The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-03
NO NEWS FROM DEWEY
THE GOVERNMENT IS WITHOUT
OFFICIAL ADVICES
Word Eagerly Waited, as 1t Il
Feared There May BE a Long
Death List When the Report of
the Commander Is Received
The Fate of the Philippines Is
Still in Doubt.

the Commander Is Received
The Fate of the PhfIlpDInes 7.
Still in Doubt,
WASHINGTON. May at is a
curious TACT that the nation most in
terested OF all the great powers in the
combat that took place at Manila yes
terday should be among the last off,
c1ally to know of the result Tn In
the close of office hours today abso-
lutely the only information that this
government had received Of the victory
OF Commodore Dewey and the winning
or the battle off Manila on May Day
came to the government through the
medium OF the press dispatches.
Ii the report Is true that Commodore
Dewey has begun a bombardment and
blockade Of the city~of Manila 1t is I'M
likely that he can spare a vessel from
MS heet to carry the news to Hong
Kong, the nearest cable station, so II
Is not known when official advices will
come.
There was some expectation that
through the surrender of the city the
commodore might acquire control Of
the cable, but even then there might
be practical difficulties in communicate
ing through it.
The officers of Commodore Deweys
Meet include at least one lieutenant who
Is practical telegrapher, but he could
not work cable successfully. A fear
also is entertained that before retiring
from the city the Spanish troops will
| smash the delicate and complicated
electrical apparatus for the reception
and dispatch of messages, and it Is
| very uncertain whether there Is enough
technical skill in the American fleet to
| repair such damage without aid from
| the mainland.
The mere cutting of the cable, as re-
! ported, by the Spaniards, Is not re-
! garded as particularly serious. since
being hemmed in port by the American
blockading fleet, the Spaniards would
not be able to make the cut so far off
shore but that the cable could be easily
grappled and repaired.
The greatest anxiety Is felt as to the
casualties sustained by the American
fleet. From the stubborn defense made
by the Spaniards 1t Is feared that be-
fore they burned, blew up or sank their
ships they managed to inflict severe
damage upon Commodore Dewey.s
| squadron.
All Of the ships engaged were vulner-
able in one respect-namely, in their
lack of protection to life. There was
not an armored ship in Commodore
DeWey's fleet, the nearest approach be-
ing the flagship Olympia She had
some coal protection around the sides
and an arched steel deck calculated
to protect the vitals Of the ship. The
| other vessels of the fleet, save those
recently added to the navy. like the
McCulloch, have lighter steel decks of
| this character, but in all cases, with
the exception of some slight protec-
ton in the shape Of gun shields, the
personnel of the ships was exposed to
the fire of the enemy.
May Need Men.
If Commodore Dewey has lost a con-
siderable portion of his men 1t Is fear
| ed he will be much embarrassed in the
work Of maintaining possession Of
| Manila for lack Of sufficient forces.
United States naval vessels are al
ways undermined according to Euro
pean standards and it will not be pos
sible, having regard to the safety of
| the ships, to spare any considerable
number of men to keep the city, es-
| pecially if the engagement has disabled
| many of them.
| There was some talk this afternoon
| Of sending troops out from San Fran
! cisco to aid in this work, but that has
| not yet taken shape as far as can be
| learned, and it Is likely that the depart
| ment will wait to hear from Commo-
|
| action. 1t may be, and in fact it is
expected, that by combination with the
insurgents he will succeed in having his
men relieved of the task of garrisoning
| Manila.
AS to the future of the island 1t is
likely that the government will retain
| possession of at least one good port
such as Manila for a coaling station
and base of supplies during the re-
| mainder of the war.
There is understood to be a con-
siderable Spanish force in the Philip
pines, and large number of natives
are said to be loyal" meaning, in that
sense, attached to the Spanish fortunes.
With this material on one hand and
/ the insurgents on the other, the latter
| stimulated by the overthrow of the
| Spaniards at Manila, it Is probable that
civil war may rage on the islands for
some time outside Of Manila proper.
1t is believed the officials have not
decided what to do with the islands at
| the end Of the war, but in their pos
session the United States will enjoy
a powerful weapon in enforcing terms