James H. Hare Photo |
James H. Hare Photo | |
| The Olympia, Admiral Dewey’s flagship, photographed upon her return to New York after the “German incident” at Manila Bay in 1898, when a German admiral threatened the American forces, and the British intervened. | T. R. and Admiral Dewey on the Mayflower at Oyster Bay in 1903. Left to right, standing: Sir Thomas Lipton, Admiral Dewey, Oliver Iselin, General Chaffee; seated: Secretary of the Navy Moody, Mr. Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt. |
Old Trails
A Chronicle of Hidden History
By
O. K. Davis
I.—Dewey and the Germans; the Kaiser and T. R.—the Inside Story of How Two International Crises Were Averted
Few men have seen as much American history in the making as O. K. Davis, famous journalist and author. As a correspondent of various great dailies he came into close contact with such men as former Presidents Roosevelt and Taft. He was a special correspondent at Manila during the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection; served as secretary of the Progressive National Committee in 1912, and directed the activities of the Progressive Party’s publicity department.
As a friend of Roosevelt he had exceptional opportunities for studying T. R., and in the present article he gives, verbatim, many of the Colonel’s downright opinions, some of them, up to now, never before revealed in print.
The following is the first of two articles by Mr. Davis, in which he touches on certain “high spots” in his wide experience and resurrects some of his more vivid memories.
The “German incident” in Manila Bay, during the Spanish-American War, is a story in itself. Admiral von Diederichs and his men had violated the international proprieties repeatedly. Among other things which were interpreted as insolences, they had sent a squadron of observation to Manila Bay that was stronger, in some respects, than Dewey’s blockading fleet.
The Germans played fast and loose with Dewey’s blockade regulations; particularly with the one prohibiting any movement of boats on the bay after dark. Admiral von Diederichs’ ships were frequently moved out to Mariveles Bay or elsewhere, and there were constant reports to Dewey that the Germans were in regular communication with the Spaniards in Manila.
When the German cruiser Irene halted the Filipinas—a Filipino vessel—because she was flying the Filipino flag, by agreement with Admiral Dewey, the lid very nearly blew off. It looked very much as if things were coming to a head, and no one was at all sure that we should not be at war with the Germans very soon.
At length, when a boat came from the German flagship to the Olympia, the American flagship, it had Von Diederichs’ flag lieutenant, Hintze, aboard, with a message from the German Admiral to Admiral Dewey.
Dewey was in his usual place on the quarter deck of the Olympia. Lieutenant Strite had the deck watch. The wardroom skylights, which gave onto the quarter deck, were opened, and in the wardroom several officers were sitting, some writing and some in conversation. Strite convoyed Hintze back to the Admiral and returned to his post on the superstructure. He had hardly got there when he heard Dewey
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