| Show NAVAL WARr ARZ the more the details of the naval engagement off manila axe are considered the more wonderful they appear A modern battle at sea to is a terrible affair no man on board is safe and the commander la in perhaps exposed to greater peril than any and yet in that contest our squadron it keemp came out with no low logs of life said and not a vowel vessel destroyed when the full re port of that ever memorable battle sze are published the world will understand under stanA the sterling qualities LUes of admiral dewey deway de way and his crew of american Bai lors the sad history of philo mcgiffin McGiff ln a young graduate of annapolis who took part in chinas cainas war wm japan gives a good ides idea of what modern naval warfare is he was placed in abarge of a chinese lyattle battleship aMp and three japanese boats at once in taj the battle off yalu balu river pire fire was directed upon him from port starboard and bow the crew was incompetent and stupid the heavy fusillade caused the bow of the boat to take fire and McGiff ln directed his crew to go forward and extinguish tt it the peril pam was so great that the crew rebelled and refused to work mcgiffin McGiff ln thew then led them in person he noted however that the missiles from his own guns were likely to sween his entire crew overboard and he gave orders order to swing owing the gun from starboard to port as an he ran forward the order wao waa transmitted but a moment later the gunners head was shot shat off and the substitute who stepped to take hia place was unaware of the order to swing owing the gun the result was th that the projectile passed between magut anns legs and blew nearly a score more of his hb own men into the water when tha th battle was waa over McGiff ln had wounds the drums of his ears had bad been split by the detonation of mr his own guns rendering him deaf forever his nervous system was completely shattered eTed and his intellect dethroner dethroned he suicide about a year ago it is easy to imagine the effect among the spaniards when exposed to the fire of the american guns that sunday morning the three and six that command the decks of the enemy can be fired at the rate of rounds gounde a minute and can keep a perfect shower of shells over the foe the heavier guns can only be fired more s slowly lowly but when they hit the shock is like thunder it is no wonder that confusion among the Span spaniards lards followed the terrible onslaught of the americans and thet that in a few minutes the work was done it is greater wonder that any of the spaniards escaped alive but buit it seems to be a well es fact now that swift attack and superior marksmanship character ize the crews of our ships and that the spaniards arda are remarkably deficient in these qualities |
