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Show Abolish The Subs Whether Admiral Dewey's flagship Olympia shall be preserved as a na-'.ic'iial na-'.ic'iial r.Iic or sent to the scrap heap Is a question now agitating the Navy Department and many citizens of the country. Tne old vessel is no longer -f u-. 1 fo- navai purposes and has been. Tt cf commission since 1922. Two Droporals for preserving the Cvrme- flagship have been made, one f mbrdied in a bill introduced in Congress Con-gress providing for maintaining the vessel as a memorial at Washington; Hie other being from the chamber of commerce ot Olympia, Washington, for which the ship was named, offering offer-ing to preserve it there. The fate of the Olympia will be decided by Congress. Con-gress. Built in San Francisco and placed 1 in commission on February 5, 1895. I the Olympia lias seen service in many j narts of the world. From one of her i 8-inch guns was fired the first shot . at the Battle of Manila on May 1. 1898, when Dewey destroyed the Spanish Span-ish fleet under Montejo. No Americans Ameri-cans were killed and only six wounded, wound-ed, while the Spanish losses in killed and wounded totalled 650 or more. It is only fair to say that the Spanish fleet was overwhelmingly outclassed in the battle and fought gamely in the face of certain defeat. However, Dewey became through this victory the outstanding hero of the Spanish American War, and his sturdy little flagship is affectionately regarded bv the people of the United States. The Olympia should be preserved, pre-served, and doubtless will be. |