Richmond planet., 1898-08-20
MANILA CAPTURED
Short BOmbardment and Quick
Advance by Our Infantry.
THE FLIGHT OF AUGUSTA.
Spanish Commander Escapes to
Hong Kong on a German Ship.
OLYMPIA FIRED THE FIRST SHOT.

And the First Colorado Regiment Was the |
First to Charge the Spaniards in the !
Trenches-Admiral Dewey Has Probably
Ere This Forced the Surrender of Two
Other Philippine Ports and Captured Sew
eral Steamers-Captain General August
Leaves Hong Kong for Madrid.
London, Aug. 17.-The Manila cor
respondent of The Daily Telegraph
says:
Nothing could be more humane than
the American capture of this town.
General Merritt's and General Dewey's
plan was to spare every object but the
defenses and the trenches. Apparently
the American losses were extremely
small. The Spanish Entertainments
varied in point of distance from two
to four miles from the center OF old
Manila.
Defending this long line Of at least
ten miles were not over 5000 Spanish
regular troops, volunteers and natives.
About half that number were in the
hospital. The attacking force mum
bered from 10000 to &c, 900 natives and
10000 Americans. on shore and aboard
the fleet. In every respect the ad-
vantage was on the side of the attack.
The American field guns threw heavier
metal and had longer ranges than the
Spanish, the workmanship of the Uni
ted States gunners was much superior
to that of the Spaniards, and the men
were stronger and in better condition.
The Spaniards are small race COM
pared with their stalwart opponents,
and, worn out by hundred days siege
and disappointed by the failure to ar
rive of the promised Spanish relief
squadron, they had lest heart. 1t was
hopeless struggle.
Looking over the bay it was curious
TO notice how the foreign fleets ar
ranged themselves according to their
sympathies. The English and Jap
anese were near the Americans and the
Germans and French on the opposite
sides of the bay, north of the Pasie
river. The British cruiser Immortalite
and her consorts kept fairly near the
American line. The attacking squad
ron formed in lines between Malate
and old Manila, with the Concord
watched the fort at the mouth of the
Pasig. The American fleet lay out
side the breakwater.
The Olympia fired the first shot Al
$40, and a fairly continuous but by
no means furious cannonade was KEEP
up until 11:20. By that time the Ma
late fort was silenced, and the Ameri
can troops then stormed the entrench
ments. The Spaniards who were in tn
earthworks say that the quick firini
guns Of the little gunboat Rapido
which lay close to the shore, were ia
more terrible in their effects than wa
the raking fire of the ships.
Resistance to the American attacl
was impossible. The First Colorad
regiment was the earliest to charg
the Spaniards, who retired to the sec
ond line, but, soon outnumbered, the
were forced into the old city. A par
of Malate suffered severely from tn
bombardment. The vaunted intrs
mures defenses were not tried.
The Spanish commander, convince
that further resistance was hopeles!
hoisted a white flag at 1:30 and tn
order to cease firing was immediatel
issued in the center of the town, bU
in the outskirts street fighting cor
tinued for some time afterwards b.
tween the rebels and Spaniards. Tt
only fear felt in the city is in regar
to the conduct of the insurgents.
AS the white flag was hoisted Ger
eral Augusti and his family were take
on board the German cruiser. and tt
Kaiserin Augusta steamed of immed
ntely for Hong Kong.