The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-21
HERO OF THE DAY.
oster burg, Of the
Olympia Cynosure
Of All Eyes.
TELLSABOUT WEY
Some Untold Facts Of the
Great Naval Battle in
Manila Bay.

Second Gunner's Mate C. H. Oster-
burg of the Olympia, whose arrival in
Worcester was announced exclusively
in yesterday mornings Spy, was the
cynosure of all eyes on the streets of
Worcester yesterday.
A sailor is a novelty to an inland
city like Worcester, and it is only oc-
casionally that one is seen on the
streets, and then it is in the person
of some man who Joined the navy and
comes home to visit his folks.
But a sailor with the magical word
"Qlympia" on his hat is strange to any
city either inland or seaport at pres
ent, and, although the Worcester peo-
pie made no public demonstration in
favor of Osterburg's return, he is up
to date the real hero of the late war
with Spain.
The experience which has been his
as a member of the crew of the ia
nous cruiser Admiral Dewey's Gag
ship, he says he would not sell for
$4,000 if he got the mon..y in a lump,
and all he is sorry for is that Cousin
George" did not allow his sailors to
shell the city of Manila and demon
strate to the Spaniards that they were
playing the losing end of a big game.
He has not been in Worcester before
Wednesday night for seven years, and
all that time he has followed the water
as a sailor on passenger, merchant and
transport vessels of all kinds, getting
a practical education as a sailor that
more than fitted him for the berth
which he occupied on the Olympia
The trip into Manila bay was one
that he thinks he will never forget,
but the subsequent happenings which
would never come to light only through
the observations of the ordinary sailor,
are told by Osterburg in an interest
ing way.
He was through the battle from start
to finish, and of course voiced the SEN
timents of the men.
| When the first broadside was fired
from the Olympia the crews of the
other vessels in the line thought sure
that the flagship was doomed, and
Capt Wilde of the Baltimore dropped
out of line and came on to the star
board side of the Olympia thinking
that the crew and their gallant cGm-
mander, Admiral Dewey, would have
| to be taken off, as the boat was
! doomed. At the same instant on which
the broadside was fired, two mines
burst about 100 yards ahead Of the
/ flagship, and the roar of the big eight
inch guns on the Olympia combiaed
with the explosion of the mines, made
a noise that came very near deafen-
ing the entire crew.
Did we put cotton in our ears to
shut out the noise of the big guns?"
said Osterburg, in replying to a ques-
ton by the Spy man. you can just
bet we didn't, because if we did, how
do you suppose we were going to hear
the orders passed along the line?
THE ships doctor came along to us
and gave every man two pieces of cot
ton to block UP his ears with and of
course we are all trained to obey, so
we just took the cotton and made be-
| lieve that we were going to put it in
our ears but we didn't. Why, we just
threw it overheard when the doctor
wasn't looking, and he never knew the
difference. l didn't see a man use it
because we were all too anxious to be
in the scrap every minute while it last
ed.
"As soon as the Spanish flagship
came out from her moorings head on,
with the intention of ramming US of
course the entire fire of the fleet was
turned on her and every man was
swept from her bridge with the excep-
ton of Admiral Montojo and his sig
nal boy. We shot away her steering
gear and she drifted helplessly on to
the shore and then the fight began to
be easy for us and we had to quit
This story that is told aboutsus cut
ting out the fight so as to get break
fast is probably something gotten up
for the occasion, but the man who
/ guessed it must have been there. for
we certainly did want to eat. but we
never would eat if there was any
scrapping to do. We wouldn't eat, be-
cause American sailors never eat
when they are fighting, although we
had plenty Of it.
when the firing ceased a bit we be-
gan to get view of the city and there
wasn't gunner or gunners mate
in the fleet who did not select a church
spire or a cupola on some house as the
first stopping place of one of his bic
projectiles as soon as the ball opened
again. I had my eye on a big cupola
and we would have hit it sure if the
]
game and we were not allowed to fire
shot at the city. although several
were thrown into Fort Malate. which
was a terrible example of what couId
be done by our runs.
Now when l first saw Aguinaldo
coming over the side of the Olympia
for an interview with Admiral Dewey
/ could have shot him dead without
feeling badly over it, for the expression
but fairness. He was not known as
Gen. Aguinaldo by Dewey, but he was
plain Aguinaldo with Dewey just the
same as another Filipino, and was
never recognized as a leader
I'm dealing with the Tagals or what
ever you call them. Dewey showed some
fine work. and, for an all-around man
he is wonder. He stood on the bridge
Of the Olympia when the old shots were
dying around, trying to make out a
British mail steamer coming up the
bay, when any ordinary man would
have selected some other place to
watch things. / got a bit frisky when
the battle first opened up, but when l
saw Dewey standing on the bridge all
alone. sometimes. 1 got courage to hang
out simply because couldn't see why
couldn't stand around just as well as
he
when the Olympia went over to
Hong Kong to get repaired, we were
given shore leave. and of course hung
out to the last minute. losing the boat.
We had been cooped up on the boat for
a long time. all through the fight. and
of course we made the best of our lib
erty."
Osterburg is going to join the Raj
eigh at New York and stay with her
until he gets his discharge
Judge Charles Thornton Davis of the
court OF registration has returned from "A