The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-12
RESULT OF NAVAL INQUIRY
S1MPSON-SCHLEY CONTROVERSY
 SETTLED ONCE IND FOR ALL.

The Board Finds That the Battle Of
 Santiago Was Essentially a "Captain's
 Fight" but as Between the Two Ad-
 mirals the Full Credit of the Victory
 is Given to Sampson Because the Bat-
 tie Was Fought Under His Plans.
 New York, Oct. 11.-Although the American fleet in the battle off Santia- go on July 3 obeyed the general orders of Rear Admiral Sampson given in ad- vance to meet just such an emergency, it was essentially captains fight" This is in substance the report of the naval board which has been investigat- ing with a view to determining who should be given the credit for the vic- tory, Rear Admiral Sampson or Rear Admiral Schley. Tt was a captains fight" says the representation. Rear Admiral Sampson was not present and the two orders signalled by Schley "close in'' and engage the enemy" did no good and were unnecessary, for the ships had already closed in and were engaging the enemy when the orders were run up.
 As between the two admirals the full credit of the victory is given to Rear Admiral Sampson because he was com- manding officer and the battle was fought under his plans. The board finds each ship in the fleet knew exact ly what to do should Cervera come out, and did it when he actually came out. Each captain fought his ship on plans prepared and orders given by Sampson. Even had Schley directed the general movement of the fleet in the battle, which it was unnecessary for him to do, that would have been b cause Of the preparation made by Sampson and within his general orders. The board proceeded along these we'll defined lines in making inquiry:
 i The relative positions of the American ships when CeIvera came out and through out tiic battle.
 J. The course of the Brooklyn immediately after the alarm.
 & The distance of the New York From the Colon when the Spanlard surrendered.
 1. The signals made by the Brooklyn.
 l preparation for an attempted escape of Ger vera.
 The findings of the board are sum- marked as follows:
 l. The battle was fought and won upon plans prepared by Rear Admiral Sampson
 ,. Any directing of the movements of the ships done by Schley during the battle. was inconsiderable. It was captains battle.
 3. The New York had no active part in the fight.
 1. The Brooklyn was not engaged at so close quarters as has been represented by the first reporSt On an average she was two miles from the enemy.
 5 The brunt of the fighting was borne by the Oregon, Iowa and Texas.
 $. The average range of the ships most en- gagged was about mile and a half.
 [. No American ship at any time during the battle was within q mile of an unsur- rendered Spanish ship.
 While charts were made and the bat tie fought over and over again, as on a chess board by the members showing the positions of all the ships on both sides of the entire conflict, the main dis cussion as far as could be learned in the navy yard was in regard to the Brooklyn and New York. According to the testimony the Brooklyn was ly- ing further out to sea than any of the fAiHel lSelh olllp7' holiC llCohSt III GU once and when about 2,000 yards from the Maria Teresa, which was leading the Spanish fleet out, she turned to the eastward, then doubled southward to sea for a short distance. Schley then followed the Spaniards keeping up a running fire. He was well outside the course of the American vessels and in the lead He kept this position, an av- craze distance of about two miles from the Colon, until that ship surrendered.
 The issues of the battle, the board learned, were not affected by any sig nals that Schley made from his flag ship. The Oregon dashed out from the very beginning of the engagement and kept within range of the enemy until the fight ended. The New York, the board finds, did nothing to affect the issue of the battle. When the Colon s flag came down the New York was nearly ten miles to the eastward. Sampson, on the New York, was near Siboney, where he heard the firing and turned about and came back as fast as a forced draught could bring him. The New York was further in-shore than any of the vessels, but too far away to assist any in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. She did not reach the Colon until three-quarters of an hour after the Oregon and Brooklyn and f1f- teen minutes after the Texas reached there. The Texas signalled the Vixen and the latter answered.
 At the time of the hottest fighting the Brooklyn was in line with the Oregon, but three-quarters of a mile further out to sea. The Oregon was pouring fire into the Maria Teresa. The elab- crate chart prepared by the board shows the positions of the ships at the time mentioned:
 9:3O q. m.-When Cervera came out.
 9.50 a m.-When the torpedo boat destroy CTS appeared - cd to run ashore.
 1O. 20 q. m.-When the Oquendo turned.
 10:3O a. m.-When the Furor blew up. 1l:OJ a. m-When the Vizcaya turned to run ashore.
 1:05 D. m-When the Colon surrendered. The navigators of the ships were se- lected for the board because they bet ter than any others knew the positions of the ships in the fight. The navigator is the actual sailing master. He is on the bridge nearly all the time of bat tie and it is his business to know just what the ship is doing and to keep an accurate record of her movements. ForPure Water and MILK.