The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-05-11

-,-,=.tan i,v the y. Y. HeralG's reporter on the
flagship Olympia.
MANILA. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, May l,
Via Hone KoNG, May Z.
one Spanish flag flies in Manila bay
,o-5av. Not one Spanish warship floats,
except as our prize.
More than two hundred Spanish dead
and five hundred to seven hundred
wounded. attest TO the accuracy of the
American fire.
Commodore Dewey attacked the Span
.i.b position at Cavite this morning. He
srept five times along the line, and scor-
al one Of the most brilliant successes in
modern warfare.
That our loss is trifling adds TO the
,leasure of victory without detracting
rom its virtue. The number Of hits our
vessels received proved how brave and
s,uhborn was the defense mace by the
Spanish forces
Miraculous as it may appear, none OF
oar men were killed, and only eight
we're wounded. Those who were wound
ed suffered only slight injuries.
Commodore Dewey arrived off Manila
bav last light and decided 70 enter the
bay at once.
with all its lights out the squadron
steamed into Boea Grande with crews at
the guns. This was the order OF the
souadron. which was kept during the
whole time of the first battle. The flag
shin the Olympia, the Baltimore, the
Raleigh. the Petrol, the Concord. the
Boston.
It was just 5 o'clock, a bright moonlight
night. But the flagship passed Corregi6-
or Island without sign being given
thai the Spainards were aware of It's ap-
proach.
Not until the flagship was a mile be-
vopd Correeidor Island was a gun fired,
then, one heavy shot went screaming
over the Raleigh and the Olympia follow
ed by a second which fell further astern.
The Raleigh. the Concord, and the BOs-
ION replied, the Coneord's shells ezplod-
ing apparently exactly inside the shore
battery. which nred no more. Our
squadron slowed down 10 barely steerage
wav and the men were allowed to sleep
alongside their guns. Commodore Dew
ev had timed our arrival so that we were
within five miles Of the city of Manila
al daybreak.
THE SPANISH SQUADRON SIGHTED.
We then sighted the Spanish squadron,
Rear Admiral Montijo, commanding,
OF Cavite pronounced Kaveetay, with
accent on the "vee''9. Here the Span
iards had well equipped navy yard call
Ell Cavite arsenal. Admiral Montijo's
flag was 3,5Oo-ton protected cruiser Reina
Christina, the protected cruiser Castillo.
Of 3 200 tens, was moored ahead, and as
tern to the port battery and TO seaward
we're the cruisers Don Juan de Austria,
Don Antonio de Ulloa, Isle de Cuba,
Isle de Luzon, Quiros, Marquis Delonero
and General Lezon. These ships and the
flagship remained under way during
most Of the action. With the American
flag flying at all their mast heads, our
ships moved to the attack in line ahead
with a speed of eight knots, first passing
in front of Manila, where the action was
begun by three batteries mounting guns
powerful enough to send shell over US
ata distance Of five miles. The COneord's
guns doomed out a reply to these batteries
with two shots. No more were fired, be
cause Commodore Dewey corld not en-
gage with these batteries without sending
death and destruction into the crowded
city. AZ we neared Cavite two very
powerful submarine mines were explod-
e5 ahead of the flagship. This was six
minutes past 5 O'Clock.
DEWEY DID NOT FEAR SUBMARINE MINES
The Spaniards evidently had misjudged
our position. Immense volumes Of watel
we're thrown high in the air by these de