The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-05-15

from Hong Kong we knew that, If re-
lance is ever TO be placed in human evil
derce. we had a big job. We thought
that with the ships and fortihcations we
had TO go against IL would take a much
greater fleet than ours 10 gain a COM
plete victory. We got along without more
fronclad ships through the ironclad grit
of our admiral He was the moving spirit
OF US all. In our councils he always saw
the proper thing and acted on It.
"Our orders were 10 keep the Spanish
vessels from leaving Oriental waters. We
kept them efectively-too effectively. We
might have raised and used some Of those
vessels.
The Spanish knew that we were COM
ing. We expected that they would meet
us In the mouth Of the harbor. We learned
later that the Spanish commander had put
back into the inner bay. expecting that
the guns OF the fortihcations would dam
age us and he could then finish us off
He thought he stood a better chance that
way. 1t was fine spirit 10 begin a fight
in.
$50 we passed the entrance. expecting
q big fight every moment. and got only
two or three shots from the shore bait
teries. Once past the harbor mouth, we
intended 10 drift in toward the city. get
breakfast and then have a fair, stand up
fight. II was fine tropic night. No one
slept. Every ripple on that silver water
was a torpedo boat to us.
/. ONLY CHANCE THEY HAD
1T is a pity from the Spanish point of
view that their admiral ever allowed us
20 get into the inner bay when ne might
have met us under his Notifications He
could have drawn us onto his mine fields
for Americans are the greatest geese in
the world about fighting. They rush right
In. This was the only chance as we
learned afterward. that they ever had.
'All at once with tropic suddenness
Il became day. To our surprise and dis
appointment there was not a Spanish
vessel in sight. | for one thought how
they might scatter and keep US chasing
through those islands for months, and
we were out OF coal, like other. fleets IN
the Orient just now.
Suddenly the guns In the harbor
opened. Had we answered them we'd
have shot into the walled city. where
Spanish families lived. Although no
orders were given. every commander held
his fire for that reason.
Then away TO the right in Cavite bay
we heard the boom OF a gun. We looked
II was the Spanish fleet. There was out
meat
LAS We approached them IN line OF
battle we could see that they were taken
by surprise. They didn't expect us to
attack so early in the morning The ad-
miral gave his celebrated order to Grid
ley, and he opened fire. We circled and
passed them four times
sPANTARDs NOT CowARDLY.
"The first round they were hard to hit
because II was hard TO judge our distance.
There were no. peaks ashore TO get the
angle on and the early sun light was con-
fusing. So the execution was not great.
The second time we could see that our
fre was doing damage On the third
round not vessel in the Spanish fleet
was able TO do any firing.
1T is great mistake to think the
Spaniards were cowardly. They tried TO
Do the best they could on the flagship
only $50 men were left unhurt OF a com
plemtnt OF 493. They stood by and fought
20 the last. But they weren't prepared
Ireparedness-that's why I say Admiral
Devey's lift is worth a whole library Of
books.
'Wc sunk two small craft. one was a
torpedo boat. The other was a steam
launch. In that launch some Chinese
wero accustomed TO cross the bay every
morning TO do their marketing They had
orders TO do IL, and being Cinnamon they
did II that morning battle or no battle
When we saw a little boat dart out of
the smoke al us we took Il for n torpedo
boat. OF course. and sank the poor thing.
ION the fourth round there wasn't
thing Spanish 10 be seen afioat
ENEMY IN A FRENZY"
'Then. TO our great surprise. the signal
20 stop action was delayed. We withdrew.
1t turned out that a mistake had been
made in the amount OF ammunition In the
feet. and the admiral withdrew us to save
II. At the time the whereabouts OF Ger
vera and Camara were unknown. and we
NEEDED ognmuniuon IL we were 10 meet
them.
Taking advantage OF the lull break
fast was ordered for most OF the ships
crews. This gave rise TO the celebrated
story that we withdrew for breakfast. No
one wanted breakfast that day. remem-
Ter that ! myself didn't have even a cup
OF coffee until o'clock in the afternoon.
Those Spaniards were good men. brave
men. They had good guns and good pow
der. Yet they didn't know how 20 use
them. All the time they had been shooting
clear over US. When we looked over the
wrecks we found some guns with their
muzzles elevated and fined for a range OF
300 yards-and our greatest distance dur
ing the battle was $500 yards
"Of all the criticisms OF the battle I've
heard, this one comes nearest 10 ex-
planning IL. ! think. The spaniards were
brave. but they fought in frenzied man.
ncr: our men were as cool as cool
could be.
You've heard tales about our men
cheering as they fred. / never heard
single cheer until late that afternoon.
have sketch OF the action. made on
shore by Spanish army officer II
shows our feet riding as though on
parade. and the Spanish going In every
direction. That II exactly the picture of
the battle which I carry IN my memory.
PLAYED "A HOT TIME"
The results of that mornings work
were far reaching From that battle we