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June 30, 1898

Reveille at 6 a.m. The weather was still stormy. Dan Nichols fell down the hold and strained his back. ‘Charleston’ and ‘Baltimore’ chased a steamer but found it was OK when it showed its colours. We passed the lighthouse at 2.30 p.m. and saw three Japanese cruisers in a cove off the lighthouse. The weather became calm around noon. At 4.30 p.m. we arrived off Cavite where the sailors aboard ‘Olympia’ cheered us as we passed towards anchorage. Old Dewey was on ‘Olympia’ bridge and he smiled with joy at our safe arrival. ‘Charleston’ fired a salute of 13 guns and ‘Olympia’ returned it. A Japanese cruiser sailed in after us and saluted. ‘Baltimore’ led the way through the channel past the small island of Corregidor, followed by ‘Charleston, ‘City of Peking’, ‘Australia’ and ‘Sydney’.