Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190?, July 22, 1898, Image 6

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    PERILS OF WAR IN
What Our Boldlor Doy will Havo to Contend with In the Phlllplnnes
8omothlnR About Ito Dangers.
A treat many things In the llf of a
teoldler beside the Immediate function
tot worsting an enemy go to make the
um of his career eventful, even In
teresting, and for soldiering In nil Its
varied and absorbing forms, nothing
within the scope of our present strug
gle Is likely to excel that military
work cut out for us In the Philippines
We shall certainly find we have more
to fill than the comparatively simple
duties of an army of occupation; and
one rensonably wonders what may not
be the result of that frenzy of vic
tory and suddenly awakened sense of
pelf-sufficiency In the Insurgents when
they are confronted, perhaps, with our
determination to rule them hereafter.
How far religious ecstasy and In
litigation may be made to work against
us Is something for speculation. The
Filipinos nt Inrge know practically
nothing about us, and, with cunning
pictures of even a more hateful dom
inance on our part than they have
borne heretofore, the religious broth
erhoods mny make n last effort to re
tain their grasp by fostering rebellion
against the very saviors of the coun
try. That we shall have more than the
Spaniards to contend with Is well nigh
certain; and It is pretty positive, too,
we shall have to meet our native en
emy On bis own territory, and upon
the very ground of his own choosing.
In a region well studded with some
decidedly formidable mountain ranges,
the task of ferreting out a foe that
may seek the cover of those fastnesses
will be a very trying undertaking; and,
before we can go through even the
motions of that valiant warrior of old
who marched his men up the hill and
then marched them down again nil In
the same day we shall have to over
come some natural obstacles then un
dreamed of.
A Spanish writer has summed up the
seasons In the Philippines thus: "Six
months of dust, six months of mud, six
months of everything;" and experience
ban shown the country to be practical
ly Inundated from June to November,
with an added demand for six or
eight weeks of intense sunshine to re
duce the roads to pnssableness. Swift
mountain streams must be either ford
ed or bridged In the quickest and npt
cst way, and where the roads stop,
roads or paths must be cut through the
tropical jungle of high bamboo, mat.
ted, thorny vines, nnd n dense growth
of timber, and this. too. before either
the hot glare of the mid-day sun or
the damp, threatening darkness of a
torrid night Is upon the men. Earth
quakes and violent storms must be ex
pected and care taken to meet them
In the snfest way.
Mountain warfare Is, by long odds,
the most trying of all military services;
nnd from the start to the (lnlsh of a
successful campaign In the hills there
Is hardly a moment that does not make
n call upon the resourcefulness nnd
skill of both ofllcers nnd men. We
hall have n mlnlnture India of our
own to contend with, nnd In the nn
tlve, If he be rebellious, n lighter of
the true Indian Instincts In nil that
we know his cunning to be In our own
country. Ambuscades, night attacks
and retreats will be the order of the
day, and, worst of nil, he will be
armed with nn effective modern rifle
of high power.
Of all the troops dispatched to the
Philippines, the Astor battery of moun
tain artillery Is renlly the only detnll
made with especial consideration to
the possible local or geographical re
quirements of the country; nnd It Is
modestly suggested that none will win
greater glory or do more effective ser
vice than this little force If our army
be compelled to meet Its foe on any
thing like the terms nlrendy practiced
by the Insurgents upon the Spaniards
beiore Dewey reduced Cnvlie.
I The battery will be composed of six
12-pounder gun of the llotchkiss moun
tain type. The guns have been de
signed with especial consideration to
the service conditions of mountain war
fare, and combine simplicity nnd ef
fectiveness with the nll-lmportnnt de
sideratum of ease of transportation or
mobility. Over a country of ordinary
profile the guns -will be drawn mi
their cnrrlnges. and n Umber, designed
to relieve the pack animals where pos
sible, will carry four ammunition
chests holding 32 rounds of ammuni
tion. When heavy grndes are en
countered the guns, currlnges. Umbers,
ammunition nnd pioneers' tools' will
be packed on mules, six of which bear
Jjie burden of one complete gun out-
flt. In .service nvejtddltjopjtl mules will
carry' 100 extra rounds" for the whole
battery. .
r i -
Wherever Infantry can secure nn oc
cupation the mountain battery enn fol
low, nnd in practice It has been found
thnt the guns can be unpacked from
the mules and brought Into action in
n minute's time, while only 42 seconds
nre required to hnve them packed again
and rendy to resume the march.' Knch
contains 160 balls, am' each canister
weighing 12 pounds. Each shrnpnel
contains 160 balls, nnd enrch canister
125, the effective range of the guns
Is something like 3,500 yards nearly
two miles, There are no delicate parts,
nnd they nre enslly assembled, nnd
great care has been tnken to provide
against the strains of mountain service
nnd the severe recoil due to the pe
culiar trains of fire.
