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Show FORMER HEAD OF NAVY DEAD. Was Secretary of Navy During the Spanish-American War. Hingham, Mass. John D. Long, secretary sec-retary of the navy at the time of the Spanish-American war and former governor of Massachusetts, died at his home here Saturday night. John D. Long was secretary of the navy during the Spanish-American war. It was he who Is on record as having dispatched the famous message mes-sage of April 25, 1898, to Commodore George Dewey, commanding the Asiatic Asi-atic squadron, then awaiting orders at Hong Kong. The message read: "War has commenced between Spain and the United States. Proceed at once to the Philippine islands. Capture Cap-ture or destroy the Spanish ships. Use the utmost endeavor." . It was on the sixth day after the receipt re-ceipt of these orders that Dewey reported re-ported his great victory in the battle of Manila bay. |