Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-07

Washington, May lowing to the
comnlicated names of the Spanish
ships destroyed by Commodore Dewey,
the following Is taken direct from the
list given by Secretary Long: 80
Reina Christina, Castillo, Don An
tonic. Isla de Ulloa, Isla de Luzon. lsla
de Coma Gen Lezo, Marquis del Duero,
Ell Carrso, Velasco. one transport, lsia
de Mindanao.
Isla de Cuna, probably means lsla
de Cuba. The Ell Corrso probably means
Ell Cano. The Don Antonio is the Don
Antonio de Ulloa. The lsla de Ulloa
is not given in accessible data of
Spanish ships, and is counfounding
with Don Antonio de Ulloa.
Notwithstanding the fact that every
body of several days past has been in
a momentary expectation of cable ad-
vices from Commodore Dewey, the town
was thrown into the widest excitement
at breakfast time this morning by the
issue of extra papers announcing the
arrival of the McCulloch at Hong
kong with dispatches for the govern
ment from Commodore Dewey. The
publication of newspaper dispatches
telling of terrible mortality among the
Spanish and the escape of the American
forces, men and ships, from serious in
jury. added to the excitement and to the
intense satisfaction with which the
There was an instant rush of news
paper men to the navy department. to
secure further information from Of
fetal sources. and perhaps dismayed
by the number and impetuosity OF the
newspaper contingent. the officials OF
the navigation bureau. where cipher
dispatches are transcribed and trans
lated, promptly closed and locked their
doors against invasion. One of the Of
ficers of the bureau had been on duty
every moment of the "a hours for sew
eral weekS past, waiting to receive
cablegrams of Importance. A similar
state of affairs has prevailed at the
state department. where one of the
assistant secretaries and the chief clerk
have been upon the watches of the
night sleeping on temporary cots set
up In the ante-room.
THE FIRST NEWS.
The state department has the honor
of receiving the first news. 1t came in
the shape of telegram of three words
from United States Consul Wildman at
Hongkong. and was as follows:
"Hongkong. May 7.-McCulloch,w Wild
man."
That is the usual form In which naval
movements are reported by cable. The
dispatch was received by Third Assist
ant Secretary Crldler. who was turned
out of his cot by messenger boy at
4:40 o'clock this morning. The naval
officials were promptly notified and
awaited with intense interest the dis
patch which was expected to surely
follow from Commodore Dewey.
About $3.50 Manager Marean of the
Western Union Telegraph company APP
peared at the department. bringing a
sheet comprising four lines of the mys-
terious jargon which makes UP the
naval cipher. He handed this directly
to Secretary Longz, who gazed at 1t for
moment and turned IL over to Lieut.
Whittlesey, one of the cipher experts OF
the navigation bureau, for translation
into English. Then the secretary made
q nretense OF sitting down at his desk
to transact other business, but 1t was
plainly to be seen that in spirit he had
Joined the anxious throng of newspaper
men and officials who thronged the re-
ception room and the corridors waiting
for the news.
The naval cipher Is one of the most
complex in the world. The messages
come In words OF strange formation,
taken from all languages. These words
are turned by the translating clerks in
to groups of figures. and these in turn
are resolved into their equivalent words
in English. All this takes time. Mean
while Secretary Alger. hearing OF the
receipt of the news, had come over from
the war department to sae his col
leagues and he waited patiently for the
translation. Senator Hoar a member OF
the foreign relations committee also
Joined Secretary Long and waited upon
the cable experts.
About 10 o'clock prominent officer
gave the newspaper men a short alb