The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-13

Concord ran over and found the Mindanao.
while the Petrol went ap to the navy yard
The enemy however, had anticipated them,
and all the gunboats on fire or
scuttled. The arsenal was in ruins from the
shelling
At 1870 the Spanish flag was hauled down
and the Petrol signaled, THE enemy has
surrendered" A mighty cheer went up
from all the ships. A most extraordinary
victory was ours. Not one man did we lose
and there were only six men slightly
wonnded on the Baltimore, while from last
accounts the Spaniards lost between 800 and
100 men killed and wounded.
The Spanish commodore was wounded and
the captain, a lieutenant. the chaplain and
a midshipman were killed by shell strik-
ing the bridge of the Reina Christina. She
lost besides eighty men killed and had six
ty men wounded. The Castillo lost 10 men
killed and wounded. The shore batteries
suffered badly.
Had we been able to engage their ships
and batteries at short range the battle
would have been more quickly over, but our
loss of life would in all probability have
been considerable. AS it was, the Spanish
fleet was destroyed without one death on
cur side and only few shot holes through
the upper works of our ships.
DEWEY > MERC1FULNESS.
That night we anchored off Manila leav-
ing the Boston and Concord to watch Ca
vite arsenal. Negotiations were opened with
the authorities ashore, and it was earnestly
desired on cur part that it would not be
necessary to lombard Manila. On the Lu-
Meta, in front of Manila, is a battery of
ten-inch Krupp guns. These guns opened
on the fleet as it passed in the early morn
ing, and by so doing exposed the city to
merciless bombardment, which, but for the
humanity of our commander, might have
put to death thousands of the inhabitants
and laid the city in ruins. Even after the
| first half of the battle over that bat
terry kept firing. But after the final de-
struction Of the naval station and the
silencing of the Spanish ships off the city
a white flag was hoisted over this battery
and not gun was thereafter fired
During Monday, May 2 the Raleigh and
| Baltimore were sent down to demand the
| surrender or to destroy the forts at the
| mouth of the bay. Arrived off the principal
| fort and headquarters on Coregidor island,
| a flag of truce was sent in and the surren-
| der of the SpaniardS was demanded, where
| upon the governor and the colonel COM
manding the forces came on board and ar
| ranged the terms with Captain Coghlan,
of the Raleigh We have since dismantled
| their guns destroyed their ammunition and
put all the Spaniards on parole not TO bear ,etir
| arms against the United States during TINS
war or to attempt to fire a shot at our shlps
| entering or leaving the bay.
AS this dispatch is closed, on wednesday:
| affairs are az a standstiu. old glory
| floats over the naval station at Cavite, and
! the garrison and employees have evacuated
| the place. The hospitals are full of wounded,
| and we buried those who died; eleven were
| buried yesterday.
| The insulting and bombastic proclamations
of the governor of Manila had evidently
borne fruit, for when. the Petrol first
| reached the navy yard the doctor and
! deputation of Sisters of Mercy from the hos
| pital came down to beg our men. not to kill
| the wounded or fire on the hospital. They
| seemed surprised and delighted when they
| were assured that such practices were not
| in our system of warfare.
The wrecks of nine splendid vessels are
| dotted around in view Of the ship on which
| this dispatch is written. The Spanish trans
port Manila was found in three feet of mud
| near the navy yard, but the Petrol was able
| to tow her off and she came out under her
| own steam and anchored hear the squadron.
! She is beautiful little steamer of about
! 1900 tons. On board were supplies for the
| navy and 500 tons of COAL The Raleigh is
now filling her bunkers from the coal cap
tured on board the Manila. In addition to
| the latter, about dozen small tugs and
| steam launches have been seized, and are
now being used by the American fleet
The terms of the surrender of Manila
| have not yet been fixed. The commodore
wants TO avoid a bombardment, in the in
| terests of humanity, and to keep from in
tiicting terrific losses. on unoffending neu-
trails. Besides this, the rebels are massed
| near the city and, should it be bombarded.
it would be the signal for their descent to
| pillage and burn. sil ~
| Following is an accurate list of the dam
age and injuries sustained by the Americans
| during the battle of Manila bay:
| Olympia-Efve shot holes in her upper
works and six men wounded by a 47-inch
shell, striking and exploding a three-pound
| she'll injuries not serious.
acknowledgements shell through her
whaleboat; now repaired.
Boston, Petrol, ConcordANo damage or
| injuries. -
! The Spanish fleet was slightly over
| matched in ordnance. but not in such a de-
| gree as to account for the marvellous dis
parity in the damage inflicted. OF guns that
| throw a shell of pound and over, the
! Spanish vessels carried 80, while the Amer
lean fleet was armed with lis of such wea-
ponS. 81 r.