The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-30
DEWEY AS SEEN BY HIS MEN.
An Olympia Gahrer's Opinion of the
Rccr Admired.


Rc-r, Admired.
Philadelphia! Jsh 29-John B. Ander-
son, as fine q specimen of an American
tar as ever pulled lanyard, stepped off
the train from San Francisco at the Broad
Street station Yesterday morning. after
three years and eight months service with
the Asiatic squadron. He was captain of
gun No. 5, United States cruiser Olympia
Admiral Dewey's Hagship. He is feet in
height and weighs 2l0 pounds To a re-
porter who saw him today at his home he
said:
Admiral Dewey is just my idea Of what
an admiral should be. l on the same
ship with him for ten months, and | will
tell you just how he appeared to his men
that is, the Jack tars-commonly known as
the jackies' The admiral was very
strict man. with keen, sharp eye that
seemed to size up a person or a situation
in moment. He seemed to know every
thing that was going on around him, and
would jump man as quick flash II
he made a mistake. 1t did not matter
whether it was an officer a seaman-he
would overhaul anyone regardless of per-
son II things did not go just right. What
ever he did was done with dignity, though.
and l never saw him angry but once. 1t
was on May 2, aboard the Olympia, the
day after the battle of Manila.
Captain Cogian of the Raleigh brought
a Spanish officer on board, and in a little
while the three were engaged In rather a
warm discussion. / did not know what it
was about, but the admiral soon began
to talk rapidly and excitedIy. Some
hi a ri
foot on the deck and said, loud enough
for us all to hear: If you find he has
been acting treacherously, take him away
and hang him. meaning the Spanish OFF,
Ger. We all thought that 1t was in con-
| nection with supplying ammunition to
Corregidor after the truce had been de-
clared, or, rather, after we had licked the
Spaniards However, we afterward learned
| that the man was not hanged.
Il said that Admiral Dewey was strict
Well, he was, even to the smallest detail.
j Whenever he passed along the deck We
stood up and saluted him. which he re-
| turned with scrupulous care. saiuting with
the same slow, precise, and deliberate
movement which he expected to be OBJ
served by others in saluting him. There
was no quick jerk or half recognition about
| him. Whatever he did he did it as if. he
| meant it, and whatever he wanted done.
| he wanted it done right The men liked
| him for his frank manner when dealing
| with others. He would not take bluff
| from anyone, and everyone knew ii, or
| they soon found it out, when they at
| tempted anything of the kind with him.
Nothing inspires respect for ones chief
| like the belief that he is absolutely self
reliant, and this is just what we all felt
| about Admiral Dewey. that he was equal
| to any emergency that might arise.
| ffNp rnatter when Or wherp you Saw the
| admiral he looked as if he had just step
ped out of bandbox. His white clothes
| and shoes were always spotless, and the
| gold markings on his white cap cleaned
| with brightness. Throughout the battle
| of Manila he stood on the forward bridge
| of the Olympia directing the movements
| of the fleet. Mitchell. the bugler, who
was on the bridge with him, told me that
he was just the same old man, walking
| around as If nothing exciting were going
on giving his orders in a calm voice. as
if he were simply maneuvering the feet
for practice.
| "Tt has been reported that in the battle
of May l We discontinued the fight to pull
Off for breakfast, but that was not so
After two hours fighting, on account oil
| the smoke, and our ammunition was get
| ting less and less, so we pulled Off to takt
an inventory. and as soon as we found ou
| where We stood We returned TO the fgh
and pitched in with renewed vigor unit
the Spaniards showed the white flag. a!
for breakfast there wasn't a man aboarC
who thought of breakfast. We were al
keyed up to the one thought of capturing
the Spanish fleet, and l don't believe tha
anyone had more than cup of coffee
which was served out to US before tn,
fight began. at o'clock in the morning.
Gunner Anderson is a son of the lat,
John B. c. Anderson, who was chief office
of Vanderbilt's yacht Valiant. His grand
father was Lieutenant Commander james
S. French, L. S. N. who fought on tn,
Roanoke and other vessels during the wa
OF the rebellion.