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g One of the Greatest Naval Battles of g
§ . Modern Times.
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r onooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnn >
It was 4:25 : p. m , Saturday , April 30 ,
when the American fleet passed Subig
hay , which is on the China sea , and
around Mariveles peninnula from Ma
nila -and Manila hay , and steered di
rectly for the entrance to the mouth
of the latter.
As it drew near the entrance the
fleet slackened speed , for it was then
near sundown. All the ships were
dark , tic decks- , cleared for action and
the sharpest outlook kept in all direc
tions. Tbe-cntrancc to the harbor was
thought by the Spaniards to be well
defended and it would be so considered
against anything but a fleet such as
cani'c there from Hongkong. On the
left-hand side entering there are two
batteries , one on Point Mariveles and
a smaller one further up the bay. On
the right hand side there are also two
batteries , one at Limbones point aud
another at Restingo. These last are
on the Cavite side of the bay. In the
middle of the entrance are three is
lands , the largest of which is Carre-
quideo , which was to have been forti
fied , but the Spaniards did not have
land armament to spare. It was un
derstood that the entrance to the bay ,
as well an the bay itself , was loaded
with electric mined and torpedoes , but
if this was the case , they did not ax-
plode , for the American fleet sailed
over and through them unharmed. As
the fleet approached the entrance In the
dark the progress became slower , and
one officer of the Olympia suggested to
Commodore Dewey the danger of be
ing blown up. To this Dewey is said
to have replied grimly : "It's a case of
Mobile Bay now , " which was interpret
ed to mean , in Farragut's words :
"D n the torpedoes ! Go ahead. "
All this time the vessels proceeded
almost noiselessly on their way. When
the fleet had rejoined , inside of the
bay , Commodore Dewey reformed his
line in the following order :
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The re-formation of the fleet tool ;
some little time , but so soon as this
was accomplished the flotilla proceed
ed with full steam on as though it were
sailing in broad daylight in American
waters. ' It was still-dark at this time ,
'
but presently the dawn began to break ,
and the sun arose in all its oriental
splendor.
The weather was calm and sultry and
over the waters of Manila bay a thick
haze , so common to early morning in
' ' those parts , hung like a curtain ,
through which the rays of the coming
day penetrated with dull but beautiful
hues. Gradually , however , this lifted ,
and the dim outlines of the hills in the
neighborhood of Cavite were discern
ible. Nothing whatever could be seen
of the Spanish fleet , but the Americans
knew they were but a few minutes
away from the greatest naval battle of
modern times. The nerves of the offi
cers and men on Dewey's fleet were
Iceyed up to the strongest tension. Ev
ery officer was at his post and every
gunner behind his weapon , which he
had watched for hours. The word had
gone around , not by word of mouth ,
but by some subtle psychology :
"Remember the Maine ! Remember
the Maine , " and into drawn faces there
came that look which one sees only
when man , stirred by strong and prim
itive emotions , determines to meet and
fight his enemy to the. death.
The breeze freshened up from off
Cavite and at 4:30 the enemy was in
sight , ships as well as land batteries.
As near as could be determined at that
time eight Spanish ships were in full
view , but their identity was not of
course known to the Yankee fleet. It
was soon apparent , however , that two
more Spanish cruisers were close at
hand and there was other shipping , not
clearly distinguished , near by.
It was plain that the Spanish ad
miral was taken entirely by surprise.
His fleet was ready , but he did not ex
pect the Americans to enter the bay.
Admiral Montejo had fully expected
the American fleet to remain in the
vicinity of Subig bay and that he would
have to go out to the open water to
meet it. He thought Commodore Dew
ey would try to force an entrance past
the batteries of Subig bay and make a
landing there and the governor general
had a force of 8,500 men there to pre
vent a junction between the insurgents
and the Americans. That the latter
would have the temerity to enter the
mine-sowed bay and give him battle
in front of Manila never entered his
head.
head.With
With the rapidity for which he is
noted Admiral Montejo formed his line.
It is not known yet what his exact for
mation was. It is a mistake , however ,
to say that the Castilla was part of the
formation. That cruiser ran aground
Friday morning and could not be dis
lodged. She was therefore improvised
as part of the land batteries , although
a good portion of her armament , com
prising the movable guns , was remov
ed to shore Saturday. Later she was
riddled with American shells , some of
which set her on lire , and she burned
nearly to the water's edge.
The American fleet forced the fight
ing from the first. Captain Wildes of
the Boston was ordered to run out
ahead and his ship bad the honor of
firing the first shot. The effect was
not noticed , for the battle began almost
immediately afterward on both sides ,
the fire of the Spanish fleet being aug
mented by that of the Cavite batteries.
