118

The Spanish-American war had begun with the 1898

sinking of the

USS Maine

in the Havana, Cuba harbor

(

―

Remember the Maine

‖

). Blaming fingers were

pointed at the Cubans and the Spanish by Americans

while Spanish and loyalist Cuban opinions theorized

that the U. S. government may have caused the

sinking to go to war with Spain. The U. S. declared

war on Spain on April 25, 1898. The first battle took

place at Manila Bay in the Philippines on May 1, 1898

with Commodore George Dewey (1837-1917)

commanding the U. S. Navy's Pacific fleet. The war

was very short with fighting ending on August 12,

1898 and a treaty was signed on December 10, 1898.

The story of the

―

Dewey Cannon

‖

was reported in

the media as

―

The Filipinos captured the gun from Spaniards who were throwing up

earthworks on Corregidor Island, preparatory to use against the United States forces.

The cannon was taken aboard the United States revenue cutter McCulloch and

Commodore Dewey - for he was not an admiral then - decided to give it to the national

monument committee as his contribution to the monument fund provided for the

erection of a suitable monument to the martyrs of the battleship Maine and the soldiers

and sailors of the Spanish-American war.

‖

From

The House Furnishing Review

published

by I. B. Scott, January, 1899.

The Williamson Company, Newark, N.J. are

putting upon the market their newly

patented Cartridge Corkscrew called

―

Dewey's Slug,

‖

shown by the

accompanying cuts. This pocket Corkscrew

makes one of the most useful, durable and

saleable articles now on the market, being, as

it is, an appropriate souvenir of the times.

The upper portion, or tip of the cartridge, is

finished in nickel plate, the lower portion is a

light bright copper shape, while the

corkscrew is heavily nickeled. The

―

Dewey

Slug

‖

makes a decidedly up-to-date novelty,

and sells readily for twenty-five cents, giving

good profit to the retailer.