Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-04-19
FATE UNKNOWN.
Lieutenant and IS Men Of
the Gunboat Yorktown
Ambushed and Captured by the Fill
pinos at BaIer, Luzon.
Their Fate Unknown. But Every Effort Being
Made 10 Save Them.

patch which could not be deciphered
Manila. April IS. 1899.
| Secretary of the Navy. Washington:
! The Yorktown visited Baler, Luzou.
| east coast of LuZon. Phi. April II, for
! the purpose of rcscuing and bringing
| away the Spanish forces consisting Of
| ~ soldiers. three officers and two
| priests, which were surrounded by 400
1 insurgents. Some OF the insurgents
armed with Mausrr rifles
] by natives. Lieut.. ]. Z. Gilmore. while
/ making ambushcd were fir
"a upon ana captured. Fate unknown
4 as insurgents refused Ia communicate
afirrward. The following are missing.
I The officer previously referred u.
! chief Quart"rmastcr ". Walton. cox
! swain J. Ellsworth Gunncr's Mate H.
| ]. HyEard SHilmaker's Mate Vcudig.
l Scamrn W. r. Ryndrrs ana 4. ~.
! Woodbury., Apprentices j.. ". Avon
willie. \. J. Peterson. Ordinary S-amnn
| II. Ers"lrz. q. f.: Mcdonald. Lands
men l.. 7. Edwards. r. Andersen. J.
Dillon and Il. a. Morrisey.
tn" dispatch from Admiral Dewey
caused much excitement in naval cir
Giles as soon as its contents became
known II was received late in the
day. and cOnsiderab bic delay was occa-
stoned by the blindness Of some Of the
cipher words. II was impossible To
completely decipher it,
Lieut.. ]. &. Gilmore. the officer re-
ferred to as captured. is Well known
/ in Washington, having been stationed
here for some time. and his wife ana
family living here. He was born in
Philadelphia. July 10. 1854. and was APP
pointed naval cadet from Arizona in
September. 1871. He reached his pres
ent grade of lieutenant in 1891. He
served on the auxiliary cruiser st.
Paul under Capt. Sigsbee throughout
the war. on January IA last he sailed
on the hospital ship Solace for Manila
and was assigned by Admiral Dewey
to the Yorktown.
The others mentioned in the ad-
miral's dispatch are shown by the ma
val records as follows:
VIM. Walton. chief quartermaster.
enlisted Chefoo. China. was born Man
helm, Germany: no relatives.
John Ellsworth. coxswain. enlisted
Mare island. CAL born Portsmouth. y.
r.; no relatives.
Lyman Paul Edwards. landsman. en-
listed at Mare island. born Peru Ind:
next of kin father. Mexico. Ind.
John Dillon. landsman. enlisted at
Honolulu; born Galway, Ireland. next
of kin. George Cavener. Honolulu.
Paul Nandoit. sailmaker's mate. en-
listed at Mare Island; born in France.
next Of kin. father. san Luis. CAL
Charles Albert Morrissey. landsman.
enlisted Mare Island: born Columbus.
Neh.: next Of kin. Mrs J. c. Morris
sey, Lincoln. Neh.
Ora +. Mcdonald, ordinary seaman.
enlisted at Mare Island: born Carmel
Valley. cal: next Of kin. father, Mon
terey. Cal.
VIM. II. Eynders. coxswain. enlisted
at Mare Island: born Amsterdam.
Holland: next of kin, cousin, San
Francisco
Silvio BrizoIez. landsman. enlisted at
San Francisco; born san Francisco:
next Of kin, father. san Francisco.
Albert Patterson. apprentice. third
class. enlisted San Francisco: born
Oakland; kin, Louis Peterson. Oak
land, Cal.
Orrson Welch Woodbury.. seaman.
Mass; next Of kin, John G. Woodbury..
father, 143 Maple street. Lynn. Mass
Denzell George Arthur Venvillc. APP
prentice. second class enlisted Mare
Island: born Durley. Eng: next Of
kin. f. Marsh. Sellwood. Oregon
Fred Anderson. landsman. enlisted
New York; born Buffalo; next Of kin.
mother, Buffalo.
Edward J. Nygard gunner's mate,
third class enlisted III New York: born
Warsaw. Russia; next of kin. wife,
Brooklyn, y. y.
The capture of the Yorktown's men
was discussed with much feeling in ma
val circles. The misfortune was felt
with added keenness as the navy has
prided itself thus far of immunity from
revcrses. The admiral's dispatch of
today was the first knowledge the de
partment had that the Yorktown had
gone on this special mission to relieve
the Spanish garrison at Baler. That
the capture should have been effected
while the American forces We're on a
mission of mercy toward the Spaniards
rather than in the prosecution of
campaign. leads to the belief that
Spain would have no further ground
for questioning the good faith with
which the Americans were seeking to
relieve the condition of the Spanish
prisoners.
Although the dispatch gave no indi-
cation that Lieut.. Gilmore and his men
had lost their lives, yet great anxiety !
was aroused by the mystery surround !
ing their fate while in the hands of an
uncivilized enemy. This is the first
capture of any Americans, military or
naval so that it is unknown how the
insurgents will treat our men. If civ
ilized methods We're pursued an ex-
change could be quickly effected. as
Gen. Otis has large number of Fill
pino prisoners, but the insurgents have
been averse thus far to exchanging
Spanish prisoners and this raises "A
question as to what they will do with
the Yorktown's men. The purpose of