The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-17

~ SO10VeNe wv 9~DoO 8UUe ia
ssoRlp. DIED LATE YESTERDAY /
AFTERNOON.
WARRINGTON, Ian. 1z.-Adm,ral
oseroe oswev, the hers q 0oa4ala
01y, aNd BY priority, ne ronlkiN0 naval |
eeuleer q the world, died q No hs~e
here late yesterday In HE eisheisth
year.
Admiral George Dewey, hero Of
Manila Bay" fought and won the |
nEst great American naval battle |
against . foreign foe since the War Of |
1872.
His whole life was full OF honorable |
achievement from the days Of the |
Civil war down to the time when. IS |
the head Of the General board, he BE-
gan the last chapter Of his work by |
laying plans for the defense Of his |
country in time Of war. His life was
. striking exemplincAtion Of the pos |
Stoilities Of q career based upo0 the |
exact and Intelligent performance OF
every routine duty which molds . man
on inflexible lines of duty and hon
or.
One Of the curious freaks of fortune
in Dewey's case was that for perhaps
the first and only time IN his naval
career he was disposed to protest
against the edict Of the naval depart
ment which carried him into the Far
East. where he was destined to per
form the greatest feat Of his life and
to win imperishable renown. That Was
back in 1898 when the war clouds
were gathering and Dewey felt that
he was being "shelved;" that the var
| with Spain was to be fought out in
the Cult of Mexico and in the Cario-
bean sea and that he. distant by half
the circumference Of the globe. would
stand no chance of winning glory, for
a. that moment no thought whatever
had been given to the Philippines. But
he took his orders and like q true
sailor obeyed them. The result is q
page of history under date of May /,
| 1895
Contrary to Spanish expectations.
Dewey sailed into Manila Bay on the
night of April so and in the morning
of the next day he annihilated Ad
miral Montojo's squadron, destroying
eleven warships and capturing all 9TH
er vessels and all the land batteries
without the loss of a man on the
American side.
Upon his triumphant return to the
United States he was feted by the ma
ton. His admirers presented him
| with a beautiful home in the National
capital. Congress gave him an en-
graved sword. and raised him from
the rank of Commodore to Rear-Ad-
miral and then to the full rank Of the
admiral of the navy.
Admiral Dewey was the third Am
erican to reach that pinnacle of naval
rank. Farragut was the first and Por-
ter the second 1t was under Farra gut
that Dewey received his first baptism
in war.
Valuable as the training of An
napolis was, it was poor schooling
besides that of serving under Farra
gut in time of war" Admiral Dewey
once said. Whenever l have beer
in difficult situation or in the mids,
of such confusion of details tina,
the simple and right thing to do seems
hazy | have often asked myself. wha
would Farragut do. In the course o.
preparations for Manila Bay. | Otter
asked myself this question. and l con
TESS l was thinking of him the nigh
we entered the bay with the convic
ton that | was doing precisely wha
he would have done"
George Dewey was born in the Shad
e of Nermont'S state capitol at Mont
pelier on the day following Christ
mas in 1887. At the age of II, h.
reached the crossroad of his career
one road led to West Point. the 9th
er to Annapolis. Young Dewey favor
ed the former. but
There was no vacancy for Yves
Point from Vermont" explained tn
Admiral in reviewing his life 10Th
I ,.rv1, hax sv~<o
Bay ON an army transport instea
of on the Olympia. But it happene
: that there was vacancy at Anna]
oils. so l entered the navy"
At the outbreak of the Civil wa
Dewey was % years old. He was con
missioned a lieutenant and guide
the Mississippi as it's executive of
Ger in Farragut's historic dash pas
New Orleans and it's forts He wa
not so successful at Port Hudson
Farragut won through, but Dewey an
the Mississippi ran aground under tn
guns of the fort The ship was 8,
afire and during the transfer of tt
crew under fire, the young Office
lived five years in an hour"
, From the close of the Civil war u
til the opening of the Spanish-Ame
. lean, the life of the American nav
officer was made up of routine duty
sea and ashore. During this perio
the future admiral cruised: taught
class at Annapolis: surveyed low
California and part of the west Goa
en- Of Mexico; carried supplies to Il
survivors Of the siege of Paris; ps
formed duty at Boston Navy yard al
the naval torpedo station at Newpor
inspected lighthouses and served
naval secretary on the Lighthou
board; spent two years travelling
a sick leave in search of health; 70
years as chief Of the bureau of eQu
ment; and at the age Of SO was Sci
ing as president Of the board of insps
ton and survey with the rank
oe commodore. It was in this importa
naval Office that he presided at I