Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-02
VICTORY OF MANILA
How Commodore George Dewey De-
stroyed the Spanish Fleet.
YOU MAY FIRE WHEN READY"
Paid No Attention to the SUBJ
marine Mines.
THE RESULT WAS COMPLETE

April "a 1898. President Mckinley di-
rected the Secretary of the Navy to tele-
graph Commodore George Dewey. United
States navy. commanding the United States
squadron then lying in the harbor of Hong
Kong, China, to proceed forthwith to the
Philippines and capture or destroy the
Spanish feet there assembled
Prompt obedience of the order was the
result For days the warships of Dewey's
fleet had been Juggling at their anchors.
ready to go to battle on a moments no.
tice They had been coaled and provisioned,
their armories We're fun of ammunition,
the vessels had been trimmed for fighting,
all supertluous articles above decks being
slowed away. and. above all. the men were
in fine fettle, anxious for brush with the
Spaniards.
When Admiral Dewey approached the
Philippine Islands he was not sure where
he would find the enemy. 1t might be in
Suhig bay, north of Manila bay. and care
full lookout was kept as they approached
that sheet of water, but not Spanish
vessel was seen. Then the commodore
knew he would find them at Manila, and
he kept down the coast under a slow
bell timing himself to arrive off the bay
after nightfall.
With all the lights out save the white
light fore and aft on each ship the squad
ron steamed into Boca Grande, with crews
at the guns. This was the order of the
squadron, which was kept during the whole
time of the first battle:
The flagship Olympia.
The Baltimore. II
The Raleigh
The Petrel
Tho concord
The Boston.
Accomnanyiu.r tho warships We're The
reyenue cntter Mccullough md the supply
ship Zafro,
With the flagship in the lead the fleet
,,ossod t,orrgriJnr Island at < o'cIcc< at
niobt ond aIthonyb n brigbt moon was
shining overhead he approaeh was not dis
c"y-nra1 As The NcCuIlough steamed
l,r snoof,a..iacl- na,,,rbt fira ana a cnI,,n1n
~ a., a,i s,,-,I,s hatraya5 mo nrassnce
or tha shin \ hier aun hoomed from tho
CorraoiIInr h,tte,I and :, sbtII vent wbis-
NV n,-a, ,bn oi,n,ni, ana R,laipb far
down The hay followed by another, which
r1i sbar, ,rba Roeton Concord and Pa
Ie e r.rad and it was seem that some of
tbS shaIIs frnn, the Conceal exnIoded inside
H. e,crc batiar,. y.f.rb hon kent silent
- ~ ,.sSis 80 elt,,.ai down
NTH tb,., baraI,, ba1 stearaoe wav. the
49,, - ,,,,,,l,,.,r, J1.,,,,,- hin, tn arri,-a
,fr Nanil, Nv. davbraak -rba ,nent went to
oii ~ Wy 49, LII - I,nrsido Of the
,y,,ne aud tbeir ,ronat STATIONS
guns an" ''I'ii p''ft
The Spanish Sqnadr"n.
At daylight the ships were within five
miles Of Nanira and the Snanisb squadron
.,,,,.I ,,.;t .,,..o,,,r ,,,,7a,.
was sighted lying OH N'Nl 'e 'ii uiiuei
the shore batteries. Admiral Montojos
flag was flying from the Reina tristina, a
protected cruiser OF i,5" tons Moored
tha nrotactad Cruissr f,astiIIa Of , oo0 tons
The cruisers Don Juan de Austria. Don
Antonio de lilac. lsla de Cuba, isla de Luz
zon' ''ulros' MARQUIS "el olsfo ana oeh'
Tbn Ana~ic5n eoua.iron in line Of hattie.
moved to the attack first passing in front
Of Manila and sustaining the fire of three
heavy shore batteries at a range of five
miles Dewey did not respond, for his
shells would have fallen in the densely pop
ulated city 1t was known that submarine
mines were planted in Manila bay but
Dewey went ahead. regardless of their
presence Before reaching Cavite two
powerful mines exploded directly ahead Of
the flagship The SpaniariS had been too
o1Iicly on the trigger however and the
stately Olymra never faltered in her
course
While bearing down upon Cavite the
shr.s were PREPARED for action The crew
stood at quarters stripped to the waist
after the old time Yankee man-o'-wars-
man STYLE on board all was quiet save
tho steady heat of The screw and the whirr
of the air blowers
Then Il shell burst over the Olympia
Cayite had found the range 4 man at
the after gun sent uD the cry, Remember
the Maine'' 1t was taken up and soon was
echoing through the squadron
on board the Olympia. the word for
ton was anxiously awaited Dewey stood
on the bridge with his chief of staff, Com
,rGdore Larah7rton; Executive officer Rees
and Navigator Caikins. Captain Gridley
was in the coming tower.
, ,,.,.
~" "'
AT 90 Commodore Dewey SAID; You
NAV fire when ready Gridey" Then the
big sinch e,n in the forward turret of
- c,.: =, IT., I,,4;,,.,.. -, ~
'iie oiS ilipi" Hpohe' Inc i''''i'i'i anu '''o
Boston followed suit, ana soon the ar was
full of 2a'-pound shells hurting over the
Spanish SHIPS lying under the forts IN
few minutes the action was general me
81 anards We're firing hurrledly, but We're
ss.'illS III a it NV, 80 httri and the
shins Several times the American ships
We're struck and fragments fell all around
Dewey as he stood on the pfldge' AZ tnls
Itle Tue ft, , i, aiS H.; 49, n7 he u,as
center os ne '-'''ti . II ~ I 49, 80
alraid u siiuai 49, M 49,, aralioi Nth
uefeu tiie heiiii it4'eu -, -, -,
the SpdhafuS- ne oiaei wa ~ So;
to open with an guns, anu as ny ,1nns =
cans saiieu pass can Nea IT, D., a.
han or sheh INTO me nPaiilh dui ne oai-
t1more was struck py two sntils' olle pas
ing through her ana the olher eNploaiIs
d box OF three-i,ouiuei riii uiiitioii' wiieii