The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-06-25
DEWEYS GUNNER.
RELATES HIS PARTICIPATION
IN THE BATTLE OF MANILA.
Gunner Evans OF the Boston VINO Stood
Seven Hours Thunderlhg one of the Can
non and Whose Shot Sunk the Spanish
Flag Ship.

VeAASAlCe III lAe Odllle OK Manila, IOlO IN
the New York Journal, by a man behind
the gum The writer, Gunner Evans, OF
the cruiser Boston, just arrived in San
Francisco was the man who on that
memorable day fired the S-inch projectile
which crashed through the Spanish flag
snip Relna Christina, penetrating her
stern, dismantling her engines and set
ting the ship on fire.
San Francisco, Cal, June 1O.-From 5
o'clock In the morning till IL at noon,
seven long hours under most terrific
rain OF shot and shell, and surrounded
at every moment by thousand dangers,
not Knowing at what moment a SUBJ
marine mine or torpedo would hurl one
skyward, it was almost enough to turn
gray the hair Of an ordinary mortal. But
1t was a glorious victory, and I believe
that every man in that battle feels proud
that he was there.
Imagine If you can a most terrific thun-
derstorm, with, its brilliant streaks Of
lightning, and multiply that by the num-
Der OF ships which participated In that
battle, and you can have a slight idea of
what surrounded us for hours at a stretch
on that eventful morning.
IL is quite impossible to describe in
words Or to give a vivid picture that will
convey correct idea of the terrible and
peculiar sensation and rccoil of a big
gun.
The time of my sea service had expired
but l knew that the day Of battle was
near at hand, and l wanted to be in it,
and therefore l remained with the fleet
until after the fight was over.
Every experienced gunner and gun room
crew soon learns by intuition that at the
moment of the discharge Of a gun the
proper thing to do is to throw ones
weight forward on the toes and stand
tiptoe until the recoil is over
Long before the battle was over the
FEELING in ones head was as though
a Of
in each ear.
During the afternoon of Saturday.
April 80. the Boston, the ship was on.
together with the Concord Petrol and
baltimore, were accommodating in Subis:
bay, and all the while we were making
active preparations in clearing the ships
for action.
During that day every ship in the fleet
hao done the same. Boats were covered
with canvas, and nettings were spread
to prevent splinters from flying, the cabin
partitions removed and every movable
thing stored below. Magazines had been
thoroughly inspected, ammunition was
at hand, and every bit of machinery care
iully tested. l patted my gun on the
breech and mentally swore to "Remem-
|. Der the Maine at the first opportunity
| and I'll bet every gunner in the fleet
did the same thing mentally if not aud
IDLY. How we'll they kept their promise
the Spanish best knew by noon the next
day.
At o'clock on Saturday evening the
captains were summoned to council on
the flagship Olympia. The council was
short one, and when the captains re-
turned to their respective ships it was
not long before the information by some
means or other reached the men that the
orders were "to run by the Corregidor
forts at midnight
Ammunition hoists and bullet shields
had been put up, and every man, 1 be-
neve' really longed for midnight to come |
we steamed slowly toward Corregidor
island which splits the entrance to
Manila bay, the channel being one mile
wide on one side of the island and five
miles across at the other.
There are forts on the island and
whole line on the mainland opposite and
from somewhere, 1 don't know where
the report had come that the forts were
almost impregnatle and armed with the
very latest guns Most of the evening
was spent by the men discussing not
what we could do, but conjectures as to
the strength of the Spanish forts. Every
one was in cheerful mood, and I don't
believe in the whole fleet there was one
man who wished himself out Of it.
Just a little after midnight we were
steaming through Brea Grande, the
southern entrance of Manila bay, the
squadron formation being Column at i
distance The only light burned any
where on the ships, was one at the stern
OF each vessel, which was hooded so as to
show directly astern- These lights were
: to guide the ships in following the flag
ship. Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Con-
cord Petrol, Boston, McCuloch Narstan \
and Zatiro.
We were steaming at about six knots
an hour, and part of the time only four
I must admit that was a little bit nerv-
GUS; perhaps little bit dees not express /
It, l was not so mucil afraid of the forts
or shore batteries what the Spanish
fleet might do; but we had understood /
that the channel was closely planted with
submarine mines and all sorts of explo- i
Eives
AS we had very little definite i.4forna-
ton on the matter, our imagination had \
full play, and 1t is surprising the num- /
Der OF dangers a man thinks are sur 4
rounding him "hen he is not fully in /
formed on the subject. 1t was this chan
mel that I was afraid Of, and those hours i
of suspense were something awful
Sometimes / wished that something 4
would happen to relieve the strain had
laid my plans IN case the Boston should
be blown up I did not propose taking \
any chances of falling into the hands of
the Spaniards. In such On event I pre- Il
fcrred death. \
At every NOR ent kept within reach of
my navy revolver, and had fully deter I
mined that the moment 7 felt the decks i
of the Boston rising unde~ me to end the \
bullet In the brain. I had chosen the \
manner Of shooting, and had intended to \
put the reVclVe" to my right temple, and
III case 1 had life enough to fire second
shot, to put the next bullet into the roof
OF my mouth 1t was not long before the
looked for happening came. Two shots
were fired by the ,Spaniards as we passed
the forts.
From that moment my nervousness
was gone, for I knew that we had now
settled down to business, and my mind
was too much occupied with what was
gO:ng on around me and with my Hsrk
to give much time to meditation. The
shot had come from shore battery or
the left side Of the island The gunner,
Sullivan, who. was in the, turret with me,
happened to have his eye at the port
hole, and saw the flash of the first; shot.
When the second shot came he answered
without waiting for orders. His gun was
elevated at 4, 400 yards, and he did not
stop to alter the elevation, and that shot
dismOunted one of the guns in the bat
terry and Killed thirty or forty Spaniards.
After we passed the forts the ships
steamed ahead slowly, for it was still Ave
hours till daylight, and Manila and the
Spanish feet were only two miles distant.
AS there was not likely to be any firing
for some time / had my men drop down
beside the guns and sleep as best they
could They were thoroughly tired, and
all except one or two Of the most nervous
ones slept soundly. If a man slept at all.
he slept wherever his post Of duty hap-
pened to be.
The officers conversed in low whispers,
so as not to disturb the slumbering men.
/ took run down INTO the magazine and
hooked over eReryth hing for. the last time