The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-10
HOT SHOT FOR SCHLEY
POTTS TESTIMONY
THE sEVEREsT YET.
WITNESS WAS VERY POSITIVE.
HE DwELLS ESPECIALLY ON THE
COLON BOMBARDMENT.


der Extreme Mental Excitement,
and Like One Who Had n Dis
agreeable Duty to Perform-Renr
Admiral Taylor Makes an Impair
tjaI Witness-He Saw No Attempt
to Ram the BrOOklyn-Rayne
Succeeds in Getting in Secretary
Longs order Against Exposing
Vessels to Fire of Fortified Forts.
Washington. Oct. 9.-In the Schley
naval court of inquiry to-day Lieut..
Mark L. Bristol completed his testi-
mony, which was begun yesterday. and
three new witnesses we're introduced.
They were Rear Admiral Henry c.
Taylor, who, as captain, commanded
the battleship Indiana during the war
with Spain; Lieutenant Commander
Templin NJ. Potts, who was navigator
of the battleship Massachusetts, during
that period, and Lieut.. Edward f.
Leiper, who was on the New Orleans
during the war, the last named being
still on the stand when the court ad-
journed for the day.
During Commander Potts examina-
ton Mr.. Rayner secured permission
from the court to introduce as evidence
the order of Secetary Long to Admiral
Sampson, dated April 6, in which he
was admonished against the exposure
of the American vessels to the fire of
strongly fortified ports. The para
graph in that order which he especial
ly wished to have considered reads as
follows:
THE department does not wish the
vessels of your squadron to be ex-
posed to the fire of the batteries at
Havana, Santiago de Cuba or other
strongly fortified ports in Cuba, unless
the more formidable Spanish vessels
should take refuge within those har-
bors. Even in this case the depart
ment would suggest that rigid block
ade and employment of our torpedo
boats might accomplish the desired OBJ
ject, viz, the destruction of the enc
my's vessels, without subjecting un-
necessarily our own men-of-war to the
fire of the land batteries"
This dispatch also contains the fol-
lowing order:
1.-The department further desires that
in case of war you will maintain a
strict blockade of Cuba, particularly
at the ports of Havana, Matanzas, and,
if possible, of Santiago de Cuba, Man
zanillo and Cienfuegos''
Disagrees With SchIey.
Lieut. Bristol was questioned by Mr..
Rayner concerning the distance out of
the blockading ships at Cienfuegos, but
he declined to change his estimate of
yesterday, that it was from eight to
ten miles distant from the harbor.
Mr.. Rayner read Commodore Schley's
report as to the blockade off Cienfue-
gos. in which he said: "A line of
miles off shore at Cienfuegose," and
asked:
THAT is not a correct statement of
the Commodore's, is it?"
1.-The statements 1 made are what
thought. and what 1 believe to be right.
do not questions other peoples
words"
Speaking of the weather during the
cruise of the Flying Squadron from
Cienfuegos to Santiago, the witness
said there were fresh breezes and that
boat could, he said, have been lowered
at any time during the voyage.
Mr.. Rayner asked the witness wheth-
er there had been any menace to any
of the American ships on July 8 from
the shore batteries.
Lieut. Bristol replied that there was
danger to the Gloucester because that
vessel was unarmored. He said that
he did not consider the New York in
danger.
Distances of the BROOKLYN.
At the request of Mr.. Rayner the
witness made measurements from his
chart to show the distance the Brook
lyn was from the Spanish ship during
the fight off Santiago. The reply was:
1.-THE distance of the Oquendo from
the Brooklyn. taken from the chart just
before the turn is 4,600 yards, the
Maria Teresa 3,700 yards. Taken from
the chart when the Maria Teresa and
Oquendo were about to run ashore,
which is practically the nearest point,
the Oquendo was $500 yards from the
Brooklyn and the Maria Teresa 5000
yards"
Quoting Lieutenant Commander
Hodgson's statement that the shortest
range of the Brooklyns guns in the
battle was 1400 yards and her greatest
$500 yards, and referring to the fact
that a number of the Brooklyn's 5-inch
shells had struck the Spanish ships,
Mr.. Rayner asked a number of ques-
tions for the purpose of showing that
If the distance was as great as the
chart shows and the guns were set for
the range given, IL would have been
irnpossible for the shots to go to the
mark.
The Judge advocate asked: "How
far would have been the Brooklyn
from the leading Spanish ships just
emerging from the harbor Of Santiago.
nrovided she had Immediately started
ahead at twelve knots?"
In reply the witness gave figures to
show that she would have been 5000
wards off at the first shot.
The court asked: Did you hear any
dring at or near Cienfuegos on the day
the Flying Squadron arrived on that
port?"
Nv the court: "While on the passage
90 Santiago from Cienfuegos were any
sienais made by either the Vixen or
E,sole requesting the commander-in-
chlef 10 decrease the speed of the
sauadron?"
mot that I know Of"
70, tho court: "Do you know that
orv orders were signalled to the fleet
~ the brooklyn during the battle Of
'e'F From my own personal observation.
l do not know.
Pear Admiral Taylor, In reply TO
,,,,sstton from Capt. Lemly as TO
whether he had observed the posiuon