The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-13
Detailed Account of the Battle In
Manila HarbOr.
EXTRAORDINARY VICTORY
WORK OF THE MEN
AT THE GUNS.
American Warships Poured Steady
Streams of Shells Into the
Eneny's Ships and Forts, and
Every Shot Counted-Why Dewey
Did Not lombard Manila.

MdHiAd Day, May VIA IiOASnCAA5
May 1O)-With decks cleared for action,
guns shotted, crews all at quarters and
eagerly peering through the port holes,
Commodore Dewey having previously
made signal to follow the flagship, headed
for the entrance of Manila bay between
| the batteries on the islands of Pulo Ca
bello and FL Fraile, at 10 pm. on Saturday
night last, April 3d. Here We're the guns
that We're to blow us out of the water
| and the much-vaunted torpedo mine neld
| that was impossible to pass without a
| skilled pilot.
AT 1910 a signal light and gun on the
| beach announced that we mad probably
been SEEN The night was bright moon
light. but the dark green paint and the
| inky darkness on board ship prevented
any estimate of our character being made:
The Olympia and Baltimore slipped
through unseen before the gunners on Ell
! FraIle, but sudden roar, flash and an
! 13-inch shell whistled over the Ralelgh
and exploded close alongside. The Balti,
| more opened fire and hve-lnch shell
| from her broke the silence OF the Amer
| lean fleet: but the course OF the snlpS
was not changed. Three more SHOTS were
| fired at the Concord and Boston, and they
| were promptly replied TO, after which the
ships were out of range. Speed was then
slackened and the column headed up the
| bay for Manila, 80 miles distant.
The commodore skirted the city at early
dawn, but the Spanish feet was not there.
! Soon afterwards it was distinguished,
drawn up in line of battle of the strongly
! fortified arsenal of Cavite, seven miles
| from Manila.
The signal Prepare for general action
and close up was then foated from the
| flagship Olympia and the bugle and drum
! called to general quarters, and the glor-
/ ious stars and stripes waved out from
every masthead and gaf of the six ships
| of the squadron as the Olympia headed
! for their line of battle. Our formation
was in column. 400 yards apart, with a
| slackened speed of six knots;
The fulreSs of day revealed the Spanish
| fleet of nine vessels. the Reina Christina.
! flagship; the Castillo, Don Antonio de
| Ullo, Isla de Cuba. Isla de Luzon and
four small gunboats. The Spanish mail
! steamer Mindanano was also in line, hav-
f.! ing been hastily fitted with guns. Each
end of their line was protected by bat
| teries of six and eight-inch guns on the
peninsula of CaVite. The Castillo was
moored head apd stern. and the other
ships had steam up in order to be able
to retreat behind the mole and batteries
of Cavite to repair accidents and take
breathing spell.
The shore batteries opened on US long
before we were in range. Our guns were
silent until at 1850 yards. when the
Olympia swung around her port broad
side and let drive her four eight-inch
turret guns. The Baltimore. Raleigh,
Petrol, Concord and Boston, in succession
followed the flagship and opened fire as
soon as their guns would bear on the
enemy. The engagement was general as
the Americans swept down parallel to the
spanish ille, Dut was IOuSHl DIT lOHS
range, owing to our ships being kept away
from the enemy in the shallow water. The
modern high-power guns and excellent
gunnery of the Americans showed it's eff
fects. while the Spaniards shots either
fell far short or flew wholly over our
heads. ef
SPLENDID GUNNERY.
The end of their line being reached, we
turned, shifted our batteries and stood
down the line until we were at from 5000
to $500 yards from them. 1t is inconceiv-
able with what accuracy and rapidity our
guns were fired. The sides of the Raleigh.
which had a battery Of ten fiVe-inch
rapid-fre guns, were continuous sheet
of flame. and the eight-inch guns of the
Olympia Boston and Baltimore hurled
an unbroken stream of 250-pound shell at
the ships of the enemy.
Six times the commodore led the fleet
up and down the Spanish line after which
we hauled out to breakfast, but the vic
tory was ours. al
The Castillo was riddled and burning.
shell through the steam pipe of the
Reina Christina showed she was IN trou-
BILE. Two hours later she burst into flames
and both ships were burned to the water s
edge. 3E
The other Spanish craft had been han
died so severely that they had retired be-
hind the mole of the navy yard. The
MindanaO was beached.
One torpedo boat early in the fight,
tried to slip out and attack our reserve
squadron, composed of the McCulloch and
the transports Nanshan and Zafiro which
had been left out of range of action. She
had hardly made clear her purpose before
the small rapid-fire guns of all our ships
were concentrated on her and she was
fairly blown out of the water onto the
beach.
At 7:30 the commodore made signal to
retire to give the crews a rest and break
fast. They had been standing by their
guns all night and had been fighting them
for three hours. The rest was welcomed
by all.
DEMOLISHED THE BATTERIES.
After breakfast and the council of war, !
it was decided to attack and destroy the /
shore batteries at Cavite. On signal, the |
Baltimore led the way, ran up to within !
fire and literally smothered them with !
shell. The other ships quickly took their |
places and within 80 minutes not another |
shot was fired from the shore.
The Don Antonio de Ulloa still foated |
the flag of Spain and fired a Few shots. |
Her decks were swept of every living |
soul and she sank, riddled with she'll The |
work of the ships was over. /
The Raleigh, Concord and Petrol were
then ordered inside to destroy shipping
But the draught of the Raleigh, 20 feet,
shoal water, and after getting aground |
twice the attempt had to be abandoned.
The Concord ran over and found the Min
danao, while the Petrol went up to the !
navy yard The enemy, however, had an
them and all the gunboats were
on fire or scuttled. The arsenal was in
RUNS from the SnelllnS.
At 1890 the Spanish flag was hauled
down and the Petrol Signalled. THE
enemy has surrendered"
A mighty cheer went up from all the
ships.
EXTRAORDINARY VICTORY.
A most extraordinary victory was ours
not one man did we lose, and there were
only six men slightly wounded, on the
Baltimore, while from last accounts, the
Spaniards lost between 800 and LOO men
lad md
The Spanish commodore was wounded, !
and the captain, lieutenant, the chaplain
and a midshipman were killed by shell
striking the bridge of the Reina Christina.
She lost besides so men killed and had
30 men wounded. The Castillo lost 10
men killed and wounded. The shore bat
-eries suffered badly.
Had we been able to engage their ships
and batteries at short range, the battle
would have been more quickly over; but
our loss of life would in all probability
Spanish fleet was destroyed without one
ieath on our side and only a few shot
loles through the upper works of our
ships.
That night we anchored off Manila, leav-
ng the Boston and Concord to watch
Cavite arsenal.
horities ashore and it was earnestly de-
iired on our part that it would not be
to lombard Manila.
On the Lunetta, in front of Manila, is a.
battery of ten-inch Krupp guns. These
runs opened on the fleet as it passed in
he early morning. and by so doing ex-
POSED the city to a merciess lombard
nent, which, but for the humanity of our
might have put to death
thousands of the inhabitants and laid the
4 the battle wac over, that battery kept .
iring. But after the final destruction of j
he naval station and the silencing of the ,
spanish ships off the city, white flag
vas hoisted over this battery and not
,un was thereafter fired. !
CoRREGIDoR SURRENDERED.