The times., 1899-10-01

beautiful woodwork was thrown over the
sue. The ammunition hoists in the Oly-
Pfa and Baltimore were temporarily ar
mored by winding the anchor cables around
them, and all was done that Yankee en-
genuity could devise 10 guard against dis
aster in the fight which We now knew was
surely and shortly coming.
SpRniards Waste Powder.
In the grey dawn Of the coming day
VIC found ourselves in front OF ard about
four miles distant from Manila. 1t was
Sunday. May l, at about 5:15. that puff
of white smoke was seen on the Manila
shore, and q shot struck the water mile
short of our ships; then from the opposite
shore, at Cavite. seven miles distant from
Manila, came heavy reports, AMI their
shots also fell short of us. The McCul-
lcch, with the transports. stoppef in the
middle OF the bay, rot so far distant but
that shots fell about US during the entire
tight Our fighting ships, wit-o-t making
reply to either attack. steamed rapidly
up the bay, which terminates seye al mi es
beyond the city. After thus passing. they
swung round toward the Cavite SIDE and
steamed straight toward the forts and the
Spanish ships which were anchored there,
and which now added their rapid fire to
that of the forts.
The Americans Open Fire.
"Cavite IS the Government arsenal and
naval depot, and there the Spanish ad-
miral had chosen his fighting ground. AS
the flagship came on she opened fire at 5: 35
with her forward 8-inch rifles, and, swing
ing around in front of the fort, sent in
broadside after broadside from her rapid
fire 5-inch guns of the port battery. The
other ships. in usual order followed in and
opened fire. and now the battle was fast
and furious. Never. il seemed to us on
TIE MeCulloch, did spectators watch more
desperate game, for from the continual rain
OF shot we saw poured into our ships it
seemed certain that there would be heavy
loss of life and some of our ships probably
crippled CT sunk before the fight was over.
''As we watched with breathlsss interest.
We saw that our ships had passed and had
turned haif-circle. Slowly back they
went past the forts, now working their
starbeard batteries as rapidly as possible,
the fire from the shore showing 10 signs
of abatement
The Reina Christina Raked.
again they wheeled and came down the
line. We saw large white ship move out
to meet the Olympia. We suspected it was
fand it afterward proved to bel the Span
ish admiral's flagship, the Reina Christina
She was met by such a storm of shot, all
the ships which were in range joining in,
that she could not reach the Olympia at
close quarters, and wheeling about tried
TO make back for the little harbor at
Cavite from which she came, but at the
instant when her stern swung in line, one
of the big 8-inch rifles in the forward tur-
ret OF the Olympia hurled 250-pound shell,
xvh IN air rod be,r fror ho-
stern forward, exploding her boilers, and
completely wrecking the ship and setting
her on fire. This shot, the Spanish sur
geons told us, killed the captain and sixty
men, and the entire loss Of this ship in
the admirals desperate sally was 140 killed
and more than 200 wounded
Montoio Changes Ship.
'The Admiral changed his flag to an
other ship, the Isla de Cuba, but Jared no
better and the ship sunk at the entrance
of the little harbor. 1t was at this time
that the Olympia had her moment OF
greatest peril. We could see two black
boats, which turned out to be torpedo
launches. coolly awaiting her approach;
and as the Olympia came on they started
for her at full speed. The Olympias
gunners realized the danger of their ship,
but were not ratified for an instant. Fail
to hit the small targets with their large
guns. as the launches rapidly approached
within 500 yards the secondary battery of
the rapid-fire ski Founders poured in their
shells with such deadly effect that the first
launch blew up, one of our shots either
exploding its boiler or the torpedo. for
with our glasses we could see a huge
column of water go up. and the boat in
stantly disappeared with all her crew. The
| second launch was riddled with shot, and
was beached. 1t was afterward found by
US with dozen or more shot holes through
it, and all bespattered with blood. 1t was
brave effort on the part of the Spaniards,
but American craftsmanship checkmated
their bold move.
Dewey Withdrnyys for Breakfast.
Back a fourth time, and then a fifth,
i went the fleet past the batteries and ships,
| and then at 7:45. We saw the Olympia head
! ing toward US instead of starting for the
sixth time down the line. What did it
| mean? 1t looked to us until the last half
hour as though We had stirred up hornets
nest and our feet had met its match. Why
were we coming out of the fight? Was
| it because they had been disabled or badly
| injured, or had the loss of life been such
that we were repulsed? What could ii
mean?. 1t was a quarter of an hour of
| terrible anxiety and suspense to all of
| us, until the Olympia neared US. No
signs of serious damage could we see, and
as our crew gave them three hearty cheers,
they came back to US with such hearty
ring that it boded well.
"AlI commanders were summoned on
| board the flagship, and our anxiety was
relieved, on Captain Hodgson's return, by
the happy news that not man had been
killed, and on the Baltimore, only six
slightly wounded, and not a shot had done
our ships serious damage. We learned
that the ships had come cut only to give
our men a little much needed rest, and
breakfast, of which they also stood greatly
in need The sun had come up in cloud
less sky, the air perfectly clam, and the
heat of this tropical climate, with the
sitting pewder-smoke (which much of the
time settled around the ships in dense
cIeud) made it imperative that the men
have few moments rest in purer air.
| The Fighting Resumed.
while the interval of cessation of bat
tie, as we now know, was from no serious
| cause the Spaniards thought, as We after
ward learned that we had retired TO bury
our dead, and, in fact, that they had re-
pulsed US. They were, however, quickly
! undeceived. AT 1915 the Baltimore was
ordered to go at her highest speed in front
Of the forts. She disappeared in a dense
cloud of smoke from her two huge tunnels.
and shortly after we could hear the quick.
ringing reports from her and her S-inch
guns, and the battle was on again The
forts bravely replied at first, but soon their
! fire slackened. For two hours past we had
seen several ships burning fercely, and it
was now plain that their naval force was
out Of the fight.