The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-08
FOUR MANILA HEROES HOME
SURGEON RINDLEBERGER, OF THE
OLYMPIA, DESCRIBES BATTLE.

most Through Her Entire Length-It
Exploded in the Engine Room Killing
Captain and Sixty Men-BaItimore's
Glorious Work-Spanish Loss Now
Estimated at 400 Killed and 600
Wounded With Property Loss of From
S6,OOO,OOO to $1O,0OO,OOO.
San Francisco, June 7.--Among the
passengers who arrived on the Baltic
to-day from Hong Kong were four men
who participated in the fight of Manila
on May 1. They are Paymaster G. A.
Loud of the dispatch boat McCulloch,
DR.. Charles p. Kindleberger, surgeon of
the Olympia; Ralph Phelps, secretary
to the captain of the McCulloch, and J.
c. Evans, gunner of the Boston. They
all speak Of the valor and determine
tion of their opponents in the battle of
Manila. They say that the Spaniards
fought bravely, even after the last vis-
tage of hope had gone and stayed by
their guns as long as they could be
used.
DR.. Kindleberger gave a graphic ac-
count of the fight. He was on the
Olympia through it all. In the first as
sault the flagship took the lead, the
other vessels following in her wake at
four ship lengths. The Spanish fleet
was approached by laps, each turn
bringing the contestants nearer BY
this plan the American vessels fire.
quently poured broadsides into the
enemy, but were themselves more ex-
posed to fire. At one time the smoke
became SO dense that it was necessary
to draw aside allowing the cloud to lift.
The vessels were examined and 1t was
found they had sustained no damage.
In few minutes they re-entered the
fight with the greatest enthusiasm. The
second fight was even more fierce than
the first. 1t was in that that the Bal
timore was struck.
During the first fight the Spanish adj
mirars ships put bravely out Of the
line to meet the Olympia. The entire
American fleet concentrated fire on her
and she was so badly injured that she
turned around to put back. At this
juncture the Olympia let fly an 8-inch
shell which struck her astern and
pierced through almost her entire
length, exploding finally in her engine
room, wrecking her machinery This
shell killed the captain and sixty men
and set the vessel on fire. In the heat
of the fire two torpedo boats moved
out to attack the fleet. They were al
lowed to come within 800 yards when a
fusilade from the Olympia sent one to
the bottom with all on board and rid
|, died the other The second boat was
later found turned upon the beach COW
cred with blood.
In the second fight the Baltimore was
sent to silence the fort at Cavite She
plunged into cloud Of smoke and op-
ened all her batteries on the fortifl-
cations. In a very few minutes a shell
struck the ammunition and the forts
blew up with deafening roar. The
work on the Baltimore was glorious.
After the principal ships had been de-
stroyed the Concord, Raleigh and Pet
rel being of light draft were sent close
in to handle the remaining vessels Of
the fleet. They made quick work of
them. In taking possession of the land
forts several hundred wounded Span
iards fell into the hands of the Ameri-
cans and nearly 200 dead were account
ed for on the spot The dead were re-
turned to relatives and the wounded
were cared for in the best manner by
the American surgeons.
The Spanish loss footed UP 400 killed.
600 wounded and a property loss Of
from $6,000000 to $10,000000. The day
of the fight was clear and hot; not a
breath of air was stirring. After the
first battle, the Americans were great
ly tagged out by heat and the rest and
| breakfast allowed them by the commo-
dore was of inestimable benefit. When
| the men were at breakfast a CONFER
ence of all officers was held on board
| the Olympia, when the plan of the
second battle was made known by the
| commodore. Several shots struck the
| Olympia and she was pierced a num-
| ber of times. One shell struck the side
| of the ship against the hospital ward.
The chaplain and nurses, who We're
| watching the fight through port hole
few inches away were stunned by
| the concussion. Experts have figured
out that the fighting volume of the
guns of the respective sides of the bat
| tie was three for the American against
seven for the Spanish. 1t is clear,
| then, that the superiority was in the
ships and men, the latter having the
experience and nerve. Gunner Evans
of the Boston directed the fire of one
| of the big guns. Not a man on the
Boston received a scratch.
Paymaster Loud, who was on the
McCulloch during the battle, could see
every movement of the American ships
and could also see the Spaniards. For
| two hours" said Mr.. Loud, "the steady
| thunder of cannon was kept UP. The
roar was terrible. At one time I really
| thought we would be beaten. This was
after the fire had been kept up an hour.
1t looked as if every gun on the Span
| ish ships had turned loose on us. The
| din was simply indescribable. Tons
| upon tons of shot feel over our ships.
! There was steel enough to have sunk
our entire fleet.
! "Our salvation was in the bad marks
manship of the Spaniards. They han
| died their pieces like children. Nearly
all of their shots went wide. Most of
them were high, flying over the fleet
and falling into the bay beyond. Some
! of the batteries, however, were better