Middletown transcript., 1916-11-04
AIDED
ADMIRAL DEWEY
Got Between His Fleet and the
German Fleet.
BEFORE BATTLE OF MANILA
Commander Of United States Fleet
Said To Have Feared Hos
tile Action BY
Germans.

LOnQOn.-DurlnS Q1ScCSSlOu F0CeuC-
ly in the House of Lords regarding
the operations of the German sub
marine U-53 off the coast of the United
States, Earl Grey, former Governor
General of Canada; in asking for as
surances that reports regarding the
conduct of commanders of American
destroyers in the circumstances were
incorrect, gave an interesting account
Of conversation he had had with Ad-
miral Dewey as to the action of Cap
tain Chichester, Of the British Navy,
in Manila Bay at the outbreak OF the
Spanish-American War. Alluding to
the question, put by Baron Charles
Beresford, to Viscount Grey, the for
eign secretary, with regard to the Ger
man submarine operations, which Wis
count Grey subsequently answered,
Earl Grey said:
Before the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs answered the question
put to him, should like to be allowed
to ask supplementary question of
which have given the noble Viscount
private notice, namely, whether there
is any truth in the statement in the
press of Tuesday. October 10, that the
commander of the German submarine
U-53 asked the commanders of the
American destroyers Denham and Mac
Dougal to clear out of the way so
that he might have room to blow up
the ships he was attacking, and
whether it is true that the American
destroyers promptly acceded to the
German request?
"a Startling Departure"
"To me it is so incredible that COM
manders of American war vessels
should have acted in the way reported
that l cannot and will not believe it
until all room for doubt has been re-
moved. Such action on the part Of
the American war vessels would in
volve a new and startling departure
from the old traditions of mutual serv-
ice between America and England in
the cause of humanity.
81 hope l may be permitted to quote
one illustration of the way in which
this spontaneous mutual service has
had far reaching effects in promoting
good will between America and Eng
land. In 1905 l had the honor Of
meeting Admiral Dewey and some dis
tinguished members Of the American
Senate at dinper in Washington.
British Protected Dewey.
"On that occasion Admiral Dewey
narrated to me, in voice and with
gestures eloquently suggestive of the
most grateful emotion, the story-at
that time entirely new to ME, and
perhaps hew to some members here
today-of the way in which he had
received invaluable assistance from
Captain Chichester at Manila at a
time of great anxiety Admiral Dewey,
informed that the presence at Manila
of German cruisers with a heavier dis
placement than that of the American
ships caused him to realize the grave
character of the danger menacing his
country in the event of the German
ships beginning the hostile action of
which he at the time had reason to be
apprehensive He described how the
whole American fleet watched in silent
anxiety the visit of the German ad-
miral to Captain Chichester's ship and
the intense relief with which they saw,
shortly after the German admiral's re-
turn to his own ship, the British ships
under Captain Chichester's command
hoist their anchors and shift their
anchorage to a position which placed
them in the direct line of fire between
the German and the American ships.
No action has done more to promote
the friendly feelings of one nation to
another than that action of Captain
Chichester, which, believe, to have
been absolutely spontaneous on his
part and which action is we'll known
to every officer in the naval service
of the United States"