The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-24

ed at her utmost seed against q heavy
sea. We all thought war by that time
was on and that our voyage would be
intercepted by Spanish cruisers from
Manila. When Hong Kong was reach
ed there was a most eager desire to see
whether the American feet was still
i'm the harbor, and there was great re-
lief to see the white ships still lying
peacefully out i'm the man-of-war an
chorage. Events now piled up faster
and faster.
BECOMES A PART OF THE FLEET.
The McCulloch was put into the navy,
the governor of Hong Kong issued a
proclamation ordering the American
ships to leave the harbor in forty-eight
hours, the feet was painted le~ad-color,
the Baltimore arrived, the combined
fleet went to Mrs bay, and news then
came on April 25 that war vas declar-
ed. 1t was the intention to sail on the
next day for Manila, but Consul Will
liams was delayed by rough water and
couldn't reach the rendezvous. He
started out in the tug Fame from Hong
Kong, but the sea was o rough and
the little boat put back. Had he reach
SA - "a AAS oo1AA0 "S0ko 81 oS~A
very different. The ships would have
sailed as intended, and they would have
met the Spanish fiet near Subig bay on
the afternoon of April 20, and the bat
tie would have been fought in the China
sea. That shows what little things af-
feet the history Of warfare.
$ The fleet did o sail until April 27,
and the battle of Manila was fought in
the bay. 1t was believed that the Pc
trel and McCulloch were to lead in en-
tering the bay, for the reason that if
the leading ships were blown up by
torpedoes the loss would not be as
great as if the Olympia or Baltimore
were destroyed.
This progremme was not carried out,
however. The McCulloch's flaming fun
mel drew the fire of the Spanish forts
during the night the bay was entered,
FOUNDER shots. 1t was at this time that
chief engineer, Mr.. Randall, died from
heat and %apoplexy. In the battle she
was posted 5000 yards behind the line
of American fighting ships, with haw-
sers ready to go in and pull out any of
u ships that might be disabled. The
charts of the navigator of the McCul-
loch show that at no time after the bat
tie was on did the McCulloch lie at a
greater distance than 4,500 yards off
Saughy point, excepting when the
fight line was at the east end of the
ellipse. On the night of May list the Nc
Culloch was stationed at the mouth of
the Pasig river, right under the mouths
of the Spanish guns, to intercept any
small gunboat or torpedo boat that
might attempt to creep out.
CARRIED DISPATCHES TO HONG
KONG.
On May 5 she started on her record
breaking run to Hong Kong with the dis
patches which gave the story and the
result of the battle. May 10 she was
again at Manila bay. She left again
for Hong Kong on the ominous day,
Friday, May 13, and brought back Gen
eral Aguinaldo and his staff, arriving
May 10. During the blockade she was
used to communicate with all the ships
entering the bay, and on several oc-
casiOns was sent out to make night
searches of the bay for suspicious boats.
On June II Captain Hodgson sailed
for home, having been relieved. June
Fl the McCullOch was sent to rescue
Lieutenant Brumby of the Olympia
from an attempt on the part of a sup
posed Spanish launch to capture him,
and went almost UP to the Spanish guns
in Manila. June q she communicated
with the German warship Irene near
COrregidor. The German stopped,
with some ill-temper, but the story was
sent out by some one in Hong Kong
that the McCulloch had fired a shot
across the Irene's bow. This was not
true, but the McCulloch did steam
across the Irene's bow while the latter
was under way, and it is possible that
this incident was exaggerated into a
solid shot.
Her last achievement was the seizure
of the Abbey, a filibustering ship, at
Batangas, a circumstance that led to
a good deal of excitement here and at
home. .
JOHN T. M'CUTCHEON.