Under orders the American boats de
ployed io the right and left until ordered
dered- back for the formation and ad
vance which finally destroyed the
Spanish fleet. Admiral Montejo direct
ed the movement of his float from the
deck of the Keina Maria Christina dur
ing the early part of the fight , and
Commodore Dewey never left the
Olympia until it was all over.
The Boston and Baltimore were in
advance of the American line and the
roar of their guns was incessant. But
presently the commodore's flagship
came up as though envious of the part
the others were playing. Her main
battery of eight-inch guns was soon
thundering away , while the cannon of
the Concord and Raleigh were making
it interesting for the remainder of the
Spanish boats. The Petrel was not
idle , nor was the McCulloch , which
dodged In and out among the fleet ,
doing its work of dispatch boat. The
noise of the bombardment was deafen
ing on both sides , and the firing , con
sidering the dense smoke which soon
arose and obscured the fleets from each
other , was well nigh continuous , al
though every shot was intended to
count. The noise was plainly heard at
Manila , each shot baing easily noted ,
although , of course , the result was not
known.
Suddenly a Spanish ship , which
proved afterward to be the Don Juan
de Austria , ran down the Spanish line
under a mistaken signal from the ad
miral. It was struck at least three
times by the American shells , one of
which was plainly seen to hit one of its
guns , disabling it. It fired as it went ,
but a shot from an eight-pounder on
the Olympia struck the Spanish boat
near the waterline. Watchers saw the
Don Juan quiver as a horse does when
shot in battle. Then in a sudden ces
sation of firing on both sides , which
seemed almost for the purpose of
watching what followed , the Spanish
cruiser exploded with a noise which
made all the cannonading that had
gone before sound like the popping of I
so many corks. The tearing of steel ,
the splitting of timbers , even the
shrieks of the wounded could , be plain
ly heard following this awful noise.
Dead bodies of men were seen flying
through the air , while the survivors
were noticed Jumping from the decks.
The Don Juan careened over to port ,
righted again and dipped once more
and began to sink rapidly. Hardly a
second's time elapsed between the
striking of the fatal shot and thp ex
plosion , but it seemed to the watchers
that it was five minutes.
The shot undoubtedly penetrated
and exploded the Don Juan's maga
zines. The Americans had an oppor
tunity to aee this , for at that moment
the dense clouds of- smoke had settled
in the direction of the Spanish line ,
while the American ships were com
paratively free. The .vice consul's re
port says : "The notoriously bad
marksmanship of the Spaniards was
apparent from the start. The fleet was
managed with daring and skiH , but al
though numerically stronger than its
enemy , it was no match for it in gun
nery. The latter was splendid , and
much regret is expressed that our naval
representatives were not given a better
opportunity to take note of an engage
ment which must mark an epoch in
naval iwarfare , " As a matter of fact ,
the Raleigh , Boston and Baltimore
were reported to have been struck by
Spanish shells and several men killed
and wounded , but the victims , having
been landed at a distant point upon
the shore , the names could not be as
certained at the time the Spanish au
thorities cut the cable or at least stop
ped its use at Manila.
When the Don Juan blew up a cheer
arose from each of the American fleet
and again the cry went up , "Remem
ber the Maine. The Maine is avenged. "
From his post Commodore Dewey gave
out his orders and these commands
were to keep maneuvering. It was this
order which rendered the shots from
the Spanish gunners so ineffective.
BAY , PHILIPPINE ISLANDS , IN WHICH THE NAVAL BATTLE BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE
MANILA
ASIATIC SQUADRONS OF SPAIN AND THE UNITED STATES TOOK PLACE SUNDAY MORNING , MAY 1.
e
W
THE CRUISER OLYMPIA , CAPT. DEWEY'S FLAGSHIP.
Spanish fleet , and it may be said to
have determined the whole battle for
it proved the turning point. Montejo
had no time for vain regrets for his
own flagship was soon struck twice by
shells. The attack of the American
fleet was recommenced almost imme
diately after the explosion , and some
of the hardest knocks were directed at
the Reina Maria Christina. Her cap
tain , Cardpzo"a d eight gunners were
killed by a shell , and almost in the
same instant a full broadside from two
American ships struck the Spanish
boat , killing two officers and a large
number of men. Just then the Maria
Christina was discovered to be on fire
and sinking. The crew broke from all
discipline and rushed to the sides ,
jumping over , officers and men , pre
ferring to trust to their powers as
swimmers , rather than suffer the fate
of their companions of the Don Juan.
