The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-01

NAVAL ROW
Hobson's Reflection On
Dewey.
STORY OF MANILA FIGHT
The Young Officer Says Three Span
ism Vessels Were Sunk By
Their Own 'ien.

Inspecting the reconstruction OF the o
Spanish warships sunk at Manila bay. 5
Lieut.. Hobson was met by large crowd, h
eager to get a glimpse of the young .
American hero He was introduced to
a large number Of American citizens here
and talked freely TO all those who desired
to interview him.
To a number of newspaper reporters,
whom he arranged to see together, he
expressed himself as willing TO answer
any reasonable questions. Asked to
the conditions of the hulls of the Isla de
Cuba. the Isla de Luzon and the rest Of
the Spanish craft that went down in the /
fight of Manila bay, Lieut.. Hobson stat !
ed that the damage TO the hulls was main /
ly the result of six months surgmergence /
in the water. The upper works had been
badly damaged by fire and the woodwork
had been destroyed. while the iron was
twisted into every conceivable shape by
the action of the heat. Lieut.. Hobson
was then asked what, in his opinion, was
the direct cause of the laundering of the
ships Lieut.. Hobson replied
why, the spaniards pulled out the
Iplugs and opened the valves. They sank
the ships themselves. our shell fire did
very little damage"
Then they were not injured? Not in
jured below the water line?" was asked
Lieut.. Hobson replied: Very little. We
had practically done them no damage at
LAM
Lieut. Hobson left today for Brooklyn,
where he will report to the commandant
eli f1v ~ oh
gets this he will go to his home in Ala
ibama When in Vancouver he made a
very good impression by his manly APP
ipearance and modest demeanor. He was
: as eager as a school boy to enjoy himself
and drove about the city and went to the
\ theater. saying that it was the first tins
a he had felt free for three years.
WHAT DEWEY SAYS.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2o.-Admiral Dewey
II who is stopping at Sayville, L. L, taike'
to-day Of the Hobson interview. saying
L hardly think the young man meant t
say anything unkind. and perhaps he di
not say what is said there. The thre
vessels he referred to are the Isla d
cuba, Isla de Luzon, and Dop Juan q
Austria. They were the least injured
r the ten or twelve ships sunk at Manil
Naval Constructor Caps, a very alb
nan. was with me, and he and divers ar
EXPERTS from Hongkong made an exam
nation Of all the Spanish ships and d
lcided that these three were worth SAW
three out Of dozen. They were rais
and temporary repairs We're made at =
vste The vessels proceeded under the
own steam to Hongkong, and had be
rhud
before Hobson saw them.
AS a matter of fact, ! never claim
that we sunk the ships. | reported u
we DESTROYED them. I did see with J
own eyes an eight-inch shell strike |
stern Of the Reina Maria Crisuna,
miral Montojo's flagship, and that
st1oyed her.
The statement that the vessels VIZ
nor much niured below the water L
vas probably true. Every one kno
that II Is impossible for shells to do mu
e,ecution below the water line. or al
hing but torpedoes TO do much DANA
there A few inches Of water Is a gr'
protection Armored ships are not
mored much below the water line,
water being protection enough from
II hardly think it worth while to !
much attention to this. You know, u
human nature to deprecate what oth
have done. and Mr.. Hobson may not ia
been quoted correctly or in fui'.-
Tne secret Of Constructor HoDson
don't desire TO detract from Admiral d.
ev's achievement at Manila bay Is
liieved I'm naval circles 10 be due 10
fact that Dewey DID not allow Hobson
ioin his fleet in the Philippines, but
dered him TO remain at Hongkong
b{s arrival at that port. This acton
r,.,,syersaIv construed to be Dew
method OF disciplining the thous NJ
,ounr officer for his conduct AFTER
war with spain. ny
1Tohson was ordered to repair ana
Iirtc commission are concerned, II
been conceded ny all who paruClpd's :,
me hattie of Manila bay that they
. H,,ttIed by the Spaniards at their m
I'LL ~ a. csvite harbor when the Pc
la ,,-ss sent to destroy them after NOM,
Sefeat and that they were not sum-
pewey's squadron.
. EFFECT AT WASHINGTON.
,,-,crrrNcToN. Sept. 2O-The inter
~, Nava1 Constructor r. p. Hobso
T-ancouver. in which he is quoted as
;,g that the Spanish ships at Mania
iittIe better than helpless huiks
y Dewey attacked them, mas createu
n cation in the Navy Department.
IL 80 "a a rsurimand for Mr.. HoDson
vsas expected that that ofheer Woulc
rrcss himself quite freely in regar,
- some of his observations Inade WI.
'olO has been attached to the AslalIc -. 80
The same information was contain,
a report from the Spanish onlelai
sLRY their home Government. and Tsir the #,
the Office OF Naval Intelligence'
,nsde one OF a series of pamphlets
L 81 inr to the war with Spain.
later events which broughs l.
-ER. ,- I1n lin before the country as
- idt ntial candidate made him NAM I,
mics. and there were those in the 8
). who regarded the spanish report
% very gratifying treasure. the eircu
of which in English would tend 20
ANT tho importance % r,TeS-ion Of opini
,iness; hot son Slne ~ c,ianisb ships des
re OPP gaf4lhs tHs x-,,,j 20 he received
irtner. by De"sy ctton even II It be
&C. sary TO formally discipline him. j,
Naval Constructor Hobson goes q
a.. az New York Navy Yard, whe
RUS 70 the Sew eor The nresent an assista