The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-08-03
SIMPSONS REPORT.
Long Delayed Document at Last
Receiyd in Washington.
DOES NOT MENTION SCHLEY.
An Exhausti. Report of the
Great Battle, But Does Not
Deal in Interesting De-
tails,

The long awaited report of Admiral
Sampson on the destruction of Cerveras
feet has at last been made public and
is topic Of general interest. One fact
is freely commented upon, and that is
the failure of the admiral to make
special mention Of Commodore Schley,
who. more fortunate than the feet COM
mander, was not only in the fight, but
was in immediate command of the vic
torious squadron. The admiral con-
tents himself with adding, without
comment, the report Of Commodore
Schley, which modestly sets forth his
own claims for the credit for the vic
tory and shows plainly the magnificent
work of the Brooklyn throughout the
engagement. SIMPSONS report is an
exhaustive review of events, such as are
perhaps familiar to every one, leaving to
the commodore and the captains the
tasks of details. He avoids he neces-
sity Of special praise by saying:
When all the work was done so well
it is difficult to discriminate in praise.
The object of the blockade of Ceryeras
squadron was fully accomplished and
each individual bore we'll his part in it
the commodore in command on the
second division, the captains Of ships,
their officers and men, The fire Of the
battleships was powerful and destruc-
tive, and the resistance of the Spanish
squadron was in great part broken al
most before they had gotten beyond the
range Of their own forts. The fine
speed of the Oregon enabled her to take
apositionin the chase and the Cristobal
Colon did not give up urt. tne Oregon
had thrown l3-ineh shell beyond her."
Thus Sampson puts in q word for
himself by saying THE object Of the
blockade Of Cervera's squadron was
fully accomplished.
The BrooSlyn gets mention in the
succeeding paragraph, as follows:
This performance adds to the al
ready brilliant record of this fine bat
tleship, and speaks highly Of the skill
and care with which her admirable ef-
fciency has been maintained during the
service unprecedented in the history
of vessels of her class. The Brooklyn's
westerly blockading position gave her
an advantage in the chase which she
maintained to the end, and she en-
feet. feet ~ '' NV ' ,
Continuing, the admiral tells, with
suggestion Of feeling as regards his own
part in the chase:
''The Texas and New York were go
ing on the chase during the last hour
and had any accident befallen the
Brooklyn or Oregon, would have speed
lily overhauled the Cristobal Colon.
From the moment the Spanish vessel
exhausted her first burst of speed, the
result was never in doubt. She fell, in
fact, far below what might have been
expected Of her, after careful measure
ment Of time and distance, giving her
an average speed-from the time she
cleared the harbor mouth until the time
she was run on shore at Rio TarQuino,
of 1871 knots. Neither the New York
nor the Brooklyn stopped to couple
their forward engines, but ran out the
chase with one pair, getting steam, OF
course, as rapidly as possible on all
boilers To stop to couple up the for
ward engines would have meant delay
of fifteen minutes, or four miles in the
chase.
THE skillful handling and gallant
fighting of the Gloucester excited the
admiration of every one who Witnessed
it, and merits the commentator Of the
navy department. She is a fast and
entirely unprotected auxiliary vessel
the yacht Corsair-and has good bat
terry of light rapid fire guns. She was
lying two miles from the harbor en-
trance, to the southwark and eastward,
and Immediately steamed in, opening
fire upon the large ships. Anticipat-
ing the appearance of the Pluton and
Furor, the Gloucester was slowed,
thereby gaining more rapidly high
pressure of steam, and when the des-
troyers came out she steamed for them
at full speed, and was able to close to
short range, where her fire was accu-
rate, deadly and of great volume"