Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-05-12

cavite Forts Opened Fire.
The early hours Of the morning re-
vealed the opposing ships to each other,
and the Spanish flagship opened fire.
Her action was followed by some of the
larger Spanish warships. and then the
Cavite forts opened up and the smaller
Spanish vessels brought their guns into
play.
The American squadron, which had
been led into the bay and through the
channel by the flagship Olympia, did
not reply, though the shells of the Span
iards began to strike the water around
them. but moved maJestically onward.
When nearing Baker bay. a sudden up
heaval of water short distance ahead
of the Olympia showed that the Span
iards had exploded n mine or tor
pedo. This was followed by a second
and similar explosion. They were both
utterly unsuccessful.
The American fleet was then drawing
nearer and nearer to the Spaniards,
whose gunnery was very poor, the shots
from the Cavite batteries and from the
Spanish ships being equally badly aim
ed. either falling short or going wide Of
the mark.
When the American fleet entered the
biyI Nbllliilb luc SbulItTH
mel. between Caballo and Frie islets,
the following was their order: The flag
ship Olympia. the Baltimore. Raleigh,
Concord, Boston, Petrol and McColloch,
with the two storeships, the Nanshan
and Zafiro, bringing up the rear And
in that order they swept grandiy before
the city and faced the enemy in column
line
Though the Spanlards had opened fire
at 5000 yards the Americans reserved
their fire until within 1000 yards of the
enemy, when the real battle began.
The Reina Cristina. Castillo, Don An
tonic de. Ulloa, Isla de Cuba. Isla de
Iuzon and the Mindanao We're in line
of battle outside of Cavite at that time
with the four gunboats and the torpedo
boats inside the harbor.
The American ships then passed
backward and forward six times across
the front of the Spaniards. pouring in
upon the latter a perfect hail of shot
and shell. Every American shot seemed
to tell while almost every Spanish shot
missed the mark.
Spanish Fleet Demolished.
After having thus scattered death and
Generalization among the Spanish feet
and In the Spanish batteries, the Amer
ican fleet retired for breakfast, and in
cidentally a council of war was held on
board the Olympia.
BY this time the Spanish ships were
In a desperate condition. The flagship
Reina Cristna was riddled with shot
and shell, one of her steam pipes had
burst. and she was believed to be on
fire. The Castillo was certainly on fire,
and soon afterward their condition be-
came worse and worse. until they were
eventually burned to the waters edge.
The Don Antonio de Ulloa made a
most magnificent show of desperate
bravery. When her commander found
she was so torn by the American shells
that he could not keep her afloat, he
nailed her colors to the mast, and she
sank with all hands fighting to the last.
Her hull was completely riddled. and her
upper deck had been swept clean by the
awful fire of the American guns, but
the Spaniards, though their vessel was
sinking beneath them, continued work.
ing the guns on her lower deck until
she sank beneath the waters.
During the engagement Spanish tor
pedo boat crept along the shore and
round the offlng in an attempt to at
tack the American storeships, but she
was promptly discovered, was driven
ashore and was actually shot to pieces.
The Mlndanao had in the meanwhile
been run ashore to save her from sink
ing, and the Spanish small craft had
sought shelter from the steel storm be-
hind the breakwater.
The battle, which was started at about
$3.50 a, m. and adjourned at $3.50 a, m.,
was resumed about noon, when Commo-
dore Dewey started in to put the finish
ing touches upon his glorious work
There was not much fight left in the
Spaniards by that time. and at p. m.
the Petrel and the Concord had shot the
Cavite batteries into silence leaving
them heaps Of ruins floating the white
flag.
spanish Gunboats Snuttled.
The Spanish gunboats were then scut-
tied. the arsenal was on fire and the ex-
plosion of a Spanish magazine caused
further mortality among the defenders
Of Spain on shore.
On the water the burning, sunken or
destroyed Spanish vessels could be
seen, while only the cruiser Baltimore
had suffered in any way from the fire
Of the enemy. A shot which struck her
exploded some ammunition near one
of her guns and slightly injured half
dozen of her crew.
Several shots passed dangerously close
to Commodore Dewey. but little or no
damage was done on board of the flag
ship. On the other hand, about $50 men
are said to have been killed on board
the Spanish flagship, which was totally
destroyed. Admiral Montojo, the Span
ish commander. transferred his flag to
the Isla de Cuba when his ship caught
fire btit the laftar algn dpgtrOVad
in due course of time. The Reina Cris-
tina lost her captain, lieutenant, her
chaplain and a midshipman by one shot
which struck her bridge.
About 100 men were killed and about
60 were wounded on board the Castillo.
Indeed, some estimates place the num-
ber Of Spanish wounded during the en-
gagement at over 1000 men.
The Olympia was struck five times
about her upper works. and whale-
boat of the Raleigh was smashed.
Although the Krupp guns on the es-
planade of Manila were fired continu-
ousiy during the engagement, Commo-
dore Dewey did not reply to them, and
the battery afterward hoisted white
flag in token of surrender.
The terms of the eapitulation were
still unsettled when the McCulloch left
Manila, and 1t was said Commodore
Dewey feared rioting upon the part of
the insurgents if he attempted a bonn
bardment of the remaining fortifica-
tions of Manila.
Capitulation of the Forts.
The forts at the entrance of the bay
We're dismantled or Wednesday, after
they had capitulatcd.
1t is said also that the Suanish COM