The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-03
A BIT OF HISTORY.

n blA VT
It is 10 be expected that on account of
the hurried manner in which he does his
work the newspaper reporter or CORE
spondent win make mistakes once in
while, but there is no excuse for the alb
surd and glazing mistakes that are fire.
quenuy made by men eminent in literary
or public life in respect to matters about
which correct information is easily OBJ
tainable This statement Is called out by
some comments of the New York Evening
Post on the address of Gen. Steward L.
Woodford, ex-minister to Spain, delivered
before the Army and Navy Club a few
days ago. In the course of his address he
told his audience that Immediately after
the destruction Of the Maine he received
instructions at Madrid, from Washington,
to do all he could in the interest of peace,
because this country was entirely unpre-
pared for war. He was told by the state
department that ii was absolutely neces-
sary to have peace preserved until April
Is, at which time it was thought the
country would be ready for war. Gen.
Woodford said that at the time he re-
ceived this instruction there was not on
the American ships or in the ordinance
depots two rounds of powder per gun"
According to Gen. Woodfords account ne
did the best he could. He got the delay
with the aid of the British minister. Hav-
ing put his audience in a highly expectant
state of mind, Gen. Woodford told the fol-
lowing remarkable story:
In the meantime the work of prepara-
ton went on at home, and to show you
how accurately the time was gagged l
may tell you of the run of a sealed ex-
press train across the continent, the con-
tents of which train no man outside of
Washington, and only two there. knew.
1t had the right of way over all other
trains. When it reached San Francisco,
its cargo was transferred to a waiting
steamer, which raced TO Honolulu There
the cruiser Baltimore was waiting no one
knew for what. The cargo was shifted TO
the Baltimore, which carried it to Hong
Kong, and on April % the cargo was dis
tributed among The American warships
there, and Dewey had the ammunition he
wanted. On April "A he got his orders TO
sail for Manila. That ammunition on May
Day awoke echoes in Manila bay that were
heard round the world and took from
Spain an empire"
There is no doubt that Gen. Woodford
believed every word of his remarkable
story, but before giving it to the public he
ought to have made sure It
was true Such a story, coming
from the man who represented this
country In Spain at the time
that the Maine was destroyed, and as long
afterwards as We had a representative in
that country, would be accepted without
question not only in this, but in every
other, country. 1t seems, however, that
there was no truth whatever in the story.
The bureau of ordinance has furnished the
exact facts. It furnished them at the re-
quest of Secretary Long, who was sur
prised at the statement made by Gen.
Woodford. The statement of the bureau
is that at the time of the destruction of
the Maine, and at all times afterwards
when ammunition had not been used in
battle, every vessel was practically filed
up with her allowance of ammunition"
with respect to Dewey's ships the ordi-
nance bureau said:
80 far as relates to the supply of am
munltton on board Dewey S ShlpS, the Iacl
is they were never reduced below the limit
prescribed by the department., and they
could have safely gone into action without
receiving further supply"
1t seems that there was sealed" and
mysterious train loaded with ammunition
sent across the continent, but the time
when that train made its journey was June
20 while Dewey's battle in Manila bay
was fought on May 1. AS historian Gen.
Woodford is not a success. May it not be
that he overestimates his services at
Madrid?