Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-20
THEIRS NOT TO REASON WHY
Hodgson Denies that Controversy Arose in
Time Of Battle.
CONVERSATION WITH scHLeY IS RELATED
Lieutenant Commander Explains M
ture of His Remarks on Coming
Tower of Brooklyn During
Pursuit of Spaninrds.

WASHINGTON, June 19.-The occurrences
on the bridge of the Brooklyn during the
battle of July 3 having been the subject Of
a controversy in the newspapers, the Navy
department recently undertook an investiga-
ton OF the various allegations. Lieutenant
Commander Hodgson and Lieutenant Com
mander Hcilner who have figured in the
controversy, were 10th called en- for eX-
plantations of the utterances attributed to
them, ana the latter was directed to rep p1rt
for examination on this point to CAPTAIN
Chadwick at Boston. The department has
now given out for publication Captain Chad
wicks report on the matter. 1t is not yet
determined whether or not the answer OF
Lieutenant Commander Heilner will be
made public at this time. Captain Chad
wick's report is as fellows.
UNITED STATES STEAMSHIP NEW
YORK, BOSTON, Mass June Il 1S99.-To
the Secretary OF the Navy: In obedience to
your order of June l have to report. the
Following as the statement Of Lieutenant
Commander Hodgson as the conversation be-
tween Rear Admiral Schley and himself
during the action of July 3, 1898. He states
as follows:
"As we were approaching the Spanish
ships I heard Admiral Schley say port or
starboard several times to Captain Cook in
the coming tower, the admiral being On
the platform surrounding the coming tower.
l had been on the bridge above and was
Just coming down to report the position OF
the ships when l heard the admiral say,
hard a-port.' The Maria Teresa was then
hauling abaft our port beam. The Brr oklyn
was heading about northeast told the
admiral, or a. least suggested to him, that
the Texas was very close on our starboard
hand, and that turning to starboard would
bring us close to her. | don't know that
/ used the word collision | did not say
YOU mean starboard.' l intended him TO
understand there was danger of running
into the Texas. He said: 'All right or
words to that effect-I cannot repeat
verbatim.
When l knew he was going to turn to
starboard I suggested backing the starboard
engine in order to make a smaller circle,
and give the Texas wider berth, but he de
cided against that, as decreasing the speed
of the turn. He did not say, that know
of: we are near enough to them (the
Spaniards) already The only thing 1 gath
cred from what he said was that IL we
turned to port We should get so close that
we should expose ourselves to torpedo at
tacks I supposed he meant torpedo boats,
and replied to him that l had not seen
them"
Hodgson's Denial is Qualified.
Lieutenant Commander Hodgson states
that he did not intend to convey in his
note of denial, sent at the request OF
Admiral Schrey and published in the Wash
ington Post, the idea that no such colloquy
took place.
He states regarding this, as follows
Admiral Schley wrote NE enclosing an
editorial frcm a New York paper of June
l, asking me to write denial of what he
phrased ian oft-repeated calumny." He
says he has no recollection Of any such
conversation. l wrote a lengthy letter of
explanation, giving my recollection of the
conversation as near possible.
Admiral Schley wrote me saying There
is much in your letter which l should not
like to use, as it would provoke assault
upon you which would not like to happen
What l want to show Is that the dialogue
did not occur ,
Il then wrote a denial of the colloquy.
! certainly not intending to say that no such
colfoquy occurred but that it did not occur
as printed. At the same time l sent with
this an explanatory letter explaining to
Admiral Schley that the letter Of denial
was a denial Of the dialogue as 1t appeared
in print and that I had told the correspond
ent of the paper that the substance Of the
conversation was correct. In writing the
! letter l wished to refute the fact of any
, controversy occurring at critical stage Of
the battle. It, the letter, was a denial of
the words as they stood in the published
article, a denial of their literal correct
ness and not a denial of the substantial
correctness Of the statement.
Lieutenant Commander Hodgson attaches
with which the foregoing is given. Very
respectfully, F. E. CHADWICK,
Captain, United States Navy.
A. G. HODGSON,
Lieutenant Commander.