The times., 1898-11-18
SAMPSON VERsUs SAMPSON.

truth OF american history, anu the rep
utation of our navy for personal honor,
is presented in Comparison of the
variant statements made by Admiral
Sampson as to his alleged share in the
sea fight off Santiago de Cuba, on the
Cd of July, 1s9S acs2
Admiral Sampson is irretrievably on
| record in the connection, in two reports.
The first was sent to the Government by
cable, and dated at Siboney, July 3, 3:15
p. m. 1t was that explosion of glory in
which he announced that "the fleet under
my command offers the nation, as n
Fourth of July present, the destruction of
the whole of Cervera's fleet" The second
report was the one written In cold blood
and after he had been enabled to learn
the facts of the battle. 1t was sent by
mail to the Navy Department and dated.
~. S. Flagship New York, off Santiago
de Cuba, July 15.''
During the twelve days which inter-
vened between the first and second re-
ports, the surface indications are that
Admiral Sampson deliberately determined
to discredit some of his original state
ments, apd to denounce officially ac-
cepted geographical and chart measure
ments, in an attempt to prove mis- active
personal participation in the events of
the engagement of July 8. 1t is unneces-
sary to charge him directly with falsify-
ing the data of his reports. They, and
not The Times or any other person or in
fluence, are his accusers.
The process by which Admiral samp-
son seems to seek the perversion of facts
in his own interest will be understood
by reference TO the inconsistent state
ments in his reports of July and July Is
In his report, by cable, of July 3, he
states: AT p. m. the last warship,
the Cristobal Colon, had run ashore
SIXTY miles west of Santiago, and let
down her colors."
After twelve days of deliberation, he
says: AT lilo it (the Cristobal Colon)
gave up without firing another shot, haul
ed down its colors and ran ashore at Rio
Tarquino, FORTY-EIGHT miles from
Santiago"
Again, on July 5. he says "The In
fanta Maria Teresa, oquendo, and Viz
caya were burned and blown up within
TWENTY miles OF Santiago"
But, two weeks or less later, he asserts:
The vizcaya was set on fire and at ll:15
turned in shore and was beached at As
seradero. FIFTEEN miles from santia-
60"
In this connection, 1t is important to
note the truth, thoroughly well known to
Admiral Sampson, that Asseradero is
TWENTY-ONE miles west of Santiago
Harbor entrance.
To return to the Cristobal Colon, which,
according to SIMPSONS first report, went
ashore sixty miles, and. according TO his
second, forty-eight miles west of Santa
go: Rio Tarquino is SIXTY miles west
of Santiago Harbor entrance by the near
est water route, and Is FIFTY-FIvE
miles west in an air line, but, as Samp-
sons fleet was not composed of airships,
this latter route was not open to him.
The mouth of Santiago harbor is a little
over fifty minutes, forty seconds east of
the point where the Colon went ashore
At twenty degrees north latitude, the
latitude of Santiago, a minute is 10S3
miles long.
The Colon therefore went ashore
FIFTY-FoUR AND ONE-HALF miles
west of Santiago. But the coast line at
this point dips to the south and then runs
to the west, so that in addition to the dis
tance west the ships had TO travel south
an added distance of some five miles, max
ing the actual distance FIFTY-EIGHT
AND ONE-HALF miles, approximately
the distance first given, and correctly so
by Sampson.
Having cut off twelve miles from the
true distance to Rio Tarquino, Sampson
finds himself in an embarrassing situation
as to the distance from Santiago TO
Asserradero, where the Vizcaya ran
ashore. In his first report he said
the distance was TWENTY MILES,
which is practically correct. In mis-
systematic reduction of distances Of
% per cent he finds it necessary TO reduce
this so that it may appear that the New
York was in sight; so in his second report
he says the Vizcaya ran ashore at Asser-
radero. FIFTEEN miles west of Santiago.
The first statement was correct; the sec
ond incorrect.
When these conflicting statements are
carefully considered in the light of time
and distances the conclusion will be ir-
resistible that in ordersto reduce the dis
tance the New York ,had to travel to
reach the Vizcaya, Sampson reduced the
true distance from Santiago Harbor en-
trance to the Vizcaya by five miles, and
that he reduced the distance between San
tiago Harbor and the Colon, as sunk, by
twelve miles for the purpose of bringing