The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-06

French commanded by Admiral Villar-
ct, May 2Sth to June 1, 1894, there was
just double the force engaged at AbQu-
kir. This action being fought in the
open sea deprives us of a close COM
parison with Deweys exploit at Ma
nila, but none the less it reflects most
creditably on the American command
er. Even with their twenty-siX ships
of the line-both English and French
having that numbcr-1I,000 and 10000
compliments and $4,000 to $4,000 pounds
of shot weight to the broa adside, neither
the French nor the English admirals
handled the destructive forces Dewey
or Montojo had with their six and
eleven ships and their 1854 and 1,134
men. AS has been shown, the 1854
Americans at Manila handled power
for destruction that the 1000 men
| under Lord Howe never dreamed of.
The Olympia alone would have proved
a formidable antagonist TO the great
| er part of the French fleet. In this
| battle extending over three days, the
British had 290 killed and S5S wound
| ed, while the French had about 5000
| killed and 1000 wounded. or about two
fifths of their entire number. Only six
of the French vessels were captured.
Nearly the same figures pertain to
| the great battle of Trafalgar, fought in
| 1905. There the English had twenty
seven ships of the line as opposed to
| the thirty-three of the French and
| Spaniards, or 2,14S guns against the
2,626 of the allies. Here the English loss
was 445 killed and 1921 wounded, and
they captured or destroyed nineteen of
the enemy's ships of the line. And so
| ~ .f,aI iy,
all the great naval battles early in the
century, in each case it appearing that
Dewey with his six ships and 1884 men
had quite as great a power for offense
or defense as any of the old-time naval
heroes.
FARRAGUT THE BRAVE.
In comparing the Manila triumph
with the more recent operations of the
Civil war. however, we find the con-
ditions materially altered. The two
most inviting instances, of course, are
| Farragut's passage of the New Orleans
defenses in 1862 and in Mobile Bay in
1864. At New Orleans the seventeen
ships that forced their way up the
river carried 154 guns as opposed to
the 146 in Forts Jackson and st. Philip
and in the Confederate flotilla. Most
| of these guns were of heavier calibre
than any Dewey had his heaviest gun
being eight-inch rifles, while the Ma
tional fleet carried as high as eleven
inch calibres. But being muzzle-load-
ers and using the old fashioned powder
1t is doubtful is they possessed the de-
! structive force of Dewey's SO guns. But
aside from this, Farragut had fire.
ships, ironclads, a ram, and formid-
able barrier in narrow channel,
where there was II swift current, to
contend against which would more
than counterbalance the probable super
ior effectiveness OF Dewey's improved
weapons. At New Orleans both sides
possessed far greater destructive for
ces than the ships at Trafalgar, for
now we are dealing with rhed ord
nance, shells, steam power, ironclads,
rams, and exceedingly difficult naviga-
tion. The national forces had thirty
seven killed and 147 wounded, while that
of the Confederates was slightly great
er.
At Mobile Farragut's victory was
even more brilliant. Here the enemy
had the ironclad ram Tennessee, which,
without the support of the forts. proved
to be a formidable antagonist to the
enNue national meet. beSlQeS TINS, the
narrow ship channel was obstructed
with a double row of torpedoes num-
bering in all 1S0. The total number
of guns available for the defense was
ninety-siX, while in Faragut's ships
there were 174 guns. Dewey, to he
sure, had torpedoes 10 contend with
at Manila, but he had q wide bay in
which to manoeuvre, while Farragut
was compelled to pass a double line
of torpedoes, one OF his four ironclads
being sunk by them and carrying down
ninety-three men, The total loss In tho
national fleet on this occasion was fifty
two killed and 40 wounded, while that
of the Confederates was only twelve
killed and twenty wounded
DEWEY'S PROPER RATING.
Consiering Dewey's achievement ir
the light of history, then, we find that
he undoubtedly eXcelled Nelson's vic.
tory at Aboukir, fully equalleG Lord
Howe in 1894, and certainly handled 2
maritime force equal TO Nelson al
Trafalgar, and gained a more complete
and brilliant victory than did the En-
glish on that occasion. But II cannot
be said that Dewey equalled Farragut'i
feat either at New Orleans or Mobile
Bay. The contending forces at Manila
may have been as powerful and the
victory as complete, but he certainly