The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-13
YANKEE PLUCK AND SKILL
FROM THE BEGINNING TO
THE ENDING OF THE FIGHT.
About /, 1000 of the Enemy Killed and
Wounded, and Not One of Dewey's
Men LOst-Many Small Boats Taken.
Special Correspondence Of the Associated Press,
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Special Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
Copyright, 1898.
MANILA BAY, May 4, via Hong-Kong,
May 1O.--With decks cleared for action
guns shotted, crews all at quarters and
eagerly peering through portfolios Commo-
dore Dewey having previously made signal
to follow the flagship, headed for the en-
trance of Manila bay, between the batteries
on the Islands of Pulo Caballo and Ell
Fraile, at 10 p. M, on Saturday night last
April 80. Here were the guns that were to
blow us out of the water and the much
Wanted torpedo mine field that was impos-
sible to pass over without a skilled pilot
At 1920 a signal light and a gun on the
beach announced that we had probably been
seen. The night was bright moonlight and
unfavorable for us. but the dark gray paint
and the inlxy darkness on board ship pre-
vented any estimate of our character being
made. The Olympia and Baltimore slipped
| through, unseen by the gunners on FL
Fraile but sudden roar, fash, and an
| eight-inch shell whistled over the Raleigh
and exploded close alongside. The ball was
opened and five-inch shell from her broke
| the silence of the American fleet, but the
| course or speed was not changed. Three
| more SHOIS were III Gu DIT TIC SOI1COLO dIu
| Boston, and they were promptly replied to,
after which the fleet was out of range.
| Speed was then slackened and the column
headed up the bay for Manila. thirty miles
| distant
The commodore skirted the city at early
! dawn, but the Spanish fleet was not there.
| Soon afterwards it was distinguished, drawn
| up in line of battle, off the strongly forth
! fed arsenal of Cavite, seven miles from
| Manila. The signal, Prepare for general
action and close up, was then foated from
| the flagship Olympia, and, in unison, bugle
and drum called to general quarters" and
| the glorious stars and stripes waved out
| from every masthead and gait of the six
| ships of the squadron as the Olympia head
| ed for the line of battle. Our formation
was in column, four hundred yards apart,
| with sackened speed of six knots.
A STRONG POSITION.
The fullness of day revealed the Spanish
| fleet of nine vessels, the Reina Christina,
! flagship; the Castillo, Don Antonio de Ulloa,
| Isla de Cuba. Isla de Luzon and four small
| gunboats. The Spanish mail steamer Min
| danao was also in line, having been hastily
| fitted with guns. Each end of their line was
protected by batteries of six and eight-inch
| guns on the peninsula of Cavite. The Cas-
|
other ships had steam up in order to be
able to retreat behind the mole and batter
| les of Cavite to repair accidents and take
| breathing spell.
The shore batteries opened on us long be-
fore we were in range. Our guns were
| Silent until at 1850 yards, when the Olympia
| swung around her port broadside and let
| drive her four eight-inch turret guns. The
| Baltimore. Raleigh, Petrol, Concord and
| Boston, in succession, followed the flagship
| and opened fire as soon as their guns would
bear on the enemy. The engagement was
! general as the Americans swept down paral-
| lei to the Spanish line, but was fought at
| long range, owing to- our ships being kept
away from the enemy by shallow water.
| The modern high-power guns and excellent
| gunnery of the Americans soon showed its
effects, while the Spaniards' shots either fell
FAR short or flew wholly over our heads
When the end of their line was reached
we turned, shifted our batteries and stood
down the line until we were at from 1900 to
900 yards. 1t Is hardly conceivable with
what rapidity and accuracy our guns were
| fired. The sides of the Raleigh, which has
a battery of ten f1ve-inch rapid-fre guns
| were continuous sheet of fire, and the
eight-inch guns of the Olympia, Boston and
pound shells at the doomed ships of the
enemy.
| Six times the commodore led the fleet up
and down the Spanish line, after which we
hauled out to breakfast, but the victory
was ours. The Castillo was riddled and
burning. A shell through the steam pipe of
the Reina Christina showed she was in
| trouble. Two hours later she burst into
! flames, and both ships were burned to the
! waters edge. The other Spanish craft had
been handled so severely that they had re-
| tired behind the mole of the navy yard The
| Mindanao was beached
TORPEDO BOAT RIDDLED.
One torpedo boat early in the fight tried
| to slip out and attack our reserve squadron.
composed of the McCulloch and the trans
ports Nanshan and Zairo, which we had
left out of range of the action. She had
hardly made clear her purpose before the
small rapid-fire guns of all our ships were
concentrated on her, and she was fairly
blown out Of the water on to the beach,
At 7:90 the commodore made signal to
retire in order to give the crews rest
and breakfast They had been standing by
their guns all night, and had been fighting
them for three hours. The rest was well
coined by all.
| After breakfast aad the council of war il
was decided to attack and destroy the shore
batteries at Cavite. On signal the Balti-
more led the way, ran up to within 1000
| yards, returned their concentrated fire and
| literally smothered them with shell. The
other ships quickly took their places, and
within thirty minutes not another shot was
fred from the shore. The Don Antonio
de Ulloa still f1oated the flag of Spain and
fired a few shots. Her decks were swept
OF every living soul and she sank rfddled
with she'll The work of the big ships was
| over.
The Raleigh, Concord and Petrol were
then ordered inside to destroy shipping.
But the draft of the Raleigh. twenty feet.
was too great to allow her to get over the