifications made a nominal resist
ance, but were quickly overpowered. The
shore garrisons did not capitulate, how.
ever, and when the American fleet ceased
hiring the Spaniards on shore were still de.
FAINT
The Spanish ships caught fire one after
another, or were driven to grounding te
save their crews. Commodore Dewey con.
| tinued the fighting until the last vessel OF
the enemy had been destroyed BY that
time the shore batteries were silenced and
the American fleet had won a most re.
markable victory. American ships were
Kept under way to maneuver about the
Spanish fleet. By this means much of the
enemy's firing was rendered harmless. The
spectacle OF the American warships
maneuvering, as if on parade and at the
same time directing a terrific fire at the
enemys ships and Notifications, was 4
magnificent tribute to the skill and dis
cipline of modern naval warfare
There We're only few slight casualties
all told, among the ships of the American
fleet, the worst of which resulted from an
explosion of ammunition on the deck of the
Baltimore. The other ships Of the fleet
We're practically uninjured
At least $50 Spaniards were known to have
been Killed during the engagement, and sew
eral hundred were wounded besides Some
reports place the total loss of the Spanish
fleet at SEQ killed and 400 wounded
The Olympia led the squadron into the
pay through the channel, and the fleet had
passed Corregidor Island before the Span.
lards perceived them. A shot was Their
lired from the battery, to which the Raj
elgh, the Boston and the Concord speedily
retorted, and the battery was almost i'm.
mediately reduced to silence
Ire squadron then slowly proceeded uL
the harbcr and when day broke the towr
OF Mafilla was cen about five miles dis.
tant. The American ships steamed deliber
ately along in front of Manila but with.
out opening fire until the Spanish cannon
from the batteries around the town began
nrlng and shots began to strike the water
around the squadron. Then the Concord
hred a few shots more or less as she
passed but the others proceeded silently to-
wards Cavte.
When nearing Bakers Bay sudden up.
heaval of the waters occurred a little dis
lance in front of the leading ship, and
quickly following this a second water
spout denoted that the Spaniards had fired
couple Of mines or torpedoes but their
efforts to blow up the ship were absolutely
unsuccessful
Almost Immediately the guns in the Ca
Vlte battery burst into a heavy cannOnade
The shells fell in the neighborhood of The
Olympia, but d majority of them fell shor,
and were badly aimed. The squadron Their
drew nearer in toward the Spanish f1eet
ana the battle began in real earnest.
The American ships entered by the south
ern CHANNEL, between Caballo and Frille
islets, which We're fortified Commodore
DeWey resolved to risk the mines which
were supposed to block the channel The
Island forts fired, but not together Re-
plying with a few shells the squadron nro-
ceeded without stopping or changing its
course. The order of the vessels was as
follows: The Olympia Baltimore. Ra-
,eigh concord, Boston, Petrol McCulloch
Nanshan and Zafiro, and thus they steam.
ed to the center of the bay.
Inc spanish ships were already in a des-
perate CONDITION. The Rena Crstina was
rlddled and one of her steam pipes had
burst The Castillo was also on fire and
Ooth were burned to the waters edge The
Ion Antonio de Uloa made a magnificent
show of desperate bravery. With her col
ors nailed to her mast she sank with all
hands Her hull was riddled and her up-
per deck swept clean, but the guns on the
lower deck were still firing defiantly as the
vessel sank beneath the waters. A tor
pedo boat tried to creep along the shore
round the offing and attack the non-com-
batants, Zafiro, Nanshan and McCulloch
but was driven ashore and shot into hits
Inc Mundane was run unto the beach and
the other small craft retired behind the
mole The fight started at $50 was adjourn.
ca at $50 and resumed about noon. The
nm touches were given to Cavite by
the Petrol and Concord. The Raleigh
grounded twice in shallow water during the
engagement.
Cavlte is In utter ruin and has surren.
oered, the gunboats have been scuttled and
the arsenal was on fire and exploded, caus-
. .ns great MORTALITY. The commodore OF
the fleet, on board the Reina Cristina wae
wounded and her captain, lieutenant. chan.
lain and the midshipman were killed nv =
shell striking the bridge. Eighty OF hay
crew were killed and 60 were wounded
On the Castillo 100 were killed and so wers
wounded s
They passed before the city seeking The
spanish squadron and found them near The
entrance OF Baker Bay, backed and thanked
py the CaVlte forts with two torpedo boa r.
ana FOUR gunboats inside the mole, which
served as protection, while the Reina Cris.
tina, Castill. Don Antonio de Ulloa. Isla dc
Cuba. 1sla de Luzon and the mail boat Mir
danao were drawn up outside Tho Sn.n
1ards fired the first shot at 600 wards HIT :,
was ineffective
Inc American ships formed in column line
ana steamed nearer, reserving their fire I'm.
III within 1000 yards. They then nasSed
BACKWARDS and forwards six times across
the spaniards 'front.' pouring in nerfect
nall OF shot and shell. Every shot scenes
10 tell Then the Americans retired FL,
breakfast and a council Of war.
Inc Spanish casualties aggregate more
IMAM thousand. There We're no casuaItiee
among the American crews, except that siy
U! the baltimore men were slightly wound
eu Dy one or the enemy's shells striking an.
u.her smell lying on deck and exploding it
mere were only three shot holes in her IN
per works. five in the upper works of the
olympia and whale boat smashed on the
Raleigh No other damage was done anv-
Where. The disparity between the injury
ln11cted or the Spanish fleet and that sus-
tanned by the Americans is due tn tho e.,
perior guns of the latter and the s1peror
craftsmanship at long range
Inc Manila Esplanade Krupp 1O-inch guns
were fired continuously but the Americans
avoided replying and the battery showed a