The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-02
tunities it affords for developing all the
resources at the command Of the Spanish
Admiral.
SCHL[YS TACTICS.
Shrewd Sizing Up Of the
Spanish Plans Santiago
Reconnaissance.

WITH THE UNITED STATES FLEET,
OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, May 20,
1898, via Port Antonio, Jamaica, June q
Four weeks after the victory of Rear Ad-
miral Dewey at Manila. Commodore
Schley, in command of the Flying Squad
ron, had his shrewdness and pertinacity
rewarded by finding the Spanish fleet in
the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. For ten
kdays he had in the face of conflicting ru-
mors and some cases of alleged vertical
tions, insisted that the ships of Spain
were trying to make a landing on the
southern coast of Cuba. This was evil
IDENTIFY not in consonance with newspaper
and official information. and his opinion
was ont given much public weight. In
fact it is believed that some days before
he proved the correctness of his diagnosis
of the situation, he was ordered to return
to Key West. However. new facts gath
cred by him in the meantime gave him
still more grounds for belief as to his
proximity to the Spaniards.
The captain of the British steamer
Adula. who was interviewed at Cienfue-
gos, told of seeing the Spanish fleet IN
the vicinity of Santiago de Cuba. evident
ly awaiting opportunities to get in.
Captain Sigsbee, of the ST. Paul. related
how he had captured a Spanish coal
vessel going into the harbor of Santiago
de Cuba and Commodore Schley argued
from these two incidents that the fleet
of Spain was waiting in some haven near
Santiago de Cuba until such time as a
visit. fruitless in it's results. should be
made there by the Americans, when, upon
,ich OF
run into the harbor.
Commodore Sdhley determined to make
that visit, but not to have it fruftless, and
on Friday night he ran within six miles
of the harbor. The ST. Paul was then
detached and sent back to keep out OF
sight with Instructions to be ready, at
twenty knots clip, to bring news to the
Commodore at any moment.
From the American ships the Spanish
batteries were in plain view, but, no
doubt under preconcerted arrangement,
even the fort made no attempt to fire, and
the flying squadron, after circing around,
slowly steamed away in the direction OF
Key West as its coal supply was becom-
ing short. There was collier with the
squadron, but there was no friendly har-
Dor with smooth water and there's was
serious danger of smashing the collier
if an attempt was made to coal the heavy
battleships at sea.
Resourceful and daring, Commodore
Sohley showed forth, however, and at
dark, with an original riggings to protect
the ship, the Texas and the Marbiehead
began to coal. They worked all night and
at Nay ybreak had filled their burkers.
BY boon on Saturday the converted yacht
vixdn had also coaied. and at l o'clock,
not having heard from the st. Paul, the
American warships moved again towards
Santiago de Cuba.
First standing off the coast about ff-
teen miles, the squadron afterwards cir
cled in front of Morro Castle, but not
close enough in to get view of the in
side of the harbor, guarding carefully
against the possibilities of a torpedo boat
attack.
At night the squadron lay off point of
land, and in the morning Sunday the St.
Paul came along, but did not report any
knowledge of the Spanish fleets where
abouts.
Consequently Commodore Schley deter
mined to find it out himself, and, with
the flagship in the lead, ne started
towards the farbor.
The Spanish troops at the earthworks
| and batteries could be seen, through
glasses, preparing in haste to give the
American ships as warm reception as
possible.
When about five miles from the batter
les the lookouts reported the masts of two
ships, and Flag Lieutenant Sears and
Ensign McCauley made the first one out
to be the Cristobal Colon. Two torpedo
boats were also made out and second
vessel of the Vizcaya class was seen.
All this time, Commander Schley was
upon the after bridge of the Brooklyn.
making good use of his binoculars.
Arrived at the harbor entrance when
the ships were sighted from the deck, he
turned his eyes from the glasses long
enough to wink and say:-'T told you I
would find them. They will be long
time getting home"
The order to man The port batteries.
those nearest to the shore, had been Civ
en-, and the men, stripped to the waist, ir
temperature considerably over one
hundred degrees, awaited the word to
fire with impatience.
But the Commodore decided not to
waste ammunition on the batteries, and
the men were disappointed. For the time
being. however, there was much quiet ju-
bilation among the men over the prospect
of fight.
Commodore Schley showed his evenness
of temperament by ordering the Massa-
chusetts to take coal from the collier
within view OF the forts and warships of
Spain.
On the Texas Captain Hack" Phillips
went through with the days routine, in
cluding church service, at which the men
with refreshing directness Of suggestion
sang sPull for the Shore
AS it was perfectly evident from the
position of the Spanish warships on Sum
day morning that they had either just
entered the harbor, having learned Of the
supposed final departure OF the American
squadron, or had been In hiding up the
bay. which ds about nine indies long, and
had run down to get out early Sunday
morning. In any case 1t was excellent
proof of the perfection of Commodore
Schley's tactics and showed that, after
weeks of weary following of clues fur
nished by strategy boards. in seven days
he had succeeded in bottling up the Span
isf feet in one of its own harbors.
Less than two days before, two sup
posedly Cuban pilots, sent from Jamaica
by the Government, had informed the
Commodore on the deck of the Brooklyn
+J,,t ,,f, vessels of thp size of the Spa niSh