The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-27
WAY We WELCOME DEWEY
Some of the circumstances Attending
His Victory.
TFrom Golfers Weekly.l

TFrom Golfers Weekly-1
In order to appreciate the naval VIC
( tory at Cavite, which will be duly hon
ored when Admiral Dewey reaches New
York, it is needful to recall the state
of things which existed at the time of
the achievement. If the files Of Euro
pean NEWSPAPERS and periodicals for
the months of March and April, 1885,
be consulted, it will be observed that
a large majority of reputed experts
were then of the opinion that the Span
iards would be found decidedly superior
to our countrymen at sea EVen IN
England Admiral COlomb and other
naval officers showed themselves dis
posed to take a gloomy view or our
prospects of success upon the ocean,
owing partly to the fact that SPAIN
was known to possess NUMBER Oh
armored cruisers built in the best Euro
pean shipyards, but mainly to the vast
extent of the seacOast We should nave
to defend on the Pacific as well as the
Atlantic On the Pacific, from the mo-
ment that the battleship Oregon was
ordered to join the vessels operating
in home waters, our means OF deIence
We're almost exclusively confined TO the
SQUADRON under Dewey, which had been
stationed in the China seas On April
26 a dispatch arrived from Washing
ton ordering Dewey to proceed at once
to the Philippine Islands, to begin op-
erations against the Spanish fleet, ana
to capture or destroy it. At two o'clock
on the very next Atys Tie Sailing RNA-
nant went up, and Dewey's fleet steer
ed southwark across $40 miles of one OF
the toughest seas ia the world, Wnlcn
lay between it and the Philippines ON
April 80, 1t reached Subig Bay, between
which and Manila lay distance or
thirty miles. 1t was learned that the
Spanish squadron lay inside the Bay
of CaVite, the sides of which ana the
entrances to which were known to be
fortified and mined. There is now no
doubt that, 50 far as land defences were
cOrcerned, Cavite was far better equip
ped than was Santiago, into which the
fleet under Admiral Sampson never
Ventured to enter. Commodore Dewey
did not stop to investigate the strength
of the fOrtifications threatening the en-
frances to the Bay of Cavite, nor the
reality of the submarine mines alleged
to exist, but, on the very evening of his
arrival, that of April 30, swept into the
Bay of Cavite, receiving the fire of the
fortifications and defying the mines,
two of which exploded, one Immediate
" ahead of the flagship In front OF
the American vessels lay the Spanish
squadron, defended at the rear and on
both flanks by land batteries. Leaving
out the tremendous advantage given to
the Spaniards by these batteries, let as
consider the relative strength of the
naval forces engaged. Dewey had SIX
fighting ships and the revenue cutter
McCullOch, which took no part IN the
action. The Spaniards had ten fighting
ships and two torpedo boats the latter
however, being practically out OF ac-
IlOn- Inc Americans IdQ o. c4tSSAA1eh
big guns and IA rapid-fire and machine
guns; the Spaniards had 81 classified
big guns and p rapid-fire and machine
guns. The Americans had 10 eight-inch
guns, while the largest Spanish guns
were So inches. 1t follows that, if the
land batteries be disregarded, Dewey
had slightly the advantage in weight
of metal and in heavy guns. AS re-
CARDS the number of men engaged, the
Spaniards had 1895, and the Americans
1878. The result of the battle was the
annihilatiOn or capture of every Span
ish vessel and the surrender of the
shore batteries The Spaniards admit
ted q loss of 634 killed and wounded,
while the Americans had not one killed
and only eight wounded. 1t is the COM
pleteness of the immediate result which
gives Manila a great place in the his
tory of naval battles; but what adds
immensely to it's Importance is the fact
that it involved the cession by Spain
to the United States of an island en-
pire containing upward of eight million
inhabitants, and possessed of immeas-
urable natural resources. No naval
victory in the annals of the world has
brought about the transfer from one
power to another of so large a popula-
tiOn.