Several other shots struck her , but the
Americans , seeing that it would be a
waste of powder , turned their attention
to the other boats.
The Maria Christina began to sink
SPAIN'S ASIATIC SQUADRON , ANNIHILATED BY AMERICAN FLEET ,
- UNDER CAPT. DEWEY IN MANILLA HARBOR , SUNDAY , MAY 1.
They and their commanding officers
seemed unable to locate any of the
American ships in time to deliver the
broaa ides where they intended. No
sooner would a gun be sighted than
the whole American squadron would
have seemed to change position , and
the Spanish shots simply churned the
water in the bay. Those shells which
did take effect did so almost without
exception merely by chance , and it is
quite likely that some of them came
from the land batteries. When the
Spaniards heard the explosion of the
Don Juan they gave shouts of joy ,
thinking it was one of the American
fleet , but when the dull yellow smoke
lifted and they saw their cruiser a total
wreck and the bay in its vicinity full
of dead and wounded Spanish officers
they shrieked with agony and Montejo
is said to have lost his head and to
have run up and down the deck al
ternately cursing the Yankees and the
Don Juan's captain for his reckless- *
noes.
The explosion unnerved the whole
rapidly and Admiral Montejo and a
few officers had barely time to untangle
a boat and pull off in it before his flag
ship , the finest Spanish boat in Asiatic
waters , sank in the bay. He tried to
reach the Reina Mercedes , but she was
in so hot a corner that he had to go on
board the nearest boat , which proved to
be the Isla de Cuba , a small and in
ferior cruiser. It is said that a ma
jority of the Reina Christina's crew
were killed or drowned , but some of
the men were picked up by the Spanish
fleet and the ship's exact loss in men
cannot now be ascertained. The flag
ship burned fiercely during the rest of
the fight , but sank before any explosion
could occur. She is a total wreck. All
this had taken place within sixty min
utes. There v/as not a gun on board
the American fleet which had not been
used , and most of them had done exe
cution. The Spanish cruiser Reina
Mercedes was engaged by the Balti
more and Concord , the shells of which
did frightful damage to her , and she
was obliged to retire behind the Span
ish line. The Boston and Raleigh did
splendid work along with their sister
ships.
The battery which had been rigged
up on the sunken Castilla fired a few
shots at the enemy , but was quickly
disabled by the American guns. The
Cavite battery kept up a steady can
nonading upon the American fleet , but
many of its shots fell short and some
came nearer to the Spanish boats than
to the Americans. After the battle
had raged for an hour the American
fleet retired by twos to the Nashan and
Zafiro , where they recoaled , the re
mainder of the fleet keeping up the
fight. None of Commodore Dewey's
fleet showed any apparent injury to the
Spanish fleet. They maneuvered with
as much ease as though they were
merely going through a squadron evolution
lution in calm waters. Nearly all the
Spanish fleet showed bad injuries , and
the loss of life among their sailors was
so great that the commanders moved
the ships with difficulty. The transfer
of Montejo's flag to the Isla de Cuba
was not noticed for some time , in the
confusion and wreck of thjs Spanish
fleet , and it was nearly fifteen minutes
before he made his boats understand
where their admiral was and what he
wanted them to do. Then there was a
cessation of really hard fighting for
about twenty minutes , when the Amer
ican fleet re-formed its line and began
once more. This time the Isla de , Min
danao , a converted cruiser , and the
Don Antonio de Ulloa were so badly
disabled that they retired slowly and
took no further part in the fight.
Again the guns at Cavite roared out
a steady bass chorus to the water fight ,
and the gunners appeared to have se
cured better range upon the American
fleet , for Dewey ordered a general
change of base and the fighting was
forced in the direction of Manila. Mon
tejo had by this time recovered his
presence of mind and reassembled his
shattered line , presenting a bold but
battered front to the enemy. He en
deavored to put heart Into his men
but the fight had been taken out of the
Spaniards and they seemed to feel that
there was not the slightest chance of
their winning. Montejo's officers and
most of his men behaved splendidly for
the first hour and stood by their guns
with desperate bravery , but it was clear
to the foreign warships in Manila har
bor that 'they were outclassed as gun
ners as their commanders were as sea
men. The last half hour of fighting
had no heart in it so far as the Span
iards were concerned , and the Luzon
Velasco and Cuba , were the only ships
which really made any show of stand
ing up to the Americans. At 11 o'clock
the work of the American fleet was
shown to be more effective than was at
first supposed , for in the bay toward
Manila three other sunken Spanish
ships were seen. The names could not
be ascertained. The Spanish govern
ment officials claimed that these ves
sels were sunk by Admiral Montejo to
keep them fr m falling into the ene
my's hands , but the Americans deny
this and say that they were sunk by
shots from Dewey's fleet. The Cebu , a
Spanish transport loaded with coal and
ammunition , was set on fire by Ameri
can shells and sank off Cavite. The
Cavite batteries continued the fight for
some time after the fire of the Spanish
ships slackened , but they , too , became
silent about 9:30. A Spanish lieuten
ant , who was badly wounded on the
Reina Mercedes and was landed near
Cavite with a load of other victims ,
many of them dead or dying , said :
"The greatest naval battle of the world
occurred today. We were defeated , but
no wonder when one considers the
heavy armament of the Yankee ships.
