Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-05-12


and the smaller Spanish vessels
brought their gums into play.
The American squadron, which had
been led into the bay through the
channel by the flagship Olympia, did
not reply, though the shells of the
spaniards began to strike the water
around them, but moved majestically
onward. When Meaning Baker bay, 8
sudden upheaUal Of water short dis
tance ahead of the Olympia showed
that the Spaniards had exploded a
mime or q torpedo. This was folBoWa
ed by a second and similar explosion
] hey were both utterly unsuccessful.
The American fleet was then draw
ing nearer and nearer TO the Spans
larTis, whose gunnery was very poor
the shots from the Cayite batteries
and from the Spanish ships being
equally badly aimed, either falling
short or going wide of the mark.
Though the Spaniards had opened
fire at 5000 yards the Americans re-
served their fire until within 1000
yards of the enemy, when the real
hattle began. The Reina Christina,
Castillo, Don Antonio de UllOa, Isla
de- Cuba, Isla de Luzon. and the Min
danao were in lime of battle outside of
Cayite at that time, with four gum
Eoats and the torpedo boats inside
the harbor.
The American ships then passed
backward and forward six times
across the front of the Spaniards,
pouring i'm upon the latter a perfect
l,ail of shot and shell. Every Ameri-
can shot seemed to tell, while almost
every Spanish shot missed the mark.
After having thus scattered death
and decentralization among the SPAN
iSh feet and in the Spanish batteries,
tlhe American feet retired for break
fast and, incidentally, a council of
war was held on board the Olympia.
BY this time, the Spanish ships
were in a desperate condition. The
! flagship Reina Christina was riddled
with shot and shell, ONE of her steam
pipes had burst, and she was believed
to be on fire. The Castillo was GER
tainly ON fire, and soon afterward
their condition became worse and
worse, until they were eventually
burned to the waters edge.
The Ion Antonio de Ullao made a
most magnificent show of desperate
bravery. When her commander found
she was so torn by the American
shells that he could not keep her
ahUat he nailed her colors to the
mast and she sank with all hands
fighting to the last Her hull was
completely riddled and her upper
deck had been swept clean by the
awful fire of the American guns, but
the Span;ards, though their vessel
was sinking beneath them, continued
I working the guns on her lower deck
until she sank beneath the waters.
During the engagement a Spanish
| torpedo boat crept along the shore
and round the offing in an attempt to
attack the American store Ships but
/ she was promptly discovered, was
driven ashore and was actually blown
to pieces
, The Nindanao bad, in the meantime,
been run ashore 10 save her from
/ sinking and the Spanish small craft
had sought shelter from the steel
/ storm behind TIE hrealiwpter
The hattIe which was started at
about $50 a. m. and adjourned at
! $3.50 a To-, was resumed about noon,
when Commodore Dewey started in to
! put the finishing touches on his
! glorious work There was not much
fight left in the Spaniards by thnt
time. and at p. M. the Petrol and
Concor had shot the Cayite batteries
into silence. leaving them heaps OF
ruins and floating the white flag
The Spanish gunboatS were Then
scutted The arsenal was on fire and
the explosion of a Spanish magazine
caused further mortality among the
defenders Of Spain on shore,
On the water the burning, sunken
or destro,e Spanish vessels could he
seen, NIi'c On rh' cruiser Baltimore
had suffered III amy way from the fire
of The enemy \ shot which struck
! her cVrudel SOmr ammunition near
one of he guns and slightly injured
half e dozen Of the crew.
Several shots passed dangerously
close To- Commodore Dewey, but little
or no damage was done on board the
flagship.
On the other hand, about $50 men
are said to have been killed on board
the Spanish flagship, which was to-
tally destroyed. Admiral Montejo. the
Spanish commander, transferred his
flag t, the Isla de Cuba when his
ship caught fire, but the latter was
also destroyed in due course of time
The Reina Christina lost her captain
lieutenant. her chaplain and a mid
shipman by one shot, which struck
her bridge.
About 100 men were killed and
sixty wounded on board the Castillo
Indeed, some estimates place the
number of Spanish wounded during
the engagement at over 1000.
The Olympia was struck five times
about her upper works, and a whale
boat on the Raleigh was smashed.
Although the Krupp guns on the
I esplanade Of Manila were fired con-
tinuously during the engagement
Commodore Dewey did not reply to
them, and the battery afterward
hoisted white flag in token of sur
render
The terms of the capitulatfon were