The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-05-11

men and ships, from serious injury,
added to the excitement and to the in
tense satisfaction with which the long
expected news was received.
Rush of Newspaper Men.
There was an instant rush of newspa-
per men to the navy department to Sc
cure further information from official
sources, and, perhaps dismayed by the,
number and impetuosity of the news
paper contingent, the officials OF the
navigation bureau, where cipher dis
patches are transcribed and translated,
promptly closed and locked their doors
against invasion. One of the officers OF
the bureau had been on duty every mo-
ment of the "a hours for several weeks
past, waiting to receive cablegrams of
Importance. A similar state of affairs
has prevailed at the state department.,
where one of the assistant secretaries
and their chief clerk have divided up
the watches of the nights sleeping on
temporary cots set up n the ante-rooms.
The state department has the honor of
receiving the first news. 1t came in the
shape of cablegram of three words,
from United States Consul Wildman, at
Hong-Kong, and was as follows:
Hong King. McCulloch. Wildman."
That is the usual form in which naval
movements are reported by cable. This
dispatch was received by Third Assist
ant Secretary Cridler, who was turned
out of his cot by a messenger boy at
I'D oso1noly Thu off lc
promptly notified and awaited with in
tense interest the dispatch which was
expected to surely follow from Commo-
dore Dewey.
The Cipher Dispatch.
About 9:3O Manager Marean, of the
Western Union Telegraph company,
appeared at the department, bring
ing with him sheet COM
prising four lines of the mys-
terious jargon which makes up the
naval cipher. He handed this directly
10 Secretary Long, who gazed at it for
moment and turned it over to Lieut..
Whittlesey, one of the cipher experts
IF the navigation bureau, for translation
into English. Then the secretary made
to transact other business, but it was
plain to be seen that in spirit he had
Joined the anxious throng of newspaper
men and officials who thronged the re-
.eption room and the corridors waiting
ior the news.
The naval cipher is one of the most
complex in the world. The messages
.ome in words of strange formation,
aiken from all languages. These words
ire turned by the translating clerks
nto groups of figures, and these, in
urn, are resolved into their equivalent
words in English. All this takes time.
Meanwhile Secretary Alger, hearing of
The receipt of news, had come over from
The war department to see his col
eague, but he also was obliged to wait
patiently for the translation.
Long Reads CnbIegram.
About ten o'clock prominent officer
gave the newspaper men brief alb
stract of the cablegam as far as I'M
raveled. This only whetted the inter-
est of the crowd in waiting. Half an
hour later Secretary Long appeared
with copy of the translated cipher in
his hand. There was great rush to-
wards him, but the secretary good-na-
turedly made allowance for the excite
ment of the crowd and smilingly read
from the corner of the room into which
he had been forced the following ca
blegram:
Manila. May 1.-Squadron arrived at
Manila at daybreak this morning. Imme-
diately engaged the enemy and destroyed
the following Spanish vessels: Reina Chris
tina, Castillo, Don Antonio De Ulloa, 1sla
de Luzon. Isla de Cuna, General Leo, Mar
uues de Duero, Corrso, Veasco, Isle de
MindanaO. a transport and water battery
at Cavite. The squadron is uninjured, and
only few men are slightly wounded. Only
means of telegraphing is to American con-
sui at Hong Kong. l shall communicate
with him.
"(Signed) DEWEY
A Second Dispatch.
Shortly before noon Secretary Long
loft the navy deDartmen for the white