Evening journal., 1898-05-09

When the American fleet entered the
bay, coming through the southern chan
mel. between Caballo and Frile islets,
the following was their order: The flag
ship Olympia the Baltimore. Raleigh,
Concord Boston, Petrol and McCullOch.
With the two storeships. the Nanshan
and zafiro, bringing up the rear. And
in that order they swept grandly before
the city and faced the enemy in column
line.
Though the Spaniards had opened fire
at G,0O0 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
Luzon and the Mindanao We're In line
Of hattie outside of Cavite at that time,
with the four gupboats 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
10 tell, while almost every Spanish shot
missed the mark.
After having thus scattered death and
decentralization among the Spanish fleet
and IN the Spanish batteries, the Amer
.can fleet retired for breakfast, and in
cldentally a council of war was held on
board the Olympia.
BY this time the Spanish ships were
in n desperate condition. The flagship
Reina Crlstina 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
most magnificent show Of desperate
bravery. When her commander found
she was so torn by the American shells
that he could not keep her afoat, he
nailed her colors to the mast and she
sank with all hands lighting to the last.
Her hull was completely riddle, and her
upper deck had been swept clean by the
awful fire OF the American guns, but the
spanards. 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 a Spanish tor
pedo boat crept along the shore and
round the ofiing In an attempt to at
was promptly discovered, was driven
ashore and was actually shot to pieces.
The Mindanao 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 brealSwater.
The battle, which was. started at
about $3.50 a. m. and adjourned at $3.50
a. m, was resumed about noon, when
Commodore Dewey started In TO put the
finishing touches upon his glorious
work There was not much fight left in
the Spaniards by that time, and at p
m. the Petrol and the Concord had shot
the Cayite batteries into silence, leaving
them heaps OF ruins floating the white
flag.
The Spanish gunboats were then scut-
tied, the arsenal was on fire and the eX-
posion 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 a
dozen of her crew.
Several shots passed dangerously close
In Commodore Dewey, but little or no
| damage was done on board OF the flag
shir. on the other hand, about $50 men
are said to have been killed on board
I 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, but the latter was also destroyed
in due course of time. The Relna Girls
tina lost her captain, n lieutenant, her
chaplain and mldshipman by one shot
which struck her bridge.
About 100 men We're killed and about
60 were wounded on board the Castillo.
Indeed, some estimates place the num-
| Der OF Spanish wounded during the en-
gagement at over 1000 men.
Tho Olympia was struck five times
about her upper works. and a whale
| boat OF the Raleigh was smashed.
] Although the Krupp guns on the es-
pauade OF Manila were fred contiuu-
Uusly during the engagement, Commo-
dore Dewey did not reply to them, and
the battery afterward hoisted a white
flag An token OF surrender.
4 NWhen the squadron left here Il touch
1 ed first at a point IN the Philippine Is
lands near Bolinao. as Commodore
Dewey wished the insurgents agents e
disembarlS there. ascertain the strength
and disposition of the insurgent forces
arrange to prevent needless bloodshec
and inform the insurgents of his i'm
mediate Intention to change the gov.
| ernment of the Philippine islands, the
commodore strongly objecting TO Civ.
ing the rebels a chance 20 commit eX.
cesses. The insurgent leaders. how.
ever. refused 10 disembark under an,
consideration, and the American war.
ships coasted in search of the Spanish
ships. but failed to find them. Commo,
dore Dewey arrived at Subig bay
about 30 miles north of Manila bay
on Saturday. April 30. and sent tn,
Baltimore and Concord TO reconnoitel
the enemy They found no spanisl
ships at the entrance OF the bay. anC
So the commodore decided to risk thu
mines and proceed that same night a
dark into the bay of Manila, which n
did.
The terms of the capitulation wer,
still unsettled when the McCulloch lef
Manila. and II was said Commodor,
Dewey feared rioting upon the part o.