Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-05-10

ant Secretary Cridler, who was turned
out of his cot by messenger boy at
4:4O o'clock. The naval officials were
promptly notified and awaited with In
tense interest the dispatch which was
expected to surely follow from Commo-
dore Dewey.
The Cipher Dispatch.
About $3.50 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
to Secretary Long, who gazed at 1t for
a moment and turned 1T over to Lieut..
Whittlesey, one OF the cipher experts
of the navigation bureau, for translation
into English. Then the secretary made
a 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 thronped the re-
ception 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 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
league, but he also was obliged to wait
patiently for the translation.
Long Reads CnbleEram.
About ten o'clock prominent officer
gave the newspaper men brief abb
stract of the cab.egrlm as far US I'M
raveled This only whetted the inter-
est of the crowd in waiting. Half an
hour later Secretary Long appeared
with a copy of the translated cipher in
his hand. There was a great rush to-
wards him, but the secretary good-na-
turediy 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 Squadron arrived at
Manila al daybreak this morning. lmme-
diately engaged the enemy and DESTROYED
the following Spanish vessels Retna Chr!s-
tina. Castillo, Don Antonio De u!loa. lsla
de LuZon, Isla de Cuna, Genera! Leo. Mar
| ques de Duero. Corrso. Ne!asco, Isle DE
| AYindanao. 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. ! shall communicate
with him.
"(Signed) DEWEY"
A Second Dispatch.
| Shortly before noon Secretary Long
| left the navy department for the white
house, and an official confirmation was
made that a second dispatch from Com,
modore Dewey had been received. The
secretary carried this with him to the
white house and, pending the confer
ence with he president, there was In
tense eagerness among the waiting
crowd to learn the contents of the sec
ond dispatch. Senators who saw the
president secured brief intimation tina,
Dewey's victory was overwhelming and
that he had large number Of Spanish
prisoners in his possession.
At 1880 p. M. Secretary Long came
from the presidents private room, car
rying the copy OF the second message
from Dewey, but, in order to give equa
facilities to the great crowd Of people
whiting to gain information, he held !
until he reached his private Office
Then his secretary, Mr.. Fnney
brought the message to the large re
ception room, where 100 or more anx
| ious newspaper correspondents ant
curious observers took the dispatch a,
( Mr.. Finney read 1t. It was as follows:
"cavite. May 4, 1898. Long, secretar,
! Navy; have taken possession of the naYa
station at Cavite. Philippine Islands. ans
destroyed Its Notifications. Have destroye,
fortiacat!ons at the bay entrance. parollint
garrison. have control Of the bay com
| pieteiy and can take the city at any time
The squadron il In excellent health ant
spirits. The Spanish loss not fully known
but very heavy; 100 killed. including I'M
captain OF the Re!na Christina. I am as
sisting In protecting the Spanish sick ant
wounded. Two hundred and fifty sick an,
I wounded in hospital within our lines. Mucl
excitement at Manila. VIII protect foreign
residents.
Il (Slgned) OE w Ef.
Three Cheers for Dewey.
| Following this Secretary Long CAV
out his reply to Dewey which has beel
cabled by direction Of the president
and which ia given above.
AS the last word of the dispatch wa
uttered, several Of the oa-lookers, IN
Guiding Senator Hanna, called for tire
cheers for Dewey. They were give
with will. and the usual official Sc
renity Of the navy department for tn
moment was broken by round Q
cheers which fairly shook the building
Dispatch from Private Sources.
Washington, May 9.-The state de
partment Saturday received the follow
ing dispatch dated New York, moor
May Z:
Secretary of State. Washington. D. c
Have cable from Hong Kong saying, Spar
ish fleet entirely destroyed. Manila
the hands of the Americans. The lateI
news Is all is quiet
las we have a line Of steamers runnin
between Manila and Hong Kong. It Is POI
sible that this news may be OF intere
to you. We believe It thoroughly reliabl
"(SigneO JARDINE. MATHESON g. co
A VOTE OF THANKS.