The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-07
scHLEY HAD OTHER ORDERS.
WAS INSTRUCTED To LEAVE CIEN-
FUEGOs SAYS LONG.

Depnrtment Was Not thlorWeu oA
.be Cienfuegos Orders Until Feb.
o-Tbe Secretary Says SchIey Mis-
took SIMPSONS Signal.
wsshington, March 6.--The Senate COM"
n,ttse on naval affairs, to-day made public
secretary Longs second letter in the
sampson-schley controversy this com
munication being in reply to Admiral
sohleys letter.
The first matter which the secretary
takes up is Admiral Schley's mention of
Admiral SIMPSONS letter of May 20, which
rbe secretary says seems to have given
4 certain senators the impression that the
department has withheld that letter On
this point he says;
4 First That this letter was not in the
possession of the department on Feb. 6,
nor was its existence known to the depart
ment at that time.
Second. That it was in the possession
of Admiral Schley until Feb. g. when il
was sent to the department, upon its re-
quest to be furnished with all official re-
cords relating to his duty as commander
ln-chief of the flying squadron, and as a
flag officer in the North Atlantic feet.
Third. That in its instructions with re-
gard 10 maintaining the blockade of Glen
4 fuegos it was not more explicit than the
letter of Admiral Sampson of May 10,
which accompanied the communication of
The department of Feb. 6, and which is
published in the appendix to the report of
the bureau of navigation on page 464.
Sent schIey other Orders.
Fourth. That on May q, the day after
it was written, Admiral Sampson sent or
ders to Commodore Schley, in duplicate,
by the Hawk and Marblehead, which or
4 ders were received by Commodore Schley
during the early forenoon of the 23d aud
24th respectively. directing Commodore
schley to proceed with all dispatch, but
cautiously to Santiago, if satisfied that
the Spanish squadron was not at Cienfue-
gos The set of these orders sent by the
Hawk was received on the same day as
the letter of the 10Th, and bearing the later
day, May p, of course, revoked the in
structions to blockade Cienfuegos, con-
tained in the letters of the 18th and goth.
Fifth. That in obedience TO these in
gtracrions the flying squadron left Glen
fuegos on the afternoon of the 24th but
did not reach the immediate vicinity of the
port of Santiago until the morning of the
18th Of May"
The secretary quotes the admiraPs ref
erence TO the departments order received
by him on May q, directing him TO posi-
lively ascertain if Cervera's fleet was in
Santiago harbor and not to allow him to
leave Santiago, if found certainly to be
there, without decisive action, gives
the admirals reply in full, and says:
Started to GO to Key West.
1T will be seen that Rear Admiral
Sehley's statement to the Senate does not
SHOW that he started to return to Key
Nestand slgnalled to the squadron to that
elect, and so informed the department,
and 1t might be inferred that he immedi-
ately obeyed that order, and ascertained
tne presence of the enemy at Santiago. On
tne contrary, his telegram above, dated
May % and written May 27- shows that
tnough having just received the telegram
u lhe department and having on hand
euIncient supply of coal to return to Key
west he reported that he could not obey
I Ule order and continued to proceed toward
Aey west. However, it later became evil
oeu' ' 70 MN that this was unnecessary
ana he resumed the movement toward
Santiago"
says He MistOok the Signal
another point in Admiral Schley's letter
- 'o1ched upon in the following manner
Admlral Schley's mention of the signal
~ Auihiral Sampson at S:45 a. M. July s.
disregard movements of the commander
iin-elliel toward Siboney is followed by an
Incorrect Inference 10 wit: This left ME
sTnior officer present, and necessarily
oo'ned me with the responsibilities Of
uonlnand' The signal above mentioned is
oue winch is frequently made in squadron.
oi,,., ,,a - never held as in any sense a reln-
fa''ni'ieht OF command. 1t is made where
eie,asy sy reason the flagship leaves it's as
'e"eu position in formation, as was the
,e rse Whcn the New York left her habjtual
S'ooAadlhg station the morning of .Iuly q
" such tlme 1t is made to avoid confusion
""ich would result If other vessels fixing
sht pOsilons by reference to the flag
,H.p were to move with her. Without fur
v.oI,,S 5ishai the responsibility of command
ba,, 49, hot pe shifted until the senior officer
'ar, 1r gone out of signal distance
lowing: 0iuueS with the fol-
ne department furnishes the foregoing
ca.eineht co-,.1l only to complete the record. in
t-"pilahce with the request of tbe sem
Vi Jan. %. Desiring to do AdmiraIs
,t t1t"pson and Sch.ey fun Justice far SER
t.oD ~ leh1ered' ' 1t has, after full considera-
ia ~ al the circumstances recommended
pa 'S94NSul lnSlr promotion f0 the
ne OF rear admiral, and begs To ex-
ia ~ H. 'ne nope that his recommendation
the Se.e same effect may be confirmed by
sigsbee Also Heard From.
annexed to the letter from tha soo,.o.,.,,
rofDa' one from Capt. sigsbee, in reply to Ad-
llrnuy oenleys reference to himself as
liiilaHaer 80, OF the scout steamer 81 PAM
t1o'lhg ,1o, l him as authority for the opinion
barbos Eeras heet was not in Santiago
'ad20r, 'i,gn On this point, sigsbee saws:
MO, "nat actually said to the admira,
as h,',n mat Pilot Nunez had first expressed
yero,n Dgliet that such large vessels as Ger
ssn d ; cruisers could not get into sanu-
Uso' v, because Of their lenth, but he after
rbo GU "a ADMITTED that they might get in with
Very officer on board the ST. PAM
Sl SHeW that l believed Cervera 10 ba a.
,@nuasoi nevertheless / considered Mn
hez opinion" eN Nu-
,b ne says that he first saw the feet in
ana narpor May 29, and signalled Soh,ev.
w nile / had mot Ir,au..