Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-05-06
WAR NEWS
In BRIEF.

Admiral Dewey sailed with his
fleet from Hong Kong and arrived
at Manila, PHILIPPINE Islands May
1st. The fleet sailed past the for
tifications in the night and engaged
the Spanish vessels Sunday, result
ing in its total destruction. Three
of the Spanish ships were burned,
one sunk, and the remainder were
disabled by the American guns.
Our fleet entered the harbor early
in the morning and took positions
in line of battle before the forts,
which opened fire on them, and the
Spanish fleet anchored off Cavite,
followed with their heavy guns.
After half an hours fighting our
vessels moved out of range of the
lighter Spanish guns, but contin-
ued the bombardment with the
heavy guns. Soon after our fleet
moved in again and a rapid and in
cessant cannonading began which
soon ended the fight. The Spanish
vessels were silenced one after anoth
er, and three, including their flag
ship, caught fire from shells from
our vessels. One Spanish vessel
was sunk and several run ashore to
escape capture.
The land batteries were silenced
after a short and determined bonn
bardment. The Spanish loss is
reported at about 400 including two
Commanders. No injury is report
cd TO the American ships. Dewey
gave General August twenty-four
hours to comply with a demand to
surrender all warlike stores and the
whole stock of coal, and falling to
do so, the city would be bombarded.
This request was refused and the
Americans bombarded Cavite with
petroleum bombs, razing the city to
the ground and burning the unfor-
titled part of Manila.
Orders have been sent to San
Francisco to load two ships with
coal and send them at once to re-
lieve Dewey's squadron. The dis
tance is about seven thousand miles.
Now that the Philippine Islands
are subjugated, grave questions
arise as to their disposition. We
must hold them until this war is
ended at least, and then become re-
sponsible for their future. This
will be problem for consideration.
President Mckinley has selected
for Major Generals of volunteers;
Generals Fitz Hugh Lee, of Va,
Joseph Wheeler, of Alabama, Jas.
H. Wilson, of Delaware, and w. j.
Sewell of New Jersey.
The Spanish Squadron is now mo-
bilizing at Cadiz and the belief is
that Spain is determined to avoid
isolated combats in future and that
she will concentrate her ships and
attempt to crush the United States
squadron at a single blow. Accord
ingly it is probable that orders have
been sent out by our War Board
that Spain's fleet in the Atlantic
must be destroyed, and that Admir-
al Simpsons vessels re inforced by
Commodore Schley's flying squad
ron will engage the Spanish feet,
now on IFS way across the Atlantic
This fight will take place before it
can reach a coaling base.
Three auxiliary cruisers, the st.
Louis, Harvard, and Yale, are DOW
out scouting, and as soon as one of
them sights the Spanish fleet and
ascertains its location and direction,
the news will be Immediately COM
municated to Washington, and the
movements of our fleets will be gov
erned accordingly. The Oregon,
with the gunboat Marietta and the
/ Nictberoy, purchased of Brazil, have
left Rio. They win not be molest.
ed by the Temeraris, which is now
in that port ina disabled condition,
her boilers being out of repair, and
one-third of her crew having desert
ed.
Havana viii not be bombarded
at present as there is no time to do
so before the Spanish feet may ar
rive, and the troops are not yet in
readiness to invade and occupy the
island. Should our vessels annihi-
late the Spanish squadron or even
seriously damage it, Spain could
not longer hold Cuba, and with the
present existing disturbances at Ma
drid, no doubt the present Govern
ment would be overthrown. Spain
will hear of no surrender yet, but
is determined to prosecute the war
with greater vigor. The people would
not suffer any European interven-
ton aud her Ministers dare not con-
slider it, If her feet should be an.
initiated in the West, as it was in
the East, she might then consider
her honor satisfied, and ask for
peace