Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-10
Former Naval Officer Describes the
Fight in Manila Bay.
STOOD ON THE OLYMPIA'S BRIDGE
Escape Of the American Ships Little
Less Than Marvellous.
MORE SPANISH TREACHERY


York Herald, sent to his paper from Hong
Kong:
MANILA. Philippine Islands, on Board
the Flagship Olympia. May 1 (via Hong
Kong. May O-Not one Spanish flag flies
in Manila bay today. Not one Spanish
warShip floats except as our prize.
More than 200 Spanish dead and 800 to
900 wounded attest to the accuracy of the
American fire.
Commodore Dewey attacked the Spanish
position at Cavite this morning. He swept
five times along the line and scored one of
the most brilliant successes in modern
warfare.
That our loss is trifiing adds to the pleas
ure of victory without detracting from its
value. The number of hits vessels re-
ceivcd proved how brave and stubborn was
the defense made by the Spanish forces.
Miraculous as it may appear, none of our
men was killed and only eight We're wound
ed Those who Were wounded suffered only
slight injuries
1t was lust o'clock. a bright moonlight
night. but the flagship passed Corregidor
Island without sign being given that the
Spaniards were aware of its approach.
The First Spanish Shot Fired.
Not until the flagship was a mile beyond
Corregidor was a gun fired. Then one
heavy shot went screaming over the Ra-
leigh and the Olympia, followed by sec
ond. which fell far astern.
The Raleigh, the Concord and the Boston
replied. The Concord's shells exploding
apparently exactly inside the shore bat
terry. which fired more. Our squadron
slowed down to barely steerase way and
the men were allowed to sleep alongside
their guns.
Commodore Dewey had timed ar
rival so that were within five miles of
the city of Manila at daybreak
We then sighted the Spanish squadron,
Rear Admiral Montejo commanding. off
Cavite pronounced Kahveetay. with ac-
cent on the ''vee-'D Here the Spaniarss
had q well-equipped navy yard called Ca
vite arsenal
Admiral Montejo's flag was flying the
$3.50 ton protected cruiser Reina Cristina.
The protected cruiser Castillo. of 5000 tons,
was moorei ahead. and astern to the port
battery ard to seaward were the cruisers
Don Juan de Austria. Don Antonio de
UTloa. IsIa de Cuba Isla de Luzon. Quiros,
Marquis del Duero and General Leo
These ships and the flagship remained UNI
der way during most of the action.
ships Begin the Attack.
With the United States flag flying at all
their mastheads. 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 a shell over at distance of five
miles
The Concord's guns doomed out re-
ply to these batteries with two shots No
more were fired, because Commodore
Dewey could not engage with these bat
terIes without sending death and destruc-
ton into the crowded city
Spaniards Explode Two Mines.
AS We neared Cavite two very powerful
submarine mines were exploded ahead of
the flagship. This was at six minutes
past = O'Clock.
The spaniards evidently had misjudged
our position. Immense volumes Of water
Were thrown high in the air by these de-
struyers. but no harm was done to our
ships.
Commodore Dewey had fought with Far
TJgut at New Orleans and Mobile bay,
where he had his first experience with tor
ptd0es- Not knowing how many more
mines there might be ahead, he still kept
on without falteriug. No other mines eX-
plOdCd. however. and 1t is believed that
b the Spaniards had only these two in place.
only Il few minutes later the shore bat
terry at Cavite point sent over the flagship
Il shot that nearly hit the battery III Ma
Mia, but soon the guns got a better range
and the shells began to strike near US or
burst close aboard from both the bat
teries and the Spanish vessels.
The heat Was intense. Men striped off
al clothing except their trousers.
As tine Olympia drew nearer all was
empty. except for the whir of the blowers
and the thrcb Of the engines.
..Remember the Mnine.,
Suddenly a shell burst directly over US
From the boatswain's mate at the after
five-inch gun came a hoarse cry. "Remem-
be- the Maine" arose from the threats of
500 men at the guns.
This watchwcrd vas caught up in tur-
rets and fire rooms. wherever seaman or
fireman stood at iIis post
Remember the Maine" had rung out
for defiance and revenge. Its utterance
seemed unprecedented. but was evidently
in every mans mind and now that the
moment had come tc make adequate reply
To the killing of the Names crew every
man shouted what was in his heart.
''i"u May Fire when Ready. GridIey.'
The Olympia was now ready TO begin the
fight
Commodore Dewey, his chief of staff,
Commander Lamberton an aid and myself.
with Executive Officer Lieutenant Rees and
Navigator Lieutenant Calkins. who conned
ship most admirably. were on the forward
bridge. Captain Gridley was In the coming
tower, as il was thought unsafe to risk los
ing all the senior officers by one shell
You may fire when ready, Gridley." said
the commodore, and at nineteen minutes of
O'Clock, at a distance of . 500 yards the
starboard eight-!nch gun In the forward
turret rOared forth a compliment To The
the baltimore and the Boston sent 25O-
pound shells toward the Castillo and the
ReiEa Cris;ina for accuracy.
Spanish Guns Hot Work
The Spaniards seemed encouraged to fire
faster. knowing exactly our distance while
We had to guess theirs Their ship and
shore guns were making things hot for us.
The piercing scream Of shot was varied
often by the bursting Of time-fuse shells.
fragments Of which would lash the water
like shrapnel or cut cur hull and rigging
one large shell that coming straight
at the Oiympa's forward bridge fortunate
ly fell within less than 100 feet AWAY A
fragment cut the rigging exactly over the
heads Of Lamberton. Rees and myself
Another struck the bridge gratings in line
with IT. y third PASSED just under Com
InodOre Dewey and souged hole In the
deck Incidents Ike these were plentiful
Our men naturally chafed at being ex-
posed without returning fire from all our
guns. but laughed at danger and chatted
good-humoredly. few nervous fellows
could not help lodging mechanically when