The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-06

from the heights of Santa Cruz the
great coast-defense guns with their
! long range made the Battle of the Bay
of Monterey a thing to be remembered.
/ The first clash was between the battle
ships beyond the range of our great
guns, and, though the odds were
/ against us in the beginning, the sub
marines Adder and Porpoise quickly
| reduced them by sinking the Asaka
and the Jingoro, the moral effect Of
which was at once to strike the Japa-
| neSe with terror 1t is a Japanese
/ quality, however, quickly to recover
/ from panic, and the eight remaining
| battleships pressed our five more close
! ly, while the Japanese destroyers DASH
! ed in for the mouth of the bay to en-
| gage our smaller craft. Trusting to
/ our mines and our land batteries, our
! own torpedo fleet engaged these, but
| was overwhelmed. Forced back by
weight of metal, the zone of battle
came within range of our disappearing
| guns, which could not be located by
| our enemies. The battle commenced
at dawn, and by two o'clock our fire
| had slackened, our fleet had drawn in
| for closer defense and the tide seemed
| to be running against US. At that hour
the submarine Plunger planted tor
| pedo under the Kiushiu, and was her
| self destroyed by a torpedo-boat on
| rising to the surface to observe the
| sinking of the great warshfp she had
attacked. Then our land batteries, ap-
parently silenced, sprung into new life
again. It seemed to be the signal for
| renewed activity all along the line, and
| the japanese, skilfully drawn within
H. g ~
heavy losses. Crippled, beaten and
MANNED, with but five of their battle
ships af1oat, their armored cruisers
badly damaged, and their whole fleet
bruised and battered, the Japanese
withdrew to the shelter of Hawaii and
their fortified base. Our own losses
had been heavy, but our fleet pursu-
ing added to the damage already done,
and drove the Japanese to the point
where the guns of Moanalua protected
them
Here was seen the GROWING specta-
Gle of our folly in not having fortified
Hawaii fully and betimes. Without this
refuge to flee to-and with it for a
support for our own f1eet-the japanese
would there and then have been wiped
from the Pacific. With this point In
Japanese hands, defended against our
feet, our pursuing squadron could only
retire, baffled, to our Pacific coast for
repairs. while the Japanese sought
their own repair station and began the
task of fitting out a new expedition
against our coast.
Here the war languishes. We are too
busy with defense to take up the Of
fensive, nor have we the transports
with which to do it nor the war-feet
to convoy them. The outcome is still
speculative. Our losses by sea have
been enormous. The vast income of
the Hawaiian sugar lands is taken
from US. Japan gathers the fruits of
the Philippines. Our trade with the
Orient is dead. But if we are suffering
and feeling the financial end of the
war, Japan is suffering too. Her last
bond issue has failed. and funds are
not at hand. Great Britain will not
finance her. since to do so would be
further to jeopardize her greater in
vestments in the United States. Ger
many. which has secretly supported us
morally, will not help her, since Ger