Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-08
DEWEY IS HEARD FROM.
The GlOriOuSneSS and Completeness of His Victory
Fully Confirmed.

Commodore Dewey before noon. 1t was
| as follows:
CAVITE is DBWEYS.
"Cavite, May Al have taken posses
sion OF the naval station at Cavlte,
! Philippine Islands, and destroyed its for
| tihcations. Have destroyed Notifications
at bay entrance. paroing the garrison.
! control the bay completely, and can take
| the city at any time Squadron in excel
lent health and spirits. The Spanish loss
| not fully known, but very heavy. One
hundred and fifty killed, including the
captain OF the Reina Christina. / am as
sisting in protecting the Spanish sick and
| wounded. Two hundred and fifty sick
and wounded in the hospital within our
lines. Much excitement at Manila. win
protect foreign residents.
(SigneO DEWEY"
| EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS.
A close study Of Admiral Deweys two
cables during the day only increased the
wonder felt early in the day by the naval
experts at the extraordinary results
achieved by the Admiral, without injury.
The reports that came before the cutting
Of the cable were Of a character to indi-
cate that Dewey was going to make quick
and thorough work Of the seizure OF Ma"
| Mia, but It was feared that in so fierce
| an engagement against a Spanish fleet,
| combined with the shore defences, the
! American fleet must surely have sus-
| tained a good deal of damage, loss of
life, and other injuries. Yet, in the de-
| struction Of the entire Spanish fleet, and
! the silencing Of their forts, not an
American life was lost. and not an
American ship was injured.
There are all sorts of theories among
the officials TO account for this, but in
the absence Of facts it is hard to form a
reasonable hypothesis.
SPANISH PRESTIGE SUFFERS.
Probably the true explanation will not
be forthcoming until mail advices are at
hand. but the Spanish naval prestige has
received q blow from the battle Of Ma
nila from which it cannot recover In very
many years.
Admiral Dewey cut the cable himself.
and. though he offers no explanation for
so doing. it is believed that his purpose
was not only TO prevent the Spanish
Governor-Ge from communicating
with his own government, but also to
prevent the foreign consuls at Manila
from interfering with his plans, by ca
bling protests TO their governments. lie
made It impossible for them to summon
any war-vcssels to enforce the protest
they were expected TO make against the
siege OF Manila.
A closer examination of the two cable
grams shows that in the news as origi-
nally given out the names of two Span
ish vessels had been omitted from the
list Of those destroyed. They were the
Don Juan de Austria and the Isla de
Luzon. The Austria was 1,13O-ton YES
/ sci, IA knots, carrying 47-inch guns, and
also machine guns. The Luzon was a
.OOO-ton gunboat, similarly armed.
ELEVEN SPANIARDS DESTROYED.
That makes eleven Spanish ships de-
stroyed by Dewey in the short space Of
two hours.
As he left the Navy Department this
afternoon, Secretary Long said in answer
to a question that he had nothing fur
|
lie: he had given already all of
- the news that the McCulloch brought,
save a trining detail, not Of general in
. terest. and of Importance only to the De-
partmert.
The receipt OF advices at the state De-
, partment, however, from commercial
sources indicates that further news may
? be coming by commercial steamers
DEWEY ACTUAL ADMIRAL.
II Congress does not prematurely act,
as ii did in the case Of Worden, when
, he achieved his famous victory over the
Merrimac, ActingAdmiral Dewey will be-
. come an actual admiral in a few days
The law of July, 1852, provides that naval
officers who, upon the recommendation
of the President, receive the thanks OF
Congress may be advanced one grade
The President will do this in Dewey's
case, which will put $1,000 additional in
: his pocket, and jump him over three
commodores. as we'll as over Acting-Ad
miral Sampson.
The Navy Department to-day bought
> another boat the big steam-yacht Doro'
thv. now at Cramps yard at Philadel'
pbia and built for Mexican. She will be
sent to join Admiral SIMPSONS squadron
. or 10 Habana on blockade duty.
FOREIGN TRIBUTES.
At the embassies and legations Commo-
dore Dewey's reports were read with
great interest. and served to renew the
high tributes of the foreign authorities
TO the gallant American commander. The
remarkable disparity between the casu-
/ alties on the American and Spanish
sbips. as shown by the Dewey reports
was a source Of special comment, and
the military attache Of one OF the EN-
bassies said such a disparity probably
was without parallel in history
How the Spaniards could have lost Isl
| killed and go wounded, while the Ameri-
/ | can loss was confined to a few men
slightly wounded, is regarded by the for
elgn observers as clearly disclosing the
| utter worthlessness of Spanish arms.
The Ambassador of one Of the great
Powers said Il showed that the guns OF
the Spanish forts, as well as those on
their ships. were worthless, otherwise
they would have inflicted at least some
mortality upon the American sailors.
RECALLS SOLDERING
at recalls soferino," said he. AT
that time. France and Austria were al
war, but the range of the French guns