Evening journal., 1898-07-12
THE GREAT GUNNIERY AT MA
Mia.

Lynx Smith, gunner on the flag
ship of Admiral Dewey, the Olympia.
resident of Peru. Ind, writes a long
account Of the battle at Manila to his
relatives. After describing in detail
the voyage from Hong Kong past Cor
regidor Island, he says;
AT A o'clock in the morning. after
a slight shower, the moon shone out
hazy, a great point in our favor, as We
could keep a sharp lookout without us
ing our searchlights. AT 4.1O o'clock
we took our stations at the guns, maga-
zines and shell rooms. was in the
eight-inch shell room aft, 20 feet be-
low the water line, and Immediately
above me was a hatch, opening feet
square, which led to the spar deck,
through which the shells were hoisted
II was just breaking day, and / saw
our battle flag going up on the miz2en-
mast. There were three cheers as it
went up, and Immediately the enemy
opened on us, and from that time until
TIC there was continuous laundering
Of the big HotchlSiss guns. The heat
below was terrible. The thermometer
in the room registered 127. The per-
spiratlon poured down my bare back.
and clothing would have been intoler-
o1,la. W. ,,,oro 49,, ef,ioro l,1,- ,,,otfo1 a q
first, and believe we should have been
quite as warm had the she'll room been
encased in an iceberg, but gradually
we became accustomed, and after ten
minutes, surrounded by fifty tons OF
shells that six-pOunder would have
touched off, l did not have time 10
think OF the heat The call was un-
ceasing for Shells of all kinds, shrap-
mel, armor-piercing and cannon, and
I was kept busy selecting the projectiles
? dragging them to the hoist and attach
ing the tackle. The shells weighed 25C
to 26Opounds each, but by the endof the
l fight they seemed to me to weigh 10,00l
pounds. It was 62S when I took my
, place at the gun, No. 81. 1t was six
= pound Hotchkiss and can be handleS
e easily, and is almost as accurate as
common rifle. 1 was second gun cap
tain, and it was my duty to eject tn.
exploded shell, drive home the fresi
charge, close the breech plug and ad
just the sight to the range called ou
through sentries, every two minutes b.
0 the range-hnder. One call would
4 for 3, 600 yards; another for 1000 yard.
and another for 1,50O yards off the POI
4 beam. 1 adjusted thirty shells. Whe
I took my place at the gun I stare
trough the dense smoke and saw
ship ahead of me as large as the Cor
: cord. The range came '1,700 yards
: and 1 gave it to her. Before I ha
q time to fire a second shot came tt
call torpedo boat, 92O yards; while
9 was waiting for her to come flush wit
3 my quarter the boat was hit by q
o eight-inch she'll from the turret gun
l. the Olympia, and blown clear out
the water. l saw the most wonderf
shooting at theCastilla, which came o.
from behind the masonry of fort. III
IS range $50 yards, was called, and a
- most instantly two eight-inch, seve
five-inch and ten six-pounders ha
plugged her full of holes, while q
9 eight-inch shell a moment later actl
ally tore its way through her enti
t length, burst her boilers and sank he
ar We were struck quite often, but we
not hurt. The Spaniards could not g
. the range, firing high and sending mo
z Of their shots through the rigging" "
r St. Louis Globe Democrat.