The guns, when In nctlon. do not look
unlike exaggerated toy cannons, but
they possess a power of Inflicting se
vere blows nnd a deal of damage from
positions otherwise denied to the heav
ier artillery of the usual order.
From some mountain crest they will
be able to spread n vast deal of ruin
upon an enemy's forces, his shelter, or
his mountain fortresses, or confront
him with a battery salvo when he
thought himself safe from all but the
approach of Infantry.
Nothing Is more vital to the success
of tropical expeditions than proper
medical provision and the exercise of
the strictest sanitary precnutlo- s. The
wounded must be cared for at once,
nnd moved with the least delay or shock
to shelter, and this Is not an easy thing
in a mountainous country where, per
haps, the ups and downs of the way
are frequent and violent. An English
officer of great Indian experience rec
ommends bamboo poles and hammocks,
or the canvas of the shelter tents, and
no doubt such will be adopted when
the time comes.
The native following of an eastern
campaign has but little regard for
cleanliness, and, with the cramped
quarters of n mountain camp, It Is ab
solutely necessary thnt the ground be
well aired dally and the sun allowed
to bask vigorously upon the earth on
which the men must sleep. With the
heavy prevalent dews and the least
restraint upon proper ventilation poi
sonous conditions at once arise, with
the disastrous consequences that have
been so many times marked in earlier
British campaigns In the Orient.
The matter of transportation Is one
of serious consideration In a region
that knows not the conveniences of
THE MOUNTAINS.
rallroads, and In which the beasts of
burden and the patient coolies are the
only means of bearing nnythlng or
anybody over the ways of the Interior
passage.
The Philippines boast n race of na
tive horses really the progeny of those
brought by the early Spanish conquer
ors; but It Is almost certain- that the
mule, that world-wide beast of burden,
nnd the coolie will hnve to do our bid
ding In those islands. The mule can
follow nearly any place n man can
lead him, up hill or down, nnd carry his
burden easily through nil the hours
his human guide can bear the strain.
The coolie Is far from being so satis
factory, and It has been found by the
British In Indln thnt for an expedi
tion of 1,000 fighting men nt least 7,000
or 8,000 coolies must be had to bear
the accompanying bHggnge.
With nil the Ills to which man Is
prone mennclng, with a disposition to
quit, but with nn unfailing tendency
to ent at all times, the coolie train Is
hardly a welcome charge for a com
manding officer to contemplate.
Now, as ever, the "victory will de
pend upon the legs of the army," and
It will be the trying task of the com
manding officer to bring his men to the
enemy with the least tax upon their
vitality, and to hnve them ready to
bear the strain of a charge or to shoot
with that accuracy unknown to ex
hausted muscles. The wisest kind of
generalship hns got to be exercised,
nnd, nt the same time, aggressive ac
tion must be assured, for experience
has proved defensive tactics the cost
liest manner of meeting mountain foe
men, who gnther strength and purpose
with every moment's passive stand on
their enemy's part.
Night mnrchlng Is a thing that must
certainly be counted upon, for then
only will the men be free from the
frightful, trying heat of the BUn's In
tense glnre, not to mention the dan
gerous consequences upon the eyes.
Hut nt night there are other dangers,
such ns venomous snnkes, the giant
cayman In the marshes nnd streams,
and the foe, who knows so well how
to make the most of the cover of these
dense Jungles. Wnys must be cut and
roads made even before the troops
themselves can find n sure footing; and
the path must be wide enough to guard
ngulnst the heavy, dripping dew fall
ing upon the trendwny. for It has been
found to render the ronds so slippery
thnt passage was next to Impossible.
Ynnkee cunning Is going to ndapt
Itself very quickly to the work of meet
ing these changed conditions, nnd the
never-falling bamboo Is going to cut an
Important figure In most of our engi
neering feats out there. Rnfts will be
made of It, defences made of It, and
quick and effective waterproof shelters
formed of it, with the aid of the na
tive craftsman.
