The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-09

Cristina. The protected cruiser Castillo,
of 1920 tons, was moored ahead, and
astern to the port battery and to sea-
ward were the cruisers Don Juan de
Austria, Don Antonio de Ulloa, Isla de
Cuba, Isla de Luzon, Quiros, Marquis
del Onero and General Lezox.
These ships and the flagship remain
ed under way during most of the ac-
ton.
Our Ships Begin the Attack
With the United States flag flying at
all their mastheads, our ships moved to
the attack in line ahead, with a speed
OF, eight knots, first passing in front of
Manila, where the action was begun by
three batteries mounting guns power
full enough to send shell over us at a
distance of five miles.
The Concord's guns doomed out a re-
ply to these batteries with two shots.
No more were fired, because Commo-
dore Dewey could not engage with
these batteries without sending death
and destruction into the crowded city.
spaniards Explode Two Mines.
AS we neared Cavite two very pow
erful submarine mines were exploded
ahead of the flagship. This was at six
minutes past five o'clock.
The Spaniards evidently had mis-
judged our position. Immense volumes
of water We're thrown high in air by
these destroyers, but no harm was
done to our ships.
Commodore Dewey had fought with
Farragut at New Orleans and Mobile
bay, where he had his first experience
with torpedoes. Not knowing how many
| more mines there might be ahead, he
still kept on without faltering.
No other mines exploded, however,
and it is believed that the Spaniards
had only these two in place.
Only a few minutes later the shore
battery at Cavite Point sent over the
flagship a shot that nearly hit the bat
terry in Manila, but soon the guns got
a better range, and the shells began to
strike near us or burst close aboard
from both the batteries and the Span
ish vessels.
The heat was intense. Men stripped
off all clothing except their trousers.
AS the Olympia drew nearer all was
| as silent on board as If the ship had
been empty, except for the whirr of
blowers and the throb of the engines.
Suddenly a shell burst directly over
us.
From the boatwain's mate at the af-
ter 5-inch gun came hoarse cry.
"Remember the Maine.'
| arose from the throats of five hundred
| men at the guns.
The watchward was caught up in
| turrets and f1rerooms, wherever sea-
| man or fireman stood at his post.
Remember the Maine!" had rung
out for defiance and revenge. It's ut
terance seemed unprecedented, but
was evidently in every mans mind,
and, now that the moment had come
| of the Names crew, every man shout
| ed what was in his heart.
The Oily mpia Ready Mt Last.
| The Olympia was now ready to be-
| gin the fight.
Commodore Dewey, his chief Of staff,
| Commander Lamberton, and aide and
myself, with Executive Officer Leuten-
ant Rees and Navigator Lieutenant
| Calkins, who conned ship most admir-
ably. We're on the forward bridge. Cap
| tain Gridley was in the coming tower,
as it was thought unsafe to risk losing
| all the senior officers by one shell.
"You may fire when ready, Gridley,"
said the Commodore, and at nineteen
minutes of six o'clock, at distance of
$500 yards, the starboard S-inch gun
| in the forward turret roared forth a
compliment to the Spanish forts
| Presently similar guns from the Bal
timore and the Boston sent $50 pound
shells hurting toward the Castillo and
| the Reina Cristina for accuracy.
Spanish Guns Hot Work.
The Spaniards seemed encouraged to
| fire faster, knowing exactly our dis
| lance, while we had to guess theirs
Their ship and shore guns We're maxi
| ing things hot for us.
The piercing scream of shot was va
| We'd often by the bursting of time fuse
shells, fragments of which would lash
the water like shrapnel or cut our hull
and rigging.
One large shell that was coming
straight at the Olympia's forward
bridge fortunately fell within less thar
one hundred feet away. One fragment
cut the rigging exactly over the heads
| of Lamberton, Rees and myself.
| in line with it, A third passed just
under Commodore Dewey and gouged g
hole in the deck. Incidents like these
were plentiful.
Our men naturally chafed at being
exposed without returning fire from al
our guns, but laughed at danger anG
chatted good humoredly. A few ner.
| vous fellows could not help doging me.
chemically when shells would burst
right over them or close aboard, oil
would strike the water and passed
| overhead, with the peculiar splutter
ing roar made by a tumbling rifed pro
jectile
The Olympia Under Heavy Fire.
Still the flagship steered for the CEN
ter of the Spanish line, and, as oul
other ships were astern, the Olympic
received most of the Spaniards' atten-
ton.
Owing to our deep draught Commo
dore Dewey felt constrained to change
his course at distance of four hun
bred yards and run parallel to tht
Spanish column.
"Open with all guns" he said, ant
the ship brought her port broadsid,
bearing.
The roar of all the fagship's 5-incf
rapid firers was followed by a deeI
diapason of her after turret S-inchers.
Soon our other vessels were equally