Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-11
WILLSAyE THE SHIPS
DEWEY TO ADD THREE OF THE
SPANISH VESSELS TO OUR NAVY.
JUST TIE KIND OF BOATS NE WANT.
Anerican-Armed and American Man.
ned, They wnI He Fine Craft
for service in Any Part of the
World.
Correspondence of the Dispatch.)
World.

tCOfftSpOU0cuCc Oh the DltfhbCH.t
WASHINGTON. " c., December TO-
The important announcement that was
dismissed with a few brief teiegraphic
lines the other day. to the effect that
Admiral Dewey proposed TO raise three
of the sunken Spanish vessels that lie
at the bottom of Manila bay. instead OF
allowing the submerged hulks to be dis
POSED of by auction as at first intended,
is worthy of much more extended men
ton than ii received. 1t means that
propose anything that he did not feel
reasonably sure Of being able to carry
out, of adding these ships to the United
States navy. and. perhaps, at some future
time, using them to defend the very bar.
Dor In which they are al present sunk
For $4,000, say reports that have been
received here from Dewey. at least three
vessels Of the sunken feet can be raised
and put In good condition. These tnrec
ships are the Don Juan de Austria, the
lsla de Cuba. and the Isla de Luzon.
They are boats that will be valuable to
us when properly manned and defended.
The lsla de Cuba and the Isa de Luzon
are Eaglish-built and are rated as third
class cruisers. They are steel ships OF
good construction, OF loo tons displace-
ment. 200 feet In length. 30 feet wide. and
drawing Ii feet inches OF water. Their
armament, which can be most easily
raised OF any part of the equipment and
which will surely be added to the pos
session Of this country. whether the ships
are raised or not, consists OF six 47-inch
Hontoria guns, four 6-pound guns, two
l-pound Nordenfeld gurs, and three tor
pedo tubes. At a pinch. these ships can
make a speed of fifteen knots.
The other vessel for which the gov
eminent has hopes, the Don Juan ae
Austria. was. before she came to such
an abrupt end, tight little ship of 1,152
tons displacement. 30 feet In length, 81
feet wide, and drawing 12.6 feet OF water.
She is Spanish built. and carried an arm
ament Of four 47-inch Hontoria guns,
four 6-pounders, and one machine gun.
Apart from the pride of attaching these
vessels to the navy of the United States,
sentiment which caused the government
10 make such heroic efforts to save the
Inflated Maria Teresa, these three ships
that Dewey intends to raise to the sur
face are really excellent little war YES
sells. The report of divers who have ex-
amined the hulls is that they can be put
In repair without the expenditure Of more
money and time than the effort would
warrant, as Is the case. unfortunately
with some Of the other ships that Dewcy's
accurate shooting sent TO the bottom.
Owing TO their small and handy size they
will be just the ships for the coast-guard
work of our new islands in the Orient
and the wreckers will not have the same
heavy task before them as with the
larger vessels that were sunk at Manila
The officials of the naval department
here are especially pleased at the pros
pect of Dewey's being able to rescue
these three vessels from the sea, on ac-
count of the disappointment they had
over the Maria Teresa. 1t was a great
blow TO the naval officials to lose this fine
boat after having got her so near the har-
Dor, and if Dewey can carry out his inten-
ton of raising the trio Of boats at Manila
1t will go far to send the spirits Of those
connected with the department up to a
joyful pitch again
1t is known that the work is a most off
ficult one, but Dewey will have this adj
vantage over the naval constructor who
undertook to raise the sunken Maria Te-
resa; that the vessels In Manila harbor
have only TO be raised 10 the surface Of
harbor that America controls. The other
vessel had not only to be raised, com
paratively easy business but to be towed
a great distance before safe harbor
could DO reached.
This last was the most risky part OF
the whole undertaking. as was proved by
the fact that all the labor went for
naught when the last part of the work
was attempted. This difficulty Dewey will
not have to encounter. The department
has on this account the greatest conf
dence In the brave admiral's ability to
do as he promises.
We may therefore be prepared soon to
welcome three new additions to Uncle
Sans navy-the Don Juan de Austria, the
Isla de Cuba, and the Isla de Luzon.