The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-12-01
SPANISH JUNK FOR SALE.
The Submarine Fleet Mt Manila to BE
Had at GOinE-Out-Of-Busi-
ness Prices.


ness Prices.
The Spanish government wishes to
PUT up to the highest bidder the fleet
that an admiral of ours named Dewey
was so thoughtless as to send to the
bottom of Manila bay, purchaser to do
his own trucking. The Spanish govern
ment is very particular to impress TINS
latter point upon prospective buyers.
The dons will not undertake TO deliver
the purchases, as they think by the
time the fleet is raised to the top of the
Manila waters and made fit to float to
the destination appointed by the pur-
chaser the purchase money might have
vanished in expense. The goods are de-
scribed in the catalogue as follows:
Reina Christina, 1920 tons displace-
! ment, 10 guns; no definite information
| obtainable as to her condition, but 1t is
not thought that she can be brought to
| the top in any other shape than that
| of a demoralized mass of junk, for the
reason that besides the thCughtless
damage done directly by the guns of
the American warships her magazine
| blew up and seriously disarranged her
| internal machinery. On these accounts
the Spanish government, wishing TO
play fair with the bidders, offers her as
Gid metal, and will be glad to start the
bidding at ten pesetas on behalf OF the
| Spanish royal junk yard, which it is
the young kings hobby to see kept well
rial.
The Castillo, 3,342-ton vessel Of 20
guns, is added to the catalogue as a
matter of form, because she once be-
longed to the fleet that Dewey sunk.
| The bidding in this case will be started
very low In fact, it is probable that
the Castillo will be thrown in free with
the other ships purchased. The Castillo
| was wooden ship, and it is doubtful if
more of her can be recovered Than
| would make good-sized bonfire. 1t is
| thought, however, that her guns might
be worth something as old metal, pro-
vided the action of the waters of Manila
| bay has not melted them. 1t is known
that they were of very soft and yield
| ing material. At the Manila fight it was
| deemed advisable not to fire them too
often for fear they would damage the
wooden ship, which was not accus-
toned to such violence, and had al
ways been enveloped in macintosh
in wet weather to prevent her catching
cold.
The Velasco is 1,152 tons, seven guns,
will have to be taken on speculation.
All that is known is that she was sunk,
and is somewhere between the surface
of the water and the bottom of the
bay. The Don Antonio de Ulloa, 1870
tons, 10 guns, and the Don Juan de
Austria are sister ships, and about the
best of the bunch. They are probably
suffering severely from rheumatism
of the joints from their long stay at the
bottom of the bay, but anyone who has
a fancy for secondhand navy would
probably be able to get these two at
bargain by speaking quickly. These
two boats are rated as unprotected
cruisers, 210 feet long, 80 feet beam and
of 1,130 tons displacement.
Two more ships that are, or were,
valuable are the Isla de Cuba and the
Isla de Luzon, rated as third-class
cruisers. They might make good mud
scows if they could be raised and
brought across the ocean to America.
Or, as a novelty at the seaside resorts,
they might repay the auction price and
expense of raising and Transporting
them. Of the others, the EI Cano, .524-
ton boat, and the Marquis del Duero
and Gen. Leo, they might as well be
left in the mud of Manila bay. 1t
wouldn't pay anyone to dig them out.
In case it might be taken from the
foregoing rather tlippant remarks That
the whole thing is "a joke, it is well to
state here and now that the Spanish
government actually and seriously has
decided to put up its sunken fleet at
| auction, and awaits bid. Well said
is it that the Spaniards have something
radically wrong in their composition.
There is lacking somewhere. The
national tile is little loose, in the Eng
fish slang. The Spaniard is off his base,
in the American vernacular In the
Frenchman's inexpensive words, but
with his very expressive pantomime,
the don has "scmeteeng Wanting" But
step up If you want to see that second
hand fieet.-Washington Post.