The rapid mountain streams, though
nnrrow, call for some very skillful en
gineering to get a body of troops and
their animals safely across, nnd we
must expect to hear of suspension
bridges of bamboo nnd telegraph wire,
fnshloned with expertness nnd expe
dition, yet strong enough to bear the
burden of the heaviest of mountnln
forces, llonts may have to be built
to ferry these Btteoms on short notice,
nnd we shnll not be surprised to know
thnt a wagon cover of ennvns or a
shelter tent or two fashioned upon a
framework of bamboo or saplings will
answer the purpose well enough to cur
ry the flrBt lines of n bridge across
these waterways. At almost every step
there will be some new obstacle or
some new condition to be met, nnd
these, though drains mostly upon In
genuity and skill, will tnx the aptness
of our men even more than the work
of nctunlly routing the enemy. Our
mountain forces, whether artillery or
Infantry, will be hill climbers. Indian
fighters, engineers and pioneers, all
In the same breath; and we shall hnve
nmple reason to be proud of their
achievements.
Signaling by the 'heliograph will form
n very conspicuous part of the menus
of visual communication among the
hills, for while the distance ns the crow
files mny be short, the route by even
Mot or horseback wuuid be IMig. tor
tuous nnd beset with the dangers of a
lurking foe. The sun's flashings will
speed our messages from crest to crest
with dextrous haste and certainty of
delivery, nnd beyond the reach of our
enemy's Interruption, nnd at night id
lantern modification will stand us well
In silnd. ? 2t v - --
Much of the work of possible pneifl-
cation will be thnt of punishing re
fractory natives, and our futile trial In
Formosa In '67 showed what really
adept strategists these eastern Indian
tribes and their mixtures nre. It will
be necessary to strike them quickly
nnd convincingly, and punishment to
them does not mean rout and a few
slain. They must be brought to reason
by reducing their villages and by In
flicting n wholesome loss of life, and
that can be done only by the most
skillful of strategy and by bringing
them out nnd by forcing them to con
clusions In sufficient numbers.
Whatever may be the service called
for In those distant Islands, we can be
sure we shall have every reason to be
proud of the work done by our forces
under their splendid lender, nnd wheth
er It be a matter of long-restrained
liberty, the record of our little army
there will certainly be crowned with
laurels, and our mountain battery will
not be without Its full share of that
glory.
Question If nn unmarried woman
was born In 1S5S how old Is she?
Answer Twenty-three.
Question If n fast young man loses
$15 at poker, how many hundred dollars
Is he out In the hotel corridor next day?
Answer One thousand dollars.
Question If a bicycle enthusiast has
ridden 3,400 miles In a year, and intends
to ride 10,000 miles, how long will it take
him to make up the rest?
Answer About two minutes.
Question If the greatest man of
letters In America gives a lecture on
the same night that a sixth rate
European celebrity appears, how will
he pay for the lights?
Answer The Lord only knows.
Question If a chaperon has n young
man all to herself, how can she watch
her charges?
Answer This problem cannot be
solved.
Now that time has come when the
housewife who does much of her own
cooking and preserving must often have
her fingers stained with the Juice of
berries, peaches, etc., It may be
well to remind her that the fumes of
sulphur wll remove most fruit stains
from the Angers. Put a tiny lump of
sulphur In a tin plate, pour on a little
alcohol, and set It on fire. Hold the
finger tips above the flame, and the
discoloration will disappear.
"Is your father at home?"
"I guess not; I hear sister playing the
piano,"
FRESH FOOD FOR BAILORS.
Every day Is market day In the navy
now that we have refrigerating ships
to keep the vessels of the fleet sup
plied with fresh meats and vegetables.
This Is the pleasant manner In which
Paymaster General Edwin Stewart
opened up an Interesting conversation
on the subject of refrigerating ships In
the United States navy.
"Refrigerating ships," said he, "are
among the moBt valuable additions to
our modern navy. With the aid of
these floating cold storage compartment
ships the system of feeding a ship's
company has been practically revolu
tionized. We are now nble to keep the
officers and men of Admiral Sampson's
fleet supplied with fresh meats and
vegetables and plenty of Ice. When
you keep Jnck supplied with nutritious
nnd palatable food you Improve his
health nnd put him In condition to bat
tle ngnlnst Spain or any foe of the
United States."
The Celtic Is the newest nnd the best
equipped refrlgerntlng ship In the navy.
When she Joined Admiral Sampson's
fleet off Santiago she was loaded with
300,000 pounds of fresh beef and mut
ton, 300,000 pounds of fresh vegetables
and 450 tons of Ice.
"The Celtic, as we now call her,"
said Paymaster Genernl Stewart, "was
formerly the Austrian trader Celtic
King. When we bought her we cut off
the King's head, and left the Celtic
remaining. She wns fitted out at the
Brooklyn navy yard, and she Is a model
ship of her type.
"She was the phantom fleet of Span
ish warships that frightened the In
nocentB at Hnmptori Roads Monday a
week ago," and the Jolly little paymas
ter genernl fairly shook with laughter
ns he recalled the consternation re
ported from Hampton Roads when It
wns snld thnt several mysterious look
ing ships, supposed to be Spanish war
ships, were sighted off the rapes.
