The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-09
detail of the action. and even the appar-


message to Governor General Augusti an
nouncing the inauguration of the blockade
and adding that If a shot were fired against
his ships he would destroy every battery
about Manila
The position occupied by the Spaniards,
the support which their ships received from
the land batteries and the big guns they
had ashore gave them an enormous advan-
tage Therefore when it is considered that
the Spaniards lost over six hundred men in
killed and wounded, that all their ships,
amounting TO about fourteen, were de-
stroyed, and that their naval arsenal at
Cavite was also destroyed with its defenses,
it will become apparent that the victory of
the American commodore is one of the most
complete and wonderful achievements in the
history of naval warfare. Not a man on
board the American fleet was killed, not
ship was damaged TO any extent, and only
six men were injured slightly on board the
Baltimore. This grand achievement is quite
as much due to the generalship of Commo
dore Dewey as to the fact that the Ameri-
can gunners, ships and guns are superior to
anything in the same line afloat anywhere.
Credit must also be given to the fullest ex-
tent to the officers under Commodore
Dewey, for. to man, they seconded their
gallant commander in every way possible,
and thus helped him earn the laurels which
are so justly his.
When the squadron left here it touched
first at point in the Philippine islands near
Bolinao, as Commodore Dewey wished the
insurgents agents to disembark there, as
certain the strength and disposition of the
insurgent forces, arrange to prevent need
less bloodshed and inform the insurgents of
his intention to change the government of
the Philippine islands, the commodore
strongly objecting to giving the rebels a
chance to commit excesses. The insurgent
leaders, however, refused to disembark un-
der any consideration and the American
ships coasted in search of the Spanish ships,
but failed to find them Commodore Dewey
arrived at Subig bay about thirty miles
north of Manila bay, on Saturday. April 80,
and sent the Baltimore and Concord to re-
connoiter the enemy. They found no Span
ish ships at the entrance Of the bay, and so
the commodore decided to risk the mines
and proceed that same night after dark into
the Bay of Manila, which he did.
The order of battle taken up by the Span
iards was with all the small craft inside the
stone and timber breakwaters of Cavite
harbor. The larger ships Of Spain cruised
OlI OdVlle ana Mdillld- 1ile american IScI
entered Manila bay on Saturday night with
the greatest of ease. The Spaniards had not
established a patrol, and there were no
searchlights at the entrance of the bay. In
fact, the American ships would probably
have passed inside the bay without any
challenge had it not been that some sparks
flew up from the McCulloch's tunnels There
were few shots exchanged with battery
iCIa nd HlIt ha
slack down, and the fleet took position near
Cavite awaiting dawn to commence hostil-
tiles. The early hours of the morning re-
vealed the opposing ships to each other, and
the Spanish flagship opened fire. Her action
was followed by some of the larger Spanish
war ships, and then the Cavite forts opened
up and the smaller Spanish vessels brought
their guns into play. The American squad
ron, which had been led into the bay and
through the channels by the flagship Olym-
pia, did not reply, though the shells of the
Spaniards began TO strike the water around
them. The squadron moved majestically
onward.
When nearing Baker bay a sudden up
heaval of water short distance ahead of
the Olympia showed that the Spaniards had
exploded mine or torpedo. This was
followed by second and similar explosion.
They were both utterly unsuccessful. The
American fleet was then drawing nearer
and nearer to the Spaniards, whose gunnery
was very poor, the shots from the Cavite
batteries and from the Spanish ships being
equally badly aimed, either falling short or
going wide of the mark. When the Ameri-
can fleet entered the bay, coming through
the southern channel, between Caballo Frite
islets, the following was their order. The
flagship Olympia. the Baltimore, the Raj
eigh, Concord, Boston, Petrol and McCul-
loch, with the two store ships, the Nanshan
and Zafiro, bringing up the rear. In that
order they swept grandly before the city
and faced the enemy in column line. Though
the Spaniards had opened fire at 5000 yards,
the Americans reserved their fire until
within 1000 yards of the enemy, when the
real battle began. The Reina Christina,
Castillo, Don Antonio de Ulloa, Isla de
Cuba, Isla Luzon and the Mindanao were in
line of battle outside of Cavite at that time.
with four gunboats and the torpedo boats
inside the harbor The American ships then
passed forwards and backwards six times
in front of the Spaniards, pouring in upon
the latter q perfect hail of shot and shell.
Every American shot seemed to tell while
almost every Spanish shot missed the mark.
After having thus scattered death and de-
moralization among the Spanish fleet and
in the Spanish batteries, the American fleet
retired for breakfast. and, incidentally. a
council of war was held on board the Olvm-
pia.
BY this time the Spanish feet was in a
desperate condition. The flagship Reina
Christina was riddled with shot and shell
one of her steam pipes had burst and she
was believed to be on fire. The Castillo was
certainly on fire, and soon afterwards their
condition became worse and worse until
they We're eventually burned to the waters
edge.
The Don Antonio de UlIoa made a most
magnificent show of desperate bravery.
When her commander found she was so
torn by the American shells that he could
not keep her afloat, he nailed her colors to
the mast, and she sank with all hands fight
ing to the last. Her hull was completely
riddled and her upper deck had been swept
clean by the awful fire % the American
guns, but the Spaniards, though their YES
sells were sinking beneath them, continued
working the guns on her lower deck until
she sank beneath the waters.
During the engagement a Spanish tornado
boat crept along the shore and round the
offing in an attempt to attack the Amer
lean store ships, but she was promptlv dis
covered, was driven ashore and was actual
ly shot to pieces. The AIindano had in
the meanwhile been run ashore To sava ber
from sinking and the Spanish small craft