The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-29

phetic, lines they. are, as the following
stanzas will show:

Fill all your glasses full tonight:
The wind is off the shore;
And be it feast or be it fight,
We pledge the commodore.
Ashore. afioat, on deck, below
Or where our bulldogs roar,
To back friend or breast foe
We pledge the commodore.
Our relations with Spain were oml-
nous at that time, and Dewey went to
Hong Kong as quickly as steam could
carry him, and Jan 8, 1898, his flag was
hoisted on the Olympia. There he
quietly remained, awaiting instructions
from Washington. He had not to wait
long, for no sooner was war declared
than an order was sent to him to cap
ture or destroy the Spanish fleet at
Manila.
Without a moments unnecessary de-
lay Dewey started to obey this order,
and on April 80 he came in sight of the
bay which will evermore be associated
with his name. A moonlight night it
was, as with all his lights out the
squadron steamed into the bay with the
men standing ready at the guns. A
perilous move it was, for Corregidor
island at the entrance to the bay was
known to be fortified, but George
Dewey knows not what peril means.
He had been ordered to do a certain
thing and he was going to do it, peril or
no peril.
On they gilded silent and stately, the
Olympia. Baltimore, Raleigh, Petrol,
Concord and Boston, and not until tow
ard morning, when the flagship was
mile beyond Corregidor island, was the
first shot fired. 1t came from the enemy
and did no damage. The Americans re-
piled by storm of shells, which ST.
fenced the shore. batteries. On went
the Olympia and her colleagues, their
movements guided by the keen, alert
gray-eyed man on the bridge of the
flagship.
At last the real battle began From
the Spanish fleet and from the shore
batteries came simultaneous shots
which were answered from the Ameri-
can vessels. Intense was the heat and
terrific the noise From the vessels
sides leaped forth flames, and all around
were the haze and smoke of battle
When it cleared away the Spanish flag
ship, the Reina Christina, was seen to
be on fire. Good work so faI4 but Dew
ey, knowing that his supply of ammu-
milton was limited and that weeks must
elapse before he received a new supply,
withdrew with his fleet short distance
down the bay, where the captains re-
ported on the quantity of ammunition
left. This gave rise to the stop for
breakfast" story, the men taking ad-
vantage of the lull in hostilities to get
food and rest. Satisfied that he had
sufficient ammunition to continue fight
ing. Dewey renewed the battle When
he returned, the Spanish admiral was
transferring his flag to the Isla de Gu
ba, but she, too, proved forlorn hope,
for it was not long before she met the
fate of the former flagship. This
browning disaster was more than the
Spaniards could endure. They became
utterly demoralized, and the result was
that before noon the Americans had ST.
fenced the batteries at Cavite, and the
battle Of Manila was won.
George Dewey is now an admiral, and
his pay is $4,000 a year. He may re-
main on active service as long as he
pleases, and his rank is equal to that of
any naval commander.
He is a widower, his wife, who was
the daughter of Gen. Goodwin of New
Hampshire, having died 20 years ago.
He has one son, George Goodwin Dew
ey who is a graduate of Princeton, and
who is now in business in New York
city
Dewey is very careful about his dress;
indeed, some persons would call him a
dandy. 1t has been said that the creases
Oh his trousers are as We'll QenneQ as
his views on naval warfare When he
is in Washington he spends much time
at the Army and Navy club. When he
wants to amuse himself he plays a game
of billiards, and when he wants exer-
else he takes horseback ride.
Truly no man In this country has
been honored of late years as he was.
Hundreds Of children have been named
after him. the boys being named George
and the girls Georgiana; funds are be- |
ing collected for the purpose of erect |
ing monuments to him in various cit
les; in many places there are Dewey |
boulevards, Dewey schools, Dewey |
squares and Dewey theatres, and the |
people throughout the country have al |
ready shown their willingness to pre- |
sent him with home if he will accent |
it. Congress, too, has shown its appre- |
citation of his merits by voting him a |
sword and medal, and hun |
dreds of public bodies have honored |
him and themselves by electing him to |
!
George Dewey himself and all of us |
now living will long have passed away |
before the American people forget the |
man who, in critical moment of the |
nations history, stood calmly facing the !