The American Monthly Review of Reviews, Vol. 18: An International Magazine; July-December, 1898 (Classic Reprint) - Paperback

Excerpt from The American Monthly Review of Reviews, Vol. 18: An International Magazine; July-December, 1898

A Risk Under the circumstances, therefore, Ad to'be miral Sampson considered that there was Auo'ded' not a day to be lost in taking some meas ures to drive a firm stopper into the bottle, or to use the other figure - spring-lock the door of the trap. Either Schley or Sampson doubtless would have been ready, if the emergency had re quired it, to sail boldly into the passage and to risk battle inside the harbor - this, although it was well known that the Spaniards had mined the channel and that they were prepared to launch torpedoes from the shore. Commodore Schley had on May 31 stormed the fortifications near the opening of the channel, and his shells were said to have done some damage to the ships in the inner bay. Nevertheless, it would have been at the risk of a great loss of men and of ships to have attempted to go into the harbor. Admiral Deweyin sailing into Manila Bay had passed through a very wide entrance, and more over had found his enemy far less prepared and alert. Our men of Schley's flying squadron and of Sampson's fleet were perfectly ready to risk everything in the attempt to force their way through the channel and to attack Cervera under the protection of the Santiago batteries; but it was, obviously, much more desirable to find some means by which to obstruct navigation at the narrowest part of the channel, and thus to make it sure that the blockade could be maintained through fogs and dark nights. Such things are easy to talk about, but difficult to perform.

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