She was safely convoyed, for she
carries no battery. She hns a capacity
of about 1,200 tons of freight, besides
her refrigerating compartment. She
can steam about eleven knots com
fortably, and her tonnnge Is about 606.
Her captain Is Commander Henry B.
Mansfield, nnd the supplies are in
charge of Paymaster William J.
Thompson. Her full complement, In
cluding officers nnd men, Is eighty
souls. The crew Is made up from the
South Carolina naval reserves. The re
frigerating apparatus cost 160,000, but
It la so complete that n temperature of
10 degrees can be maintained in the
compartment month In and month out.
There nre three compartments in the
refrlgerntlng section of the ship, which
Is locnted forwnrd of the englni rooms.
In one nre stored the frpsh meats, In
the second the fresh vegetables, and
the third Is filled with Ice. She was
loaded with supplies for 6,000 men which
ought to last nt least three months.
When I asked General Stewart If the
Celtic files a "menl pennant," which
is red, to Indicate the nature of her
business, he replied good naturedly:
"She does not need nny distinguish
ing pennant. She is expected long be
fore she arrives and the ships of the
fleet are on the lookout for her. She
flies the ordinary naval pennant nnd
the Stars and Stripes nt the peak. Her
visit among the ships of the fleet might
be likened to n huckster peddling his
provisions through the streets. Only
the supply ship does not go from one
ship to unother when the squadron Is
close together. The regulations provide
thnt fresh provisions shall be served
to the various ships of Admiral Samp
son's fleet three times n week. Every
snllor knows the days of the week he
is to eat fresh grub, nnd so do the
cooks of the various messes. When
the supply ship with, her fresh grub
appears on the scene It is customary
for her to report by signal to the flag
ship. Signals nre then exchanged with
the various ships In the fleet, nnd they
nre notified to send their stcwnids off
to the supply ship to draw their legal
allowance of freBh rations for their re
spective ships.
"Each man Is entitled by law to one
nnd one-quarter pounds of fresh meat
and the same quantity of fresh vege
tables. These supplies nr delivered
upon the presentation of the properly
certified requisition. There Is no limit
put upon the nllownnce of Ice. Many
of the modern ships have the appara
tus for manufacturing their own Ice,
and therefore those ships do not draw
upn the Ice supply oi th Ctlt-.c.
"Refrigerating ships are a new de
parture In the nnvy, for we have had
no occasion to use them In recent years
until war was declared with Spain. In
tjmes of pence the various ships, run
Into friendly ports and take on fresh
provisions as often .is circumstances
will permit. Of course that is regu
lated at the discretion of the command
ing officer. Thus for not n word of com
plaint hns been heard from the navy'
though the navy has been actively en
gaged In war for more thnn two
months."
The paymaster genernl of the navy
occupies a position similar to that of
the quartermaster's and subsistence de
partments of the army combined, which
have eorne in for so much unjust criti
cism lately. It Is gratifying to the
navy to know that no complaints hnve
come up from the sen about the lack
of food nnd clothing, although the offi
cers and men of the navy have been
under .severe tests of endurange in
the tropical regions of Cuba.
As soon as the North Atlnntlc squad
ron was ordered to Cuban waters. Pay
master General Stewnrt secured the
former American liner Illinois and
converted her Into u refrlgerntlng ship.
She wns rechrlstened the Supply, and
she sails under thnt name now. She
Is with Admiral Sampson's fleet, where
she has been steadily distributing fresh
meuts and provisions three times a
week. She Is to be relieved by the
Celtic nnd ordered bnck to New York,
where she will be refitted and sent out
npaln.
While Admiral Sampson and his men
are enjoying fresh meut and fresh pro
visions three times a week, the brave
Admiral Dewey and his shipmates at
Manila are not being forgotten. At this
moment a refrlgerntlng ship, secured
in Australia, Is bound for Manila, car
rying 200.000 pounds of mutton, 400,000
pounds of beef and 600.000 pounds of
fresh vegetables. As soon as word was
received In Washington of Dewey's vic
tory In Manila, negotiations were start
ed for securing swift sailing ships to
carry supplies to the victorious Amer
icans. The City of Peking was char
tered and sent to the rescue of Dewey
and his men. The principal supplies
sent by thut vessel were arms and am
munition. The pay department realized that
small stores. Including soap and to
bacco, would be needed, and took the
precaution to send a goodly supply on
the City of Peking. One of the first
official communications received from
Dewey after his great victory contained
a request for a supply of soap and to
bacco. This request was received two
weeks after the supplies had been for
warded by the first ship sent to the
relief of the brave boys at Manila.
