Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-07
SPANISH STORY OF MANILA.
Admiral Montoios Account of His Defeat
bv Dewey.

estlnS matter in regard 10 the battle uf
Manila which was not sent by cable.
Il seems that the Spanish were in
tcaseiy disguised thu: Admiral Dewey
should not have given formal warning
that he was going TO enter Manila har-
Dor and that he should have entered
1t by the broad channel instead of 10y
the narrow channel. which had been
mined The few shots which Admiral
Dewey's ships fired at the Correeidor
forts on the night they entered tho
harbo, Killed forty-two men. although
the only target the American gunners
had were the flashes Of the Spanish
cannon.
The correspondent: OF the Hong Kong:
China Mail. who went to Manila on the
British steamer Esmeraida. arrived "a
The day after the battle On May he
had an interview With the Spanish Ad-
:niral, Montoiu. and obtained his var
sion Of the battle 1t contains some
novel ard intcrestin. facts. The cor.
respondent describes III. Admiral as
IAN old man about 6a years OF age,
slight in stature. aud in arpeArance
everything but wariike IL. realized
my iti.al OF an old spanish .randae,
was cordiali,v itself. and talked with
frankness of sundays conflict" AL
1niral Montojo said his intenliun was
TO go TO Subig i;ay and for,iry it. but
he found that it would require at least
q month. So after spending week
.here he returned to Manila on April
80. Had Dewey started one day earlier
he would thus have caught the Span
ish fleet outside Manila harbor
Admiral AIontojo said he had re-
Questioned Madrid Cor ships and tor
peu"es, out had received neither. 50
he laid the blame of his defeat On the
Spanish Government. In describn.
the fight Admiral Montojo said:
The Reina Crstina and Don Juan
d Austria, as you know, were old cr,is-
ers; the Castella was a wooden cluis, :,
but vas unable to steam owing To the
breaking down Of her engines. The
Don Antonio d'Ulloa and the Nelasco
We're helpless and were undergoing re-
pairs off the arsenal The OlympIa
Baltimore. Raleigh and Boston en-
gagged my flagship in turn about $50
attracted by my Nag ! recognized the
necessity OF getting under way AMI
shipped both anchors. ordering the
o'her saips 70 follow my example. Al
thouea We recognized the hopeessncss
OF hEhtinS the American ships we were
busy returning their fire. The keina
Sfstiha was Int repeatedly.
shortly after $50 observed fire on
my snip forward and our steering gear
was damaged, rendering the vessel un-
manageable We We're subjected IT, a
= t'if 1i'i4i u she!l ana shot. The en-
kincs were struck ana We estimated we
sinu sepehIS hlts about our hull and
superslrhcture The boilers We're not
MI out me pipe to the condenser was
S'foSeo, n lew moments later OBJ
oei go .hfit lhe alter part OF the ship
; ''as oii '''c. y STEEL from an American
sup ''an penetrated ana burst wiki
oeaols e'iect. killing many OF our men.
NY rag Lieutenant SAID to me:
He s"'p = 4" names. IL IS i'm
poss'p's ~ STAY on ne Cristina any
lle slShalleu TO the gunboat Isla
oe 100 as'u ana my stan were
= ietfeo - her ana my flag was
1''!s'eo' hel"re leaVlns the Crstiaa
my ms was hau!eu down My ilagship
VS. ~" one mass o1 ilaines. | ordered
a"aS az poiltS could 10 save the
rev. Many Oh the men jumped over
noS1ru "'thou. clothing ana succeeded
~ ieAei'!''S Sh"r"' several hundred
y"'os aWaS- Only few men We're
o'o" ''ei' We majority being picked up
ny me o"ats.
i'eiore jumping overheard Cape.
"a SON. Il Lieutenant on board
t''e '"'is''ha' sa" ms father alive ON
"ech' oul Others say That as the Cap
'aih WAS ABOUT 10 leave a shell burst
over the snip ana Killed him. We es-
innate mat % men were killed on
BOARD 'he 'ristina and about 80
"ouhoed. i ne chaplain was killed alI
me assistant physician. the chief en-
Elneer and three officers We're wound
ed. The boatswain and chief gunner
We're both killed. In the Casicll ONLY
about 10 men We're killed, but there
were many wounded both on The Cas-
leila ana the Don Juan d Austria. on
winch IL men were killed. Altnpatba.