The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-05-13

WASHINGTON, May 0. Secretary
Long at half past 10 o'clock this morn
ing read the following dispatch to
newspaper men as Commodore Dewey's
report:
"MANILA, May 1.-The squadron ar
rived at Manila at day break this
morning. Immediately engaged the
enemy and destroyed the following
Spanish war vessels: Reina Christina,
Castillo, Ulloa, Isle de Cuba General
LEGO, the Duero, Correo, Velasco,
Mindanao, one transport and the
water battery at Cavite.
1.-The squadron is uninjured and
only a few men were slightly wounded.
1.-The only means of telegraphing is
Kong l shall communicate with
him. Dewey"
The next dispatch from Commodore
Dewey says:
"CAvITE, May Al have taken pos
session of the naval station at Cavite,
on the Philippine islands. Have de-
stroyed the Notifications at bay en-
trance, paroling garrison.
Il control the bay completely and
can take the city at any time.
THE squadron is in excellent health
and spirits. Spanish loss not fully
known, but very heavy-150 killed,
including the captain of Reina Chris
tina. l am assisting in protecting
Spanish sick and wounded.
1.-Two hundred and fifty sick and
wounded in hospital within our lines.
Much excitement at Manila. Will
protect foreign residents. Dewey"
WASHINGTON, May 8. - Notwith-
standing the fact that everybody for
several days has been in momentary
expectation of cable advices from
Commodore Dewey, the town was
thrown into the widest excitement at
breakfast time this morning by the
issue of extra papers announcing the
arrival of the McCulloch at Hong
Kong with dispatches for the govern
ment from Commodore Dewey.
The state department has the honor
of receiving the first news. 1t came
in the shape of a cablegram of three
words from United States Consul
Wildman at Hong Kong, and was as
follows: Hong Kong. McCulloch.
Wildman"
That is the usual form in which ma
val movements are reported by cable.
This dispatch was received by Mr..
Cridler, third assistant secretary of
state, who was turned out of his cot
by a messenger boy at 4:40 o'clock.
Tho naval officials were promptly no.
titled and awaited with intense inter-
est the dispatch which was expected
to surely follow from Commodore
Dewey
The experience of the navy depart
ment is that a cipher message from
Hong Kong takes about six hours in
tran smission to this city. AS it came
in the department cipher, the trans
lation of the report took some time.
The cablegram from Commodore
Dewey reached the navy department
at 4:4O a. m. Allowing six Lours for
TRANSMISSION and an hour for trans
lation, the full report from Dewey
was hardly expected to be h.ade pub
lie much before noon to-day.
At 9:s0 o'clock Manager Marean of
the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany appeared at the department
bringing with him sheet comprising
four lines of the mysterious jargon
which makes up the naval cipher. He
handed this directly to Secretary
Long, who gazed at it for moment
and then turned it over to Lieutenant
Whittlesey, one of the cipher experts
of the navigation bureau, for transla-
ton into English.
Then the secretary made pretense
of sitting down at his desk 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 reception
room and the corridors waiting for
the news
The naval cipher is one of the most
complex in the world. The messages
come in words of strange formation,
taken from all languages. These
words are turned by the translating
clerks into groups of figures and these
in turn are resolved into their equiva-
lent words in English. All this takes
time
ALL HAD TO WAIT.
Meanwhile, Secretary Alger. hear
ing of the receipt of news, had come
over from the war department to see
his colleague, but he also was obliged