Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-10

hoSt1lty with the Spanish naval forces, the
Spanish officers will be paroled, and the
forces at the arsenal will deliver all their
small arms"
Captain Sostoa then pleaded for more
time The talk had all been in Spanish,
and the time when Commander Wood was
to open fire was already nearly up. Conse-
quently. Commander Lamberton gave the
Spaniards two hours time
III the white flag was not rehoisted over
the arsenal at noon, he said, we should re-
open fire.
We. returned to the Petrol just In time
and started back across the bay to report
to the commodore
Up Goes the White Flag.
AT quarter to II o'clock the white flag
was hoisted. but when we went to take
possession of the arsenal in the afternoon
we found that every seaman had marched
off to Manila. carrying his Mauser rifle
with him.
Having learned that evening that the
governor of Manila had refused to let the
cable company transmit our messages,
steamer Zafiro short distance down the
bay and had her cut the cable.
Having no instruments for working a
cable, we could not keep up communion
ton, and the governor would not let the
cable company send it's operators to our
ships.
No one can complain that Commodore
Dewey has been slow in finishing off his
er but for an accident to one of the Ra-
leigh's Pumps, which detained him in Mrs
bay two days, and also the slow speed of
which transport vessels are capable
But for these delays the Spanish ships
would have been destroyed Thursday,
instead of Sunday, as in all other respects
Commodore Deweys plans were complete
Death of Frank Il. Randall.
During the passage of the forts at the
entrance of Manila bay on Saturday night
Frank B. Randall. chief engineer of the
revenue cutter McCulloch died suddenly
from heat and prostration. He was bur-
led at sea the next day.
Although the McCulloch was of no value
as a hghtinS machine Commodore Dewey
several times made use of her to overhaul
sailing craft,
She kept at a safe distance from the
scene of action on Sunday, but went down
the bay to meet the English merchant
steamer Esmeralda. which was coming in
ana made an excellent record for speed as
a dispatch boat while bringing US over to
Hong Kong on Thursday.
There were three ciyian spectators of
the battle at a distance of ten miles from
the hghting line. but that incident hardly
warrants the claim Of any newspaper that
1t had steamer specially chartered to ac-
company the squadron.
Natives Try to PiIInge.
AS soon as the natives ashore learned
that the Spania,ds had been driven out of
Cavite they began coming in crowds to
pillage Finally. they became so bold as to
attack the hospital, and it was necessary
either to send a guard of American seamen
TO protect the wounded or transfer them to
Manila. The latter was done on Wednes-
day, Commodore Dewey utilizing captured
steamers for this duty
All the houses of Spaniards in the town of
San Rogue, near Cavite were absolutely
W ont,
INTO the arsenal and carried off many boat
loads OF furniture and stores before the
n arlne guard was posted at the gates
The Spanish defeat was advertised for
miles away by the ships burning in Cavite
bay. The Castillo, which set on fire
IN Sunday mornings battle, was a mag
nlfcent mass of flames twelve hours later
and continued to burn all night, with bril-
liant Intensity.
L boarded the Don Juan de Austria Isla
de Luzon and Marquis del Onero while
they were still burning. l found them fit
ted up with fine Canet rapid fire guns and
most OF the modern improvements.
Left Big Guns Loaded.
L did not discover until after we had
spent the afternoon in their vicinity that all
their large guns had been left loaded with
powder and shell, making them peculiarly
dangerous to small boats
The guns generally laid level lust above
the surface of the water. AS several of
them were pointed at the arsenal, their
charges were first drawn, then drowned"
as the fire might reach them at any mo-
ment.
When our ships drew away for breakfast
Sunday morning the temper of the men
was well illustrated by the almost fearful
appeal of one gun captain to Commander
Iamberton:
For Gods sake, captain, don't stop now!
Let's finish EN- up right off. To hell with
breakfast"
odd Purdy,'' a privileged petty officer,
because he has served in the navy or army
nearly fifty years, was greeted by the COM
modore on Saturday, when the old man
shifted his quid' and said
Il hope you won't fight on the third of
May, commodore"
Why not?" asked Commodore Dewey.
We'll, you see the old man answered,
Il got licked last time | fought on that
date"
Purdy had been with Hooker at Chan
cellOrsvile, and he did not like that ami
versary.
Suffered From the Heat.
All our men suffered greatly from the
heat during the action, for they were shut
up below, with furnaces blazing and the
tropical sun pouring down its heat rays.
Probably several of the men would have
succumbed but for the excitement of battle
Eighty Spanish bodies were found I'M
buried on Monday night, and we gave them
Roman Catholic priest to read the burial
service over their remains.
The bodies presented a horrible sight.
One had the head almost wholly carried
away. Another had been struck in the
stomach by Il large projectile, cutting ev-
erything away to the backbone.
One very large man, apparently an Off
GER, was not only mangled, but burned, and
all the bodies We're frightfully bloated
To add to the horror of the scene several
lean wolf-like dogs had discovered the
bodies before we had.
Probably there are nowhere q more in
terested more thoroughly happy set of
persons than the group of wives Of Ameri-
can naval officers who have been living in
Hong Kong in order to be near their hus-
bands.
Having heard little news, except alarm
ing rumors, since the squadron left here,
they are now recovering their normal Sc
renty, with the certainty that their hus-
bands are safe. There about dozen
of these officers wives forming a little
navy colony here.
Some Wonderful Escapes.
The more 1 recall the events of last
Sundays battle at Manila, the more mirac-
ulous it seems that no American lost his
life.