The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-05-10

Washington y. c.. May IA day OF
excitement such as to-day has not been
seen in Washington since the days when
reports came III of great histories dur
ing the civil war. Official and unofficial
Washington was in d ferment and few
Of the employees in any of the depart
ments could maintain their composure
sufficiently to go on with their routine
work. They were in an explosive state
and ut the great State. War and Navy
department building. the least sign of
dispatches or the gathering of Il crowd
of reporters WAS sufficient 10 cause them
10 drop their work and swarm in the cor
ridorS clamOring for news. The excite
mcnt was contagious and Senators and
Representatives mixed into crowds that
gathered around the Navy headquarters
and gaZed wstfuly at the mahogany
doors of the Navigation Bureau, behind
which the cipher experts under lock and
key were slowly deciphering the words
that conveyed Dewey's glorious messages
To the American people. Senator Hanna
aroused the crowd at one time by lead
ing with !; hip, hip, hurrah for Dewey.
and later Il roar of Stentorian cheers
from Theodore Rooseyelt'S room gather
ed everybody in the vast building to the
east wing in time to witness the Icpar
tUrc Of the eastern contingent Of the
mounted rlf1cmcn-
Mr. Roosevelt had said goodbye to
the boys before they started at 2:4O this
afternoon for San Antonio and the cheer
was the means by which they took their
leave. Mr. Roosevelt himself will follow
Monday Tuesday.
The State Department has the honor
Of receiving the first news from the fleet.
1t came III the shape of q cablcgfam OF
three words from United States Consul
Wildman 1T Hong Kong. and VISA ;>
follows:
"HONG KONG. McCULLOCH.
WILDMAN."
That is the usual form in
which the naval movements are
reported by cable. This dispatch
was received by Third Assistant
Secretary Cridlcr who had been on duty
all night. st $40 O'Clock this morning.
The naval officials were promptly noti-
fled and awaited with intense interest
the dispatch which was expected to sure
ly follow from Commodore Dewey.
About half past 9 Manager Marean,
of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany appeared at the department. bring
ing with him sheet comprising four
lines of mysterious jargon which makes
up the naval cipher. He handed this
directly to Secretary Long. who gaZed
at it for Il moment and turned it over to
Lieut.. Whittlesey, one of the cipher cX-
perts of the Navigation Bureau for trans
lation into English. Then the Secretary
made Il pretense Of sitting down at his
desk to transact other business, but It
was plain to hc seen that in spirit he had
Joined the anxious thrOng Of newspaper
men and officials who thrOnged the re-
coption room and the corridors awaiting
the news.
The naval cipher is one of the mos.
complex in the world. The messages
come III words of strange formation. tax
cn from all languages. These words are
turned by the transating clerks into
groups of figures and these in turn are
resolved into their equivalent words in
English. All this takes time.
In about half an hour Secretary Long
appeared with Il copy of the translated
cipher in his hand There was a great
rush toward him. but the Secretary good
natnrcdly made allowance for the ex-
element Of the crowd. and smilingly
read from the corner of the room into
which he had been forced, the following
cablegram:
"MANILA. MAY 1.-SQUADRON
ARRIVED At MANILA AT DAY
BREAK THIS MORNING. IMME