The San Francisco call., 1898-06-12

into harbor where the waters were supposed to be instinct with death, be- tween hostile forts and straight for the fleet of the enemy. Yet while they did this they were as devoid of fear as though going through a series of friend ly maneuvers. While cannon thundered, shells fell on every side, and at times clouds of smoke obscured the scene. they watched with eager, straining eye and some of them took notes as calmly as though battle was a play. All this shows phase of the courage which covered with glory the navy of the United States, made immortal the name of George Dewey, and set the Stars and Stripes waving in strange lands. But for years the brave tale will still be related, and Americans will be thrilled to hear it.
 H. J. Walsh of the Olympia had no time in which to take notes. Stripped like his comrades, he served his gun, and only paused to cheer when word was passed that some shot had struck home. Walsh has sent to a friend in this city an account of the engage ment. It possesses peculiar interest as being from the standpoint not of an officer, but of one of the actual fight CTS, the men who took orders and obeyed them unflinchingly and with patriotic zeal, their love for the flag
 
 on the bridge. The letter is as follows:
 MANILA, Philippine Islands.
 May 1, 1898.
 Dear Friend John: Since I wrote you that last letter a great change has taken flag flew short time ago there now flies the white flag of truce. and 1 can assure you that the Spanish will never forget it as long as they live.
 I told you in my last letter that l thought we were going to have a scrap with the Spanish. and we had it.
 We left Mfrs Bay-twenty miles from Hongkong-on the 26th of April at D. m, and proceeded in the direction of Manila, and we never stopped until we met and defeated the Spanish in one of the most stubborn contests ever fought in modern times, and with modern guns on both sides. It was one of the greatest sights I have ever witnessed, and one of the most brilliant victories in the worlds naval history.
 I must give them (the Spanish) their dues. They fought hard fight, and died at their posts like soldiers.
 In one ship, the Reina Cristina, the Spanish admirars flagship, were carried 600 all told. and only sixty are accounted for and they are all in the hospital. We cut that ship all to pieces. and when she struck her square in the stern, and went right through her. All at once she was in blaze of fire. Those that were not shot away were cremated in the burning ship.
 We went by the outer forts at 11:4o D. m. in single file in the following rout- inc: Flagship Olympia, Admiral Dewey; Baltimore. Captain Dyer; Raleigh, Cap tain Coughlin; Concord, Captain Walker; Petrel, Captain Woods; revenue cutter McCulloch, Captain Elliott; transports Zafaro and Nanshan and the Boston. Captain Wildes, in the rear. The night was very dark, and we were all past the forts but the two transports and the Boston when they discovered us and opened fire on us. The blaze from their guns had not died out when the Boston answered it. As every man stood by his gun with his shirt off and necker- chief tied around his head they looked like the pictures of old-time fighters: That one shot from the Boston killed forty men in the forts. We then proceed ed up the bay until we came in sight of the enemy's fleet. Everything was very quiet until we came within 10000 yards of them, when the Spanish flagship opened fire on us. We did not answer them until we were within 5000 yards, every man stanalng by his gun with his lock string in his hand.
 The word was given to fire, ana you can bet there was no time lost. Their fleet of fourteen ships, the forts, arsenal and navy yard Qarger than Mare Island) fired on us all at one time. Their inner fort has ninety large guns, all told, so you can see we were kept very busy for a while. We were fighting one hour and thirty minutes when the Spanish admiral