The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-08
the Dispatch to Hog Kong.

Washington, ID. c., May IA day of
excitement such as to-day has not been
seen in Washington since the days when
reports came in OF great histories dur
ing the civil war Official and unofficial
Washington was in IA ferment and few
of the employees in any of the depart
ments could maintain their composure
sufficiently to go on with their routine
work. They were in an explosive state
and at the great State, War and Navy
Department building, the least sign of
dispatches or the gathering of crowd
of reporters was sufficient to cause them
10 drop their work and swarm in the cor
ridors clamoring for news. The excite
ment was contagious and Senators and
Representatives mixed into crowds that
gathered around the Navy headquarters
and gazed wistfuly at the mahogany
doors of the Navigation Bureau, behind
which the cipher experts under lock and
key were slowly deciphering the words
that conveyed Dewey's glorious messages
10 the American people. Senator llama
aroused the crowd at one time by lead
ing with hip. hip, hurrah for Dewey,
and later a roar of stentorlan cheers
from Theodore Roosevelt's room gather
ed everybody in the vast building TO the
east wing in time to witness the depar-
ture of the eastern contingent of the
mounted rifemen.
Mr.. Roosevelt had said goodbye to
the boys before they started at $40 this
afternoon for San Antonio and the cheer
was the means by which they took then
leave. Mr. Roosevelt himself will follow
Monday or Tuesday.
The State Department has the honor
of receiving the first news from the fleet
1t came in the shape of a cablegram OF
three words from United States Consul
Wildman ut Hong Kong, and VISA rs
follows:
HONG KONG. McCULLOCH.
WILDMAN."
That is the usual form in
which the naval movements are
reported by cable. This dispatch
was received by Third Assistant
Secretary Cridler who had been on duts
all night. at $40 o'clock this morning
The naval officials were promptly mott
fled and awaited with intense interest
the dispatch which was expected to sure
~ follow from Commodore Dewey.
About half past 8 Manager Marean,
of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, appeared at the department. bring
ing with him sheet comprising four
lines of mysterious jargon which makes
mp the naval cipher. lie handed this
directly TO Secretary Long, who gazed
at it for moment and turned 1T over To
Lieut.. Whttlesey, one Of the cipher eX-
perts of the Navigation Bureau for trans
lation into English Then the Secretary
made pretense of sitting down at his
desk TO transact other business, but II
was plain to be seen that i'll spirit he had
joined the anxious lhrong of newspaper
men and officials who thronged the re-
ception room and the corridors awaiting
the news.
The naval cipher is one of the mos,
complex i'll the world. The messages
come in words of strange formation. TAX
en- from all languages. These words are
turned by the translating clerks into
groups Of figures, and these in turn are
resolved into their equivalent words in
English. All this takes time.
In about half an hour Secretary Lone
appeared with copy of the translated
cipher in his hand. There was a great
rush toward him. but the Secretary good
naturally made allowance for the on
element of the crowd. and smilnglv
read from the corner of the room into
which he had been forced, the following
cablegram:
MANILA, MAY 1.-SQUADRON
ARRIVED AT MANILA AT DAY.
BREAK THIS MORNING. IAIME
DIATELY ENGAGED THE ENEMY
AND DESTROYED THE FOLLOW
ING SPANISH VESSELS: REINA
CHRISTINA. CASTILLO. DON AN
TONIC DE ULLOA, ISLA DE LUZ