The Spanish navy was ignorant of the
power of the fleet against which it was
pitted. Our boats , many as they were ,
were no match for the enemy , but the
honor of Spain is intact. "
When Commodore Dewey found he
had his adversary at such a disad
vantage he detached the Baltimore ,
Concord and Boston to a point.nearly
opposite Cavite point with orders to
shell the batteries there. Knowing
the danger of risking his boats even
at this advanced stage of victory too
near the stationary guns of the land
battery , he instructed them to use the
greatest caution in the undertaking ,
for they had not only to face the Cavite
guns , but those of Mount Manila. Par-
anque and Las Pinas , on the inland
shore of Baker bay , which overlooked
that body of water as well as the Ca
vite peninsula , and commanded a wide
sweep of Manila bay itself. He did
not know the strength of those batter
ies , but he had the seaman's caution of
risking a fight with a land fortification.
He had at the same time to beware of
the still stronger fortifications farther
up the shore , the particular defenses of
Manila. The Baltimore and Concord
stood down the bay for a mile or two
and began a heavy cannonading upon
the Cavite batteries , lastingtwenty -
seven minutes.
Their work was effective from tht
start and the Spanish reply was short
and ineffective. The cruisers ran In
quite close to the shore and the work
of their gunners dismounted several
Spanish cannon and killed a large num
ber of men. The position of the Amer
ican ships prevented the forts on the
hills behind Baker bay from keeping
up anything but a desultory fire , and
even some of this was so badly man
aged that it dropped into the Cavite
battery. From the very first shot of
the battle Manila was in a panic.
The stream of people who began to
leave last week turned into a river and
that river into a flood , and when the
foreign office here last heard all was
confusion in the city and its suburbs.
Also there was word that the insur
gents bad moved up to within fifteen
miles of the western gates.
Ills Slid Kzperlencc.
"I bought a claim , " said the returned
Klondiker , "where the nuggets were
said to be as plentiful as blackberries. "
"And they were not ? " "Well , yes ,
they were ; but , you see , there are no
blackberries in that region. " Illustrat
ed London News.
A Good Indication
Junior Partner "Do you think tht >
new office bey is trustworthy ? " Senior
Partner "I'm sure of it. I've noticed
that when he hasn't anything to do he
never pretemla to be busy. " Puck.
The majority of the world's idols
ill be shattered at the crack of doom.
CHEERFUL WOMAN
A
Prom The Democrat , Brazil , Indiana.
cannot be beautiful bnt a
cheerfui'face Every woman often supplies the deficiency.
be cheerf uFand bring joy to
can
But no one they have perfect health , t or-
unless
others this priceless
tuuately , science has placed
boon within the reach of every woman as / /
* incident proves : \
the 3Ir8Amanda fojlowinj : Robinson , wife of William
former and etockman , near
Robinson ,
Howesville. Clay County , Ind. , is thirty-
old and had for several years been
two voars
. For
in declining health and despondent.
unable to
not only
throe months ehe was
but too feeble
attend to her domestic duties
she is in good
to be up and about. To-day
health and able to attend to her household
affairs. She relates her experience * as fol
lows ' I was : afflicted with female troubles and
was in a delicate state of health. I lost my
thin and was greatly de
appetite , grew
remedies
pressed. After taking various
without being-benofltod I was induced by a
friend to try Dr. Williams' Pink Pills.
"Early iu ' = Z = = = _
the summer _ 1
of 1S97 I pro- > TT in
cured five
boxes of them
and before
finishing the <
second DOX 1- \ k - ' :
'
to im- Sg'x
began " " /x
prove and by
the time I had
taken the five
boxes I was
able to go
about usual work my - Priceless Boon.
and stopped taking the pills.
