The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-10
WHAT OTHERS SAY.
THE 1ST OF MAY, 1887. AND THE
1ST OF MAY, 1893.
Baltimore Sun.

1ST OF MAY, 1898.
Baltimore Sun. e
Admiral Deewy's splendid achievement
recalls the most daring and romantic
exploits of Sir Francis Drake and tn,
bold sea captains of the Elizabethan
age The resemblance is much more
than fortuitous or superficial. There Is
nothing in all history which SO nearly
resembles Admiral Dewey's brave feM
at arms as the destruction in Cadiz bay
of the Spanish fleet by Sir Francis Drake
on the same day of the same month,
just three hundred and eleven years
ago. In the year 1887 all Spain was
busy in preparations for the Great Ar
mazda, that gigantic land and naval eX-
petition which was to invade and over
whelm England. and which came so in
gloriously to grief in the following year.
Drake knew that in the fortified harbOi
of Cadiz there were more than Il hundred
Spanish warships. storeships and trans
ports and vast quantities of material
gathered for the use of the fleet Oh.
the 18th of April he sailed from Ply
mouth with twenty eight vessels, four
belonging to Queen Elizabeth and TWEEN
| ty-eight furnished by himself and other
gentlemen adyenturers." His own ship,
oddly enough, was called the Buena
| Ventura.
On the 10Th of April MAY l, accord
| ing to our calendarD he boldly ran the
gauntlet of the Spanish batteries defend
| ing the harbor mouth, drove the Spanish
warships under the shelter of the forts,
where subsequently he burned and sank
them, and made himself, like Dewey,
master of the situation. Like Dewey,
| he had no troops with which to effect a
landing and occupy the city, but entirely
at his leisure he burned and destroyed
all the Spanish vessels and all the war
material which he could not carry away.
After remaining in CadiZ bay for eleven
days, on the LIST of May he cOOlly sailed
away again, and all this he accomplished
! like Dewey, without the loss, the ms
torian tells rs, ''of n boat or man.
The parallelsm is as nearly complete
as that between two such exploits can
be- even down to the particular OF such
a victory being achieved without loss.
| brakes previous performances III the
| West Indies, where the summer before
he had captured and held to ransom the
cities of San Domingo and Carthagena,
then much more important than Havana
had already given him high rank among
English captains. His exploits i'll Cadlz
bay made him the foremost naval nero
in Europe and of the age. 1t was the
first fatal blow struck at the military
and naval prestige of Spain. 1t was
likened to smuggling the King of SPAN
beard" The present king-poor llttie
boy-has no beard to be singed, but there
can be little doubt that the prestige Oh
the Spanish arms has been badly wound
ed by Admiral Dewey, as it was Illree
centuries ago by Sir E'rancis Drake
In the following year Drake pore a
conspicuous and brilliant part III the Sc
ries of engagements in the English cla u,
mel, which discounted and scattered lhe
Great Armada and sent it flying throusi,
| the North sea, to become the prey Vi
the winds and waves. 1t is hopea tii"'
Spain's present armada will meet SIN
liar fate at the hands of Admlra sum
son should he encounter IT III .aaoir
History seems to be repeating oro
| The Spaniards of to-day. perhaps, .o -"
not inferior in courage to their allce - ~,
| but they exhibit the same tfil's in
competency. The Spanish SUP 4I,. lar
| Queen Elizabeth's day were '" a., the
ger, as well as more numerous, e,s.ad To
English vessels which we're oI'p 20 hat-
them. But the English ships ~ hand
ter and faster sailers, were 20 ~ LONGER
led and the English guns Weie ~ eyerv
range and heavier caliber.