By thus anticipating the wants of
Dewey's men with regard to oap and
tobacco. General Stewart gladdened
the hearts of many a "Jack" and ena
bled the latter to go on "shifting hli
quid" with usual regularity.
REAR ADMIRAL STANTON ON SCHLEY'S FIGHT.
Vetaran of the Navy Analyzes the Victory Over Cervera. Showing Su
periority of the American Flshtera.
Adm'ral Oscar F. Stanton, U. S. N
retired, one of the best known and
ablest tacticians and naval strategists
in this country, hns given the first
authentic and authorized explanation
of JUBt what occurred off Santlngo
de Cuba last Sunday, when Commo
dore Wlnfleld Scott Schley, with the
vessels under his command, so glori
ously succeeded In destroying all the
Spanish vessels under Admiral Cerve
ra's command.
The veteran naval expert, In giving
his views, has taken ns a basis the
best unofficial reports of the battle
printed thus far.
The admiral Is thoroughly familiar
wmi every minute uelall of the art of
war, and were he not on thi retired
list of the nnvy, he would today be oc
cupying one of the most Important
posts In the gift of the navy depart
ment. Admiral Stnnton Is particularly well
qualified to explain and criticise the
manner In which Cervera lost his fine
vessels nnd at the snme time Spain
her naval prestige. Not only has Ad
miral Stanton been off Santiago, but
he has sailed around the Island of Cuba
on various occasions. While In com
mand of the flagship Tennessee, and
xvhlle chief of staff to Admiral James
E. Jouett ("Fighting Jim"), Admiral
Stanton epent considerable time in
the harbors of Cubn,
At the outbreak of the war with
Spain Admiral Stanton wns the first
officer to be assigned to shore duty by
Secretary Long of the navy, and to
day the Admiral commands the naval
station at New London, Conn.
Admiral Stanton explained In the be
ginning that he could speak only from
what has been printed In the newspa
pers. "Thnt the Merrimnc did not block the
channel completely Is understood," said
Admiral Stanton. "We know from re
ports mnde public some time ago that
there was deep water at both bow and
stern of the Merrimac. The Vesuvius,
It has been reported, succeeded In
steaming clean around the wreck some
nights ago. We don't know as yet
wnicn siae or me channel was chosen
by the Spanish admiral In making his
exit.
"According to the reports printed,
we are given to understand that the
Spanish warships, nfter passing clear
of Morro, headed In n westerly direc
tion nt once. I don't believe this is
correct. My recollection Is that the
water directly to the west of the mouth
of the harbor Is rather shallow. On
the other side (the Morro side) the
water Is very deep. The high bluff
would explain that.
"When I wns first off Santiago, in
1S38, on the Constellation, we hove to
outside and sent a boat Inside. We
did not enter the harbor proper at
that time on nccount of sickness.
"I mention this In order to explain
what I believe to be n mistake In the
reports furnished thus far. We are
given to understand that the American
ships were anchored off shore. I think
the water is entirely loo deep for un
chorage there 1 should think thnt out
ships must have been kept under way
constantly.
"The reason why the Spanish Ad
miral chose to make n dash for lib
erty and freedom on a Sunday morn
ing was because he believed he would
catch our men napping. It was just
there that he made his mistake
"He knew that we always held our
musters and inspections on board ship
Suulay mornings. He believed. no
doubt, that we did not have sufficient
steam up on our ships to enable us
to follow him at once. He furthermore
believed and he might have hud good
renson for such belief that he would
be able to run a way from our ships on
account of the superior speed possessed
by the vessels tinder his command.
You might say that theie wns a real
difference In speed between the Amer
ican nti Spanish warships averaging
about four knpts.
"We find that nt the time Cervera
made his mad dash that the flagship
New York, flying the flag of Rear Ad
miral Sampson, was some distance
away, nnd- still proceeding In an east
erly1 direction She wha bound fur the
landing pluce where Admiral Sampson
Intended to communicate with Geneia)
Shafter, of the army. This mission of
the Admiral, no doubt, wns a very Im
portant one. He could not know be
forehand that the Spnnlsh ships would
attempt to make their escape.
"But nt the same time, it must be
remembered that the other American
warships left behind to guard the.
mouth of the harbor of Snntlago wer-s
distributed as had been arranged for
weeks probably.
"We find the Indlnna, Iown. Oregon
and Texas, four of the finest battle
ships of our glorious navy, together
with the Brooklyn, flying the pennant
of Commodore Schley, in a half circle
around the mouth of the hnrbor. The
Gloucester and Ericsson, and maybe
some minor boats, were also on guard.
