The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-10

wardroom men got the battle ports on
and a chance TO breathe.
AT 1 O'Clock there came an order hat
revived hope. The flagship slgnaied 10
the Concord and Petrol to get under
way and proceed 10 a station one mile
on the end Of the breakwater. Before
the answering pennant was half way
down the halyard after replying TO his
signal the order up anchor was
sounded through the ships. STAND by
the ~starb0ard anchor" "Heave up
followed quickly. n almost as soon
as IAN clear, sir" was shouted from
he bill board the bugle began the ring
ing call to general quarters. lust as
two little bantam hens ruffie up their
feathers and stretch out their necks
and omen their little bills in anger and
charge n foe in protection or their
chicks. the two little ~gunboats, with
guns agape and trained on the city.
scurried down to n new position.
Fairly up under the muzzles OF the
three lO-inch guns on the Lunetta they
stopped and let go their anchors. The
batteries along the water front OF the
unhappy city were plainly visible with
ont a glass, and with a glass every u
could be made out. We could even
see the trunnions OF one. and the cam
vas breech covers OF all the big fell
lows. We could see the men moving
about on the Lunetta. and the artillery
men standing by their guns. A great
DAG boisted on a staff on the Lunetta.
near the a~rchbishop's palace, Haunted
its red and yellow stripes in u faces
SO plainly that we could make out the
SPANISH arms on the yellow stripe.
There we lay. What IL meant no n
could imagine. The little ~gunboats
were in such a position that with n
sort OF work on the part of the Span
- - --..F 49, Aaan hlnxnn nrrt
Of the water by a single discharge Of
the big guns. They had time to take
the exact range. and the only Trims
they had TO consider vas the demand
for the broker meats after they had
finished their feast. After a while,
when IL became apparent that the
Spaniards were not going TO fire, our
men lost interest again. The anchor
were hardly firm in their grip on the
bottom before M checker boards were
out and the men were lying about the
decks near their guns, playing check
crs at general quarters and growing
because they couldn't have their smok-
ing lamp lighted. The magazines were
still open and ammunition was lying
about the decks, but that made no
difference to these fellows. They would
20 into action in a corner OF hell and
never doubt their ability TO keep the
fire out Of the magazines. No order
came from the flagship to change po-
sition or TO do anything else, and so
when evening fell magazines were Sc
cured, but the rest of the ships stood
as they were, ratings down, guns cast
loose, bridges barricaded with ham,
mock rolls-everything ready to let &c
i'm half a minute from the call.
SO they lay all day Thursday. and
the officers amused themselves by con
ming the batteries on shore and figur-
ing out ranges and Specializing
about what IL all meant. To-day has
been Just such another day. Some re-
lief from the oppressive heat or the
tightly closed up ships was had by tenn
porarily removing some of the battle
ports, and some additional interest was
added to the speculative problems by
the actions of the launch Of the Bel
gian consul. NJ. Andre had taken uI
his residence with his family on the
supply ship Culgoa, which flies the Bel
gfan flag. and his launch was running
back and forth between the city and
our fleet all the time. 1t was known
to a good many of US that negotiations
were going on. with NJ. n as thu
medium. but their real nature and theil
extent were known to very few, whC
were not communicative. This even
ing IL turns out that the whole thinl
is settled. There will not be a gun
fired at the walled city unless tn
Spaniards forget themselves and try
crack at some Of us. IL they do that
things will break loose all along tn
line. but il is not likely that they viii
They are desperately afraid OF the in
surgents. and desperately afraid tina
we will give the Filipinos a chance a
them. They know we have an over
whelming force here as far as the.
are concerned. and they fear that !
they make a fight we will moi be par
ticular about keeping the Niger dev
lis" of. So they are going to surren
der. They will do IL In their own pc
culiar "top-of-the-stage" way n W
shall lombard Malate to help them GU
They will fire a few guns To "satist
Spanish honor and then the white fla
will go up. Admiral Dewey has 20
them without a fight: his long cherish
ed hope Is about to be realized. He
a master Of the art Of diplomacy as we
as OF the science OF war. Anothe
item must he added to the things whic
greater than all things are" 9TH
/, first is love and the second war" no.
diplomacy demands a place.-Manil
correspondence New York sun.