Evening star., 1898-05-07
DEWEY'S GREAT WORK
Scenes of Enthusiasm at the NAVY
Department.
STRATEGISTS DISCUSS THE RESULTS
Great Mortality of the Spanish
Forces.
TROOPS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

ary expectation of cable advices from Com
the widest excitement at breakfast time
this morning by the reported arrival of the
cutter McCulloch at Hong Kong with dis
patches for the government from Commo-
dore Dewey. The publication of newspa-
per dispatches telling of terrible mortality
of the Spanish and the escape of the Amer
lean forces, men and Ships from serious
Injury added to the excitement and to the
intense satisfaction with which the long
expected news was received
1nere was an instant rush Of newspa per
men to the Navy Department to secure fur
ther information from official sources and
perhaps dismayed by the number and i'm
petuosity OF the newspaper contingent the
omclals OF the navigation bureau. where
clpher dispatches are transcribed and trans
lated, promptly closed and locked their
ooors against everybody. One of the off,
GERS OF the bureau had been on duty every
moment OF the twenty-four hours for sew
eral weeks past, waiting to receive cable
grams of importance. A similar state of
affairs has prevailed at the State Depart
ment, where one of the secretaries and the
chief clerk have divided up the watches of
up in an ante-room.
The State Department had the honor of
receiving the first news 1t came in the
shape OF cablegram of three words from
United States Consul Wildman at Hong
Kong and was as follows:
Hong Kong. McCulloch Wildmau."
That is the usual form in which naval
movements are reported by cable This
dispatch was received by Third Assistant
Secretary Cridler, who was turned out of
his cot by a messenger boy at 4:4O o'clock
this morning. The naval officials were
promptly notified and awaited with intense
interest the dispatch which was expected
to surely follow from Commodore Dewey.
About $50 Manager Marean of the West
ern Union Telegraph Company appeared a,
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,
WIZ 6dLSo dl IL CuElouSly lOr a moment
and then turned it over to Lieut. WhittIe,
sey, one of the cipher experts of the navi-
CATION bureau, for translation 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 crowd
Of newspaper men and officials who throng-
ed the reception room and the corridors,
waiting for the news.
The naval cipher is one of the most COM
pick i'll 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 colleague,
but he also was obliged to wait patiently
for the translation. Senator Hoar, a mem
Der of the foreign relations committee, also
joined Secretary Long and waited upon
the cable experts.
About 10 o'clock Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt, in the kindness of his heart,
and, he expressed it. perhaps the last
favor he would be able to bestow on news
paper men, came to their relief and gave
them short abstract of the cablegram SO
far as unraveled. This only whetted the
interest of the crowd in waiting. Half an
hour later Secretary Long appeared with
There was great rush toward him, but
the Secretary good-naturedly made allow
ance for the excitement of the crowd and
retreated smilingly TO the corner. from
where he read the cablegram given above.
A Discrepancy.
It was Immediately noticed that the Ca
blegram as officially promulgated did not
entirely agree with the brief summary Of
its points which had been previously given
out, and the immediate presumption was
sideration the officials had concluded that
it was part Of public policy to ex-
purgate the dispatch. Thus as made pub
lie it contained no reference to the cutting
Of the cable by Commodore Dewey, to the
fact that he lacked men to take possession
Of the place. and. finally. that he had the
entire Bay of Manila at his mercy.
It was also noticed that the dispatch
lore date Of May 1. and it could not be for
an instant supposed that the McCulloch
has occupied more than six days in making
the sht rtrun across to Hong Kong. There
fore 1t was Immediately assumed that the
above dispatch was only the first OF two
or mere that had been brought over to
Hong. Kong by the McCulloch. In other
words, Commodore Dewey had written Sun
day night sitting in his cabin a brief ac-
count Of the days work Instead of send
ing it Immediately by the MuCulloch to
Hcrg Kong he had delayed that vessel for
two or three days at least. probably to
| Lse her in the subsequent bombardment
| Of the town and forts.
The events Of thess last few days were