"These vessels were no doubt drift
ing leisurely about. The necessnry pre
cautions had been taken. The lookout
men were at the stations, and the
mouth of the harbor was being watch
ed continuously.
"Now comes the report that the
Spanish ships nre trying to escape.
And here we come to the first pic
ture. The fleet of Spanish warshlrs
had to leave the harbor In single file.
This wns necessary on nccount of the
narrowness of the channel, and also
because of the shallow waters to be
found near the entrance to the harbor.
"The reports 'soy that the Spanish
ships, the moment they cleared the
harbor proper, took a course directly
west. I think this Is true only as con
cerned the torpedo destroyers.
"The bigger ships must have headed
southeast, for1 some time, at least.
With that course they were practically
heading for the center of the half
circle of our ships. Of the torpedo boat
destroyers I will speak later. They
form an entirely Independent chapter
In the history of this grand old battle.
"The very moment the American
lookout men saw the Spanish ships the
scenes aboard our warships had chang
ed. There was prompt action. It Is
here that the great training of both
officers and men came Into play. Our
men are Intelligent men. They are no
ble men. They are the true sailors
of the age.
"While the Spanish torpedo boat de
stroyers head right off to the west
ward, the bigger ships of the enemy
continue in a southerly direction, our
ships come on toward them, practical
ly closing In on them, nhd pouring a
fearful Are upon them.
"You can see from this picture just
how the fight progressed. It might
properly be called a running fight. And
It was In that respeci inai our com
manders showed the greatest skill and
ability.
"You must not forget that the forts
are still In existence. Our ships were
compelled not only to fight the ships
rather, to keep out of the way of the
fire of the forts while the sea fight
was in progress.
"The most terrific execution was done
while the Spanish fleet was still within
range of the guns of Morro. That our
ships succeeded In making short work
of the Spanish ships was due princi
pally to the fact that our officers and
men nre better gunners. There Is no
doubt about thnt.
"In the American navy we are spend.
Ing n great deal of time In target prac
tice. Officers and men become experts
only by constant practice.
"And then, again, we must not for
get that credit Is due to the men In
the engine rooms. Spain hns had con
siderable trouble with her engineers.
Mostly Englishmen nnd Scotchmen
have been employed ns chief engineers
of these big warships. I understand,
however, that when hostilities broke
out most of the foreign engineers aban
doned the Spanish fleets.
"The running fight Is continued. Our
ships, after the enemy's entire fleet
has pnssed out of Santiago harbor,
steamB abreast and continue to fight.
Then our battleships are trying to get
nhead of the ships of the enemy. In
this way we can see where our ships
are practically cutting the Spanish
ships off.
"This Is the proper way to fight.
Push your enemy nil you can. Try to
get him near the rocks and this, you
Bee, is Just what our men are doing.
"In this way we soon have the ene
my's ships at our mercy, except the
fleet Colon, which is steaming to the
westward at her highest rate of speed.
"Ah! But look at our boats! Here
are the ships of Spain capable of
steaming 20 knots an hour, while our
battleships are calculated to make but
16. But what do we find? We find
the Oregon, after making a run of 17,
000 miles, as compared with a run of
3,000 miles made by the nrmored cruis
ers of the Cape Verde fleet. The bot
toms of our ships are supposed to be
more foul than the bottoms of the
Spanish ships. And yet, with nil these
odds against us, we keep abreast of the
Colon; we do more we steam ahead of
her and capture!
"And look at the Texas! She travels
for two hours under forced draught
at the rate of over sixteen knots! Won
derful! Do you know what that means?
Do you realize how those brave Amer
icans work nnd work in the hot fire
rooms below?
"It is the kind of work that tells.
But I can realize how our men worked.
They were fighting for the Stars and
Stripes and they were remembering tho
Maine.
"In this way we find the Vizcaya,
Oquendo, Maria Teresa and the two
torpedo boat destroyers disposed of in
short order.
"The Brooklyn succeeds in cutting
the Colon off. Then the Oregon comes
up under her quarter nnd finally the
Texas is on hand. Can you wonder
thnt under such conditions the Span
ish admiral struck his colors?
"What has happened In this: First,
we hnve succeeded In getting the Span
ish ships and our ships at the same
time outside of the range of the forts,
nnd then we hnve kept up a fearful,
deadly, running fight from the very
start to the very end! it Is glorious!
"The part the Gloucester played in
this sen fight cannot be estimated too
highly. Lieutenant Commander Rich
ard Walnwright, her commander, de
serves all the praise that has been
given to him.
