The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-21

formed by the Rama Christina (nag).
the Castillo. the Don Juan do Austria,
the Don Antonio de Ulloa- the Isia Dc
IIuzon. the Isla de Cuba and the Mar
CUES del Duero.
Fire When You Are Ready"
AT $40 O'Clock, when we were
| within a distance of 5000 yards (two
and half miles), ! turned to Captain
Gridley and said:
Gridley.'
while remained on the bridge
with Lamberton, Brumby and Stick
! ney. Gridley took his station In the
coming tower and gave the order to
the battery. The very first gun to
speak was an eight-inch gun from the
! forward turret of the Olympia, ana
! this was the signal for all the other
ships TO Join the action.
when the flagship neared the nve-
I fathom curve off Cavite she turned 10
the westward, bringing her port bat
| tories to bear on the enemy. and roi-
lowed by the squadron. passed along
the Spanish line until north or ana
only some 1900 yards distant from the
Sangley Point Battery. when she again
turned and headed back 70 tho east
ward, thus giving the squadron an OPP
portunity to use their port ana star
board batteries alternately ana TO
cover with their fire all the Spanish
ships. as we'll as the Cavite and Sang
ley Point batteries.
Three runs were thus made from
the eastward and two from the west
ward, the length of each run averag-
ing two miles and the ships being
turned each time with the port helm.
There had been no cessation In the
rapidity of fire maintained by our
whole squadron. and the effect OF Its
a ft,e n
orr ships were kept close together.
was smothering. particularly upon the
two largest ships. the Reina Chris
tina and the Castillo. Tho Don Juan
de Austria first and then the Reina
Christina made brave and desperate
attempts to charge the Olympia, but,
becoming the target for all our bat
teries, they turned and ran back. In
this sortie the Reina Christina was
raked by an eight-!nCh shell. which 10
said to have put out Of action some
twenty men and to have completely
destroyed her steering gear
Though In the early part OF the
action our firing was not what should
have liked 1t to be, 1t soon steadied
down and by the time the Reina Chris
tina steamed toward us II was salts
factorily accurate The Castillo Jared
little better than the Reina Christina.
All except one Of her guns were dis
abled; she was set on fire by shells.
and finally abandoned by her crew
after they had sustained loss of
twenty-three killed and eighty wound
ed. The Don Juan de Austria was
badly damaged and on fire. the Isla de
Luzon had three guns dismounted and
the Marques del Buero vas also in
bad way.
Victory was already ours though
we did not know 1t. Owing TO the
smoke over the Spanish squadron.
there were no visible signs of the exc
cution wrought by cur guns when we
started upon our fifth run past the
enemy.
Feeling confident Of the outcome,
l now signaled that the crews. who
had had only 81 cup Of coffee at 4 A.
NJ, should have their breakfast.
AT nae A. NJ. we stood in TO COM
plete our work. There renamed to
oppose us. however, only the batteries
and the gallant little Ulloa. Both
opened fire as we advanced. But the
contest was too unequal to last more
than q few minutes. Soon the Ulloa-
under our concentrated fire. went
down valiantlv with her colors flying"
The admiral had won his greatest
Aght, but he made no EFFORT to avoid
the peril Of g. still greater only few
days after he had declared a blockade
on the harbor. A German squadron.
under Rear Admiral Won Diederichs.
entered the bay and proceeded to vto-
late most OF the rules of international
courtesy.
German officers visited toe Spanish
commander at Manila. German ships
of war shifted their anchorages with
out consulting the blockading ships, !
German launches wandered about the
bay at will every night. while German
searchliRhts darted here and there. |
Friction between Won Diedrichs and
Dewey became hotter and hotter. until
finally the American commodore sent
a blunt question to the German COM
mander, asking him whether he
wished to be considered as BEL
lgerent by the United States. The
German fleet gave no further offense.