The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1900-02-08
THE MANILA VICTORY
Why Admiral Dewey Is Honored
the World Over.
Facts About the Great Battle cleaned
from More Recent Reports
Cavite and Santiago
Compared.


In order to appreciate the naval vic
tory at Cavite 1t is needful to recall
the state of things which existed at
the time of the achievement. If the
files of European newspapers and peri
odicals for the months of March and
April, 1898, be consulted, it will be OBJ
served that large majority of reputed
experts were then of the opinion that
the Spaniards would be found decided
ly superior to our countrymen at sea.
Even in England, Admiral Colomb and
other naval officers showed themselves
disposed to take gloomy view of our
prospects of success upon the ocean,
owing partly to the fact that Spain
was known to possess a number of
armored cruisers built in the best Eu-
ropean shipyards, but mainly to the
vast extent of the seacoast we should
have to defend on the Pacific as well as
the Atlantic. On the Pacific, from the
moment that the battleship Oregon was
ordered to join the vessels operating in
home waters, our means of defense were
almost exclusively confined to the
squadron under Dewey, which had been
stationed in the China seas.
On April 26 dispatch arrived from
Washington ordering Dewey to proceed
at once to the Philippine islands, to be-
gin operations against the Spanish fleet,
and TO capture or destroy it. At two
o'clock on the very next day the sail
ing pennant went up, and Dewey's fleet
steered southwark across o20 miles of
one of the toughest seas in the world.
which lay between it and the Philip
pines. On April 80 II reached Subig
bay, between which and Manila lay a
distance of 80 miles. 1t was learned
that the Spanish squadron lay inside
the Bay of Cavite, the sides of which
and the entrances to which were known
TO be fortified and mined. There is
now no doubt that so far as land de-
fenses were concerned, Cavite was far
better equipped than was Santiago,
into which the feet under Admiral
Sampson never ventured to enter.
Commodore Dewey did not stop to in
yestigate the strength of the fortifica.
tions threatening the entrances 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 80, swept into the Bay of Ca
vite, receiving the fire of the fortifica-
tions and defying the mines, two of
which exploded, oAe Immediately ahead
Of the flagship In front of the Ameri-
can vessels lay the Spanish squadron,
defended at the rear and on both flanlks
oy land batteries. Leaving out the tre-
mendous advantage given to the Span
iards by these batteries, let us con-
slider the relative strength of the naval
forces engaged, Dewey had six fight
ing ships and the revenue cutter Nc
Culloch, which took no part in the ac-
ton. The Spaniards had ten fighting
ships and two torpedo boats, the lat
ter, however, being practically out of
action. The Americans had 81 classi-
fed big guns and "a rapid-fire and
machine guns; the Spaniards had So
classified big guns and " rapid-fre and
'AAt'N AAAAlN AhNs III AIiGlithllE IdQ tGIl
s-inch guns, while the largest Spanish
guns wee 6.2 inches II follows that,
If the land batteries be diarcgarded,
Dewey mad slightly the advar lge in
weight of metal and in heavy suns. As
regards the number of men engaged,
the Spaniards had 1896 and the Ameri-
cans 1878, The result of the battle
was the annihilation or capture of every
Spanish vessel and the surrender of the
shore batteries The Spaniards admit
ted loss of ga killed and wounded,
while the Americans had not one killed
and only eight wounded.
1t is the completeness of the immedl-
ate result which gives Manila a great
place in the history of naval battles;
but what adds immensely to its impor-
tance is the fact that it involved the
cession by Spain to the United States
of an island empire containing upward
of 100000 inhabitants and possessed
of immeasurable natural resources, No
naval victory in the annals of the world
has brought about the transfer from
one power TO another Of so large popu.
lation.-Collier's Weekly