"I have the pleasure of knowing Mr.
Walnwright personally. He served un
der me, and I want to state that he
Is a wonderful man, an excellent offi
cer. At the time 1 wns the command
ing officer of the flagship Tennessee,
when Admiral Jouett commanded the
North Atlantic squadron, Mr. Waln
w right was attached to the flagship ns
senior watch officer.
"But. notwithstanding the fact that
we have had peace for so long a time
our officers and men have had oppor
tunities nt times to lnnd and to go
Into actual service. Such exercise
keeps them In practice, of which they
avail themselves most fully.
"You nsk me what difference there
was. If any, between the battle fought
nt Manila and the battle nt Santiago
last Sunday. These two battles nre
entirely different, although the glori
ous results achieved may have been
the same.
"The greatest difference between the
two fights was that at Manila the
Spanish were compelled to receive the
attack made upon them. At Santiago,
on the other hand, the enemy's ships
were free to mnke such use of their
guns as they saw fit. They could ma
neuver their ships.
"Then again there was a difference
In the ships themselves nt these two
points. At Manila we hud no regular
first-class armored shirs on our side,
nor had we armored ships to fight
against.
"At Santiago I might say that the
strength of our ships lay in the armor.
Our armor was probably more power
ful than the armor of the ships of Ad
miral Cervera.
"But you must not forget one other
very Important factor that Is, thut the
ships of Spain were more speedy than
our ships, n fact which went fur to off
set our advantage In armament.
"The lesson to be learned from both
these great battles, and particularly
from the battle of Santiago, Is that
after all. battles of the future must be
fought out with battleships principally.
Ouf course, the smaller vessels will
have to be considered ns well, but the
battleships are the real fighting craft.
"As for torpedo boat destroyers, their
stock went down considerably during
the fight off Santiago. When war was
first declared and It became known that
we had practically no torpedo destroy
ers, tehre were mnny persons who
worried considerably because of thnt
fact. But the fight off Santlngo has
shown us that the torpedo boat de
stroyer Is not such a dangerous foe
after all.
"It may be that the torpedo boat de
stroyers as well as the torpedob oat
did not get fair trials on this occasion.
If two nations were going to organize
fleets of warships for the purpose of
engaging each other In battle, then In
such a fight the torpedo boat and the
torpedo destroyer would find their re
spective places. We must not forget
that the Spanish have been handicap
ped for lack of engineers to look out
for these boats on long trips. Perhaps
after all the torpedo boats nnd torpedo
boat destroyers may prove more useful
another time.
At Manila Admiral Dewey was com
pelled to enter a harbor which he knew
was mined, and at the same time he
was compelled to fight forts nshore as
welll as the batteries aboard of the
Spanish vessels at anchor In the har
bor. In his case the scene of action
was a small one, much smaller than
the one at Santiago laBt Sunday.
"At Manila the batteries ashore could
more readily obtain the range of fire,
while off Santiago the ranges were
constantly changed as our ships moved
to the westward whllo pursuing the
ships of the enemy."
WRITES OF HIS CRIME.
Here Is the latest development of
modern degeneracy:
A man of education and talent com
mits a cowardly murder, writes a novel
about his crime, and Is sent to prison
for life on the evidence of his own nar
rative. Verily, "truth Is Btrnnger than fic
tion." If such a story as that of Johrr.
Hlgglns of Adrian, Mich., had been
told as fiction It would have been pro
nounced unreal, Impossible. As a lit
eral chapter In the annals of crime It
has all the characteristics of flamboy
ant fiction.
In April last Lafayette Ladd, a weal
thy citizen of Adrian, was aroused from-,
his sleep by a midnight mnrauder nnd.
sprang from his bed to defend his home.
He clutched the burglar and called for
help, when there come n flash of t
pistol and Ladd fell dend on the floor
of his home.
No clew was ever found of the burg
lar who had entered thnt home to steal
and remained to kill. But nt last John
Hlgglns was arrested for a burglary
committed In Toledo. He told the po
lice he had disposed of some silver
ware he had stolen. In Adrian, an
when they searched the house he named.
In that city the police found not only
the stolen goods, but the manuscript
of a story called "A Life for a Life,"
written in Hlgglns handwriting.
An examination of this manuscript
by the officers of the law convinced!
them that It was a true account, writ
ten by the murderer himself, of the
killing of Lnfnyette Ladd.
When Hlgglns was put on trial
charged with the murder of Mr. Ladd.
many passuges from the manuscript
were read to the Jury by the prosecut
ing attorney, nnd all were Impressed:
by the belief that here was the only
trustworthy nccount of the murder,,
written by the only man who knew
how the crime was planned and carried
out.