"Our daughter Anna , twelve years old ,
wnsaho afflicted with decline and debility.
She lost flesh , seemed to be bloodless and
had no ambition. She took two boxes of the
pills and they restored her appetite , aided
digestion and brought color to her cheeks.
She its DOW in the best of health. I think
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People the
best medicine we ever had in ourf ainily and
recommend them to all needing a remedy
for toning up and rebuilding a shattered
system. "
No discovery of modern times has proved
such a bleshing to women as Dr. Williams'
Pink Pills for Pale People. They restore
strength and health to exhausted women
when ovary effort of the physician proves
unavailing. These vegetable nil's rre
everywhere recofruired ns a specific for dis
eases of the blood and nerves. ?
New York's Rainy Day Society has
delivered its ultimatum about wom
an's wear. Its president officially
says : "A woman is a bifurcated ani
mal and I cannot for my life see why
woman's legs should be in one bag
and man's in two.
\Vnr irith Spain.
As war with Spain has broken out
the officials seem to think that all
that will be needed is warships , tor
pedo boats and other Instruments of
destruction. But really what will be
needed more than anything else is a
good supply of " 5 DROPS" ( manufac
tured by the Swanson Rheumatic Cure
Co. , 167 Dearborn street , Chicago 111. ) ,
to knock out the Rheumatism which is
sure to grip our soldiers and sailors in
the miasmatic climate of Cuba and
the surrounding islands , where the
war will be waged. The truth is that
something to heal and cure is precise
ly what is needed right now in the
desolated "Queen of the Antilles. "
Those 200,000 reconcentrados reported
sick and dying by hundreds need pro
visions , it is true , but they need good
medicines fully as much. If Miss Barton -
ton , the good lady who has charge of
the Red Cross relief work , was sup
plied with " 5 DROPS" she could , by
their agency , sa\re many a sick Cu
ban. These miraculous " 5 DROPS"
conquer many of the worst diseases
that afflict ailing humanity , such as
Rheumatism , Neuralgia , the excruciat
ing Sciatica and the other diseases for
which it is recommended. The War
Department should see that there is
an abundant supply of " 5 DROPS" in
the medicine chests.
The Delaware Iron Works at New
castle , Pa. , have been put in opera
tion , giving employment to about 500
hands. These works had been idle for
several months.
No-To-JJac for Fifty Cents.
ied tobacco habit cure , makes -weak
men strong , olood pure. 50 : . Si. All druggists.
American shipments of lumber in
Mexico are increasing rapidly , one
Texas firm having lately received a
single order for 12,000.000 feet of ties
and bridge timber.
A Clergyman's Story.
Rev. J. B. Wade , Morrison , Colo. , writes :
" 1 nm astonished at the mildness and yet
the efficiency of Dr. Kav's Renovator in
moving custipated bowels , and in produc
ing a regular natural daily di charge. I
have been afflicted with constipation for
twenty-five years. ' '
We know Dr. iCay's Renovator never
bos bnd an equal as a Spring il calcine , or.
for dyspepsia or any stomach trouble ,
constipation , liver or kidney diseases.
"VVhy not give us a chance to prove it to
you f Send addre&s for our OS-page book
of recipes and prescriptions , boveral
have said it is worth five and ten dol-
Inrs. Druggists sell Dr. Kay's Renovator
at 5c. and $1 , or six fcr $ . " 5. but i they do
not have it , do not take any substitute
tbcy may say is ' 'just as pood' ' for it bttS
KO eqaal. If they do not have it , you can
get it from us by return mail. JJr. B. J.
l ny Medical Co. , Omaha , 'Xeb.
*
The fellows who hold bonds or
other evidences of Cuba's half a bil
lion debit may be excused for perspir
ing quite copiously these days.
The average duration of human life
in European countries is greatest in
Sweden and Norway , and the lowest
in Italy and Austria.
. _ , _ . ,
- - -
-vv-v > rviri rW <
nr * s o sa
Try Qrain = 0 !
I Try Grain = 0 !
Ask you Grocer to-day to show yon
a package of GIIAIN-O the
- , now food
drink that takes the place of coffee.
. The children icay drink it without
injury as well as the adult. All who < o
try it , like it. 'GRADf-O has that
rich seal brown of Mocha or Java ,
but it is made from pure graias , and
the most delicate stomach receives it
without distress. \ the price of coffee.
15 cents cad 25 cents
per package.
Sold by all grocers.
Tastes like Coffee
Looks like Coffee
? Insist that yonrgroccrslres yon QRAIN-O
Accost &o Isiltatlon.