The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-22
A SAILORS LETTER.


/ Mr.. ". P. Cleaveiand has a copy OF the
Register. of Washington Court House,
Ohio. in which is a letter from one Of
the crew of the Baltimore, with Dewey.
which is OF interest inasmuch as it gives
the sailors view Of things just before
the battle. The extract IS as follows:
Reginald Munger. son of Mrs. A. z.
Munger, this city. is one OF the crew Of
the United States cruiser Baltimore.
which took part in the great naval battle
Of Manila, and which is now stationed
at that port. In a letter to his mother.
dated April II. just before he left Hong
Kong for Manila, he says:
We are kept busy with drills-battal-
ION, small arms, big guns, and war tactics.
coaling UP, cleaning ship. target practice.
and manual drills of all kinds.
1--WE received 50 tons Of ammunition
from the United States ship Mohican
which came down 10 Honolulu from Mare
Island. TO give to US. so we could carry
it out to China to the Olympia. Boston
and Petrol which are out there We carry
in our magazines $50 tons of ammunition.
with which we could blow Spain and
everything that belongs to her so far be
yond this earth that they would never
commit another treacherous deed like
blowing Up the Maine. I guess we have
about 400 tons Of ammunition. or close 10
that. on board at present. and we can
get any amount of guns or wea pons that
we want. To give you further informs-
ton. we have the best captain in the
American navy. Captain II. VI. Dyer
passed a ten per cent better examination
than any other officer in the navy. barring
none.
Captain Dyer was in the first place a
volunteer officer in the army during the
war; he was made lieutenant in the navy
during the war. and was promoted 20
sur. lieutenant for his bravery. He had
no promotion from some safe act Of So
called bravery. The kind Of work he did
was taking a handful Of men and dis
persing four times the odds against him
and sinking several ships, and good judg-
ment In fighting.
You need not think that we viii back
down. We are willing to fight in four
hours time. and I will tell you We can
give the Spaniards all they are looking
for. and a great deal more than they
care for.
We are IL direct communication with
New York. and everything that goes on
there we know OF IN less than 20 minutes
We have received official news today %
keep the ship clear for action al any
moments emergency. After the three
days al sea the captain issued orders. and
we can send proiectilss weighing -
pounds eight miles. and Il it strikes a.
the water-l5ue OF any Spanish ship IL can
put her in such a helpless condition that
she can not repair II before cur guns
sink hsr. Just think of - pound shell
striking steel plate az q distance u
five ard threa-fogrths miles, putting a
hole fl IL very nearly large enough fo-
man % walk into. OF course we are SUB
Jet % the same thing. but spanlarfs were
never born 70 whip Americans. ard thsy
haven't skill enough 70 Eee around the
Baltimore Her length is 90 feet beam
about - feet: displacement 80 tons, be-
sides 40 tons y coal carries main bat
terry. four S-i-ch brezch-losEluE Sterling
rifles. SIX s-lrch 5rezch-losdi1g rl7ss- IRE
secondary battery contains four s-aog15- I
ars. SIX = nEIIlnster. two s-7oa-5e-s rye
Cats ra0if-s-s guns and 2-l7ch fed
guns IT an wIth taess
twenty-five guzS ws car wa.P twenty-five (
ships eIasEsd wita ourselves last Spain +
can produce
q" on acoourt az the Names company /
going down every sos fee1s pstr,e-lc ard 4
I hePe Mckinley VIII declare var. Il h. +
don't all The uatlons EI1 -sT5t' On a.
Tbs uay b. Gre q; ths las: letters f
you nav receive from IT,, bur I 1soe re.
u il s. IL VII - because Vas ~ -ae
i%1at doing aonor 30 or syerso a;ang I'D.
SA.cs ard blue
II an sscazd-cizss s77rentios nov. 4
WAS rated about I've wszks zs7. AID zoz
5raw 81 PER rnozla-
Ms Merger zre.e Csztaia Dyer -
Re Baltimore making lnaairy in regard f
10 hs- So. - rasca she reserved re
Glowing kind reply trom Hgaa.alE;
L : 2 5 Bsst5uore, Eozo.z.-- - 2
November =. .zs-