Before he began to tell of the crime
the writer Indulges In this flight of
fancy:
"'Twas the laBt day of June. All
nature reveled In splendor. Beautiful
green foliage clung to the gently sway
ing boughs of the trees under which
I stood. My gaze was flxed immovably
on the western horizon, and 1 was un
der a spell, enchanted, ns it were.
Heaven's day star had disappeared, yet
there lingered for a distance of many
miles a vast expanse of wondrous beau
ty. Green, yellow, cnrmlne nnd other
hues, such as had never before pleasedl
my eyes. It seemed, as I stood there
looking, thnt a masterpiece had Just
been finished and hung on the horizor
by an invisible hnnd. Gradually the
colors became blended, the expanse be
came smaller."
Here the writer Indulged In a few
thoughts of his childhood home amour
the hills of Tennessee, and tells of
"Some power that tells me to turn
from the life of crime I am about to
enter, while yet another voice bids me
proceed." Then comes what the prose
cuting officers interpreted to be a de
scription of the Ladd murder, the part
which led them to fasten the crime
upon Hlgglns.
" 'Tis midnight," runs the story.
"From my place of concealment under
the evergreens I look townrd the man
sion I am about to desecrate and rob.
No light comes from the window,
where but a short time before I could?
look through and see luxury and
wealth. A step nearer, and my heart
bents with lncrensed force, but I can
not go back. I approach the window
nnd soon have loosened It from Its;
fastenings. What a changed atmos
phere! The perfume of flowers fills the
open space before me, and I enter this"
vault of wealth and for n moment
stand like a statue. The heavy breath
ing of the sleeper tells me that I arm
safe. On 1 went townrd the rooms
where I was to find the treasure I cov
eted. Oh, God, discovered! A com
mand, a shot, nnd I stagger, but.
quickly recovering, I face my antag
onist, and in n deadly combat we en
gage. A life must go out, so I place
my weapon to his breast and fire. A
groan and a relinquished grasp tellr
me too plainly that I have killed my
antagonist."
When the court nsked Hlgglns If he
had anything to say why sentence
should not be pronounced, he rose
calmly and said, with the utmost cool
ness: "Well,' your honor, that Is a mo
mentous question to nsk a man. I feel
that I would be less than a man if I
made no reply. This Is the most mo
mentous, the most eventful period of
my life. 1 know too well the sentence
of the court that Is to be passed, and!
I have this much to say, that the
slayer of Lafayette Ladd has not been
convicted of murder. I stand before
this bar innocent of that crime. And:
while I am under that dark and gloomy
place the man who took the life of La
fayette Ladd will continue to walk Ira
the sunlight and look upon all that 1
beautiful.
"As I look out of that window at
those things I am about to leave, and"
look yonder' In that other place of dark
ness and of gloom, where all joys die
In the heart, I say to this court that I
have a clearer conscience nnd that X
shall feel better, knowing that I am In
nocent of this crime, than I would were
I to accept all the privileges of free
dom and feel In my own heart that I
had assisted In sending an innocent
man to prison.
"And thus I say to you, as Milton
said in 'Pnradise Lost:' 'Farewell, hap
py fields, where Joy forever dwells?
hall, horrors, hall; and thou, profound
est hell, receive thy new Inmate. I
bring my mind not to be changed by
place or time, for time is its own place
and In Itself can make heaven of hell
or hell of heaven.' "
Then Hlgglns thanked the court for
the fairness shown to-"y"d him, again
protesting his Innocence, and was ta
ken away to the state prison at Jack-
Tllgglns' attorneys repudiate the
manuscript of "A Life for a Life." and!
will ask a new trial for their client on
the ground that the novel has no bear
ing on the cuse.
Mrs. Hoon (looking up from her
newspaper) Mercy me! I have Just
been reading an account of an anato
mist whose house was packed with
skeletons and who had a paper-knife
which he declared was made from the
funny-bone of his first wife. I cannot
believe any man capable of doing such
a thing as that!
Hoon Neither can T. There never was
a woman who had a funny-bone.
t r - ' "
First Shark Ugh!
Second Shark Why, what In heav
en's name Is the matter with you?
First Shark-Bah-I got that Mis?
Serfbelle.
Second Shark Well, I'm sure she'
plump and pink enough for anything,
First Shark Possibly! but I prefei
my dishes with a trifle more dressing,
thank you.
"You are standing on my gown, Mr
Commute," said a lady In a crowded
ballroom to a gentleman.
"I beg vour pardon, madam," replied
the offender, "but you see I am so ac
customed to riding on a train that 1
naturally get on board whenever a
chance offers."
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