The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-08
WASHINGTON WAS EXCITED
Continued from Page -
ly the case when vessels indulge in tar
get practice.
VARIOUS EXPLANATIONS.

1
There are all sorts of theories among
in the absence of facts, it is hard to
form a reasonable hypothesis.
Superior gunnery; target practice;
GOODNESS; preparedness" those are the
facts that won the day in such an as
| founding fashion, in the opinion Of one
of the brightest of our young naval
officers. An older head and a man of
higher grade. strategist, thought that
Dewey had taken the Spaniards I'M
awares in every respect. He had run
the batteries at night undiscovered and
at daybreak was pouring broadside af-
ter broadside into the Spanish fleet,
which was taken unawareS, with no
body at quarters, with most of the crew
asleep and generally in a state utterly
unprepared to resist an attack.
One officer thought that the Span
iards had even failed to keep banked
fires, so that they had no steam on and
could not move, lying helpless
while Dewey's ships circled around
them, firing first from one side and
then another. Probably the true ex-
PLANTATION will not be forthcoming until
mail adyices are at hand, but the
Spanish naval prestige has received
blow from the battle of Manila from
which it cannot recover in very many
years.
CUT THE CABLE.
Admiral Dewey cut the cable himself,
and though he offers no explanation for
doing SO, it is believed that his pur-
pose was not only to prevent the
Spanish governor general from COM
municating with, his own government,
but also to prevent the foreign consuls
at Manila from interfering with his
plans by cabling protests to their gov
ernments. He made it impossible for
them to summon any war vessels TO
enforce the protest they were expected
to make against the siege of Manila.
AS he left the navy department this
afternoon, Secretary Long said, in an
swer to a question, that he had already
given to the public all the news that
the McCulloch brought, save trifing
detail not of genera, interest, and OF
Importance only to the department.
The receipt of a dispatch at the state
department, however, from commercial
sources, indicates that further news
may be coming by commercial steam
ers.
WILL BE AN ADMIRAL.
If congress does not prematurely act,
as it did in the case of Worden, when
he achieved his famous victory over
the Merrimac, Acting Admiral Dewey
will become an actual admiral in few
days The laws of July IS, 1882, pro-
vide that naval officers who, upon the
of the president, re-
ceive the thanks of congress, may be
advanced one grade. The president will
do this in Dewey's case, which will put
81. 900 additional in his pocket and jump
him over three commodores, as wen as
over Acting Admiral Sampson.
COMMENT OF FOREIGNERS.
modore Dewey's reports were read +
with great interest, and served to re- /
new the high tributes of the foreign |
as to the gallant American /
The remarkable disparity :
between the casualties on the American /
and Spanish ships, as shown by the i
Dewey reports, was source OF special /
and the military aftache OF
1ne of the embassies said such dis
parity was without a parallel in his
.ory. How the Spaniards could have
ost $50 killed and $50 wounded, while
he American loss was confined to
lew men slightly injured, is regarded
ly the foreign observers as clearly dis
closing the utter worthlessness OF
Spanish arms. The ambassador of one
# the great powers said 1t showed
hat the guns of the Spanish fortifica-
ions, as well as those on their ships,
lave inflicted at least some mortality
lpon the American sailors.
1T recalls Solferino," said he. AT
hat time France and Austria were at
var, but the range of the French guns
vas longer than that of the Austrians.
That brought them together on I'M
.qual terms, and the simple diherence
n the length of the range of the
French guns determined the outcome of
hat battle So it was with Dewey.
lie not only had the guns, but they
lad the modern strength and destruc-
iveness, while the Spanish guns were
and guns only in name. 1t
erves to show that in the warfare of
oday a nation must have weapons of
he most modern pattern, else it is at
terrible disadvantage, and its men
re practically at the mercy or an
nemy having all the latest appliances
f destructive warfare. 1t is the lesson
f Solferino over again, and this time
pain learns it,
IN. ali foreign quarters, mucn concern
vas shown as the effect of these re-
'orts upon the temper of the people of
dadrid It was believed it would add
uel to the flame already existing there,
nd that little more was needed to
verthrow the government
DISPATCHES ExPURGATED
It Is noticed that the cablegrams as
ficially promulgated, do not entirely
gree with the brief summary which
ad been previously given out, and the
Immediate presumption was tnat IN
he short time accorded for consider
tion the officials had concluded that