The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-10-08
TO EXPLAIN MEANING OF
AMBIGUOUS DISPATCH.
CHANGE IN BROOKLYN'S LOG
The Subject Of Testimony by Com
mander Hodgeson, Navigator
of Schley's Flagship.

Washington, Oct. 4.-In the Schley
naval court of inquiry Mr.. Rayner,
chief of counsel for Admiral Schley,
asked Judge Advocate Lemly to sum
mon Admiral Sampson as a witness in
the case. The request grew out of a
difference in the construction of a
sentence in Admiral SIMPSONS letter
to Commodore Schley, written from
Key West May 20, while Commodore
Schley with the flying squadron lay
off C%ienfuegos. This is known as the
"Dear Schley" letter and it was print
ed in the navy department documents
supplied to the senate. The admiral
said, after expressing his opinion
that Notwithstanding the report that
the Spanish squadron was in Santi-
ago, it were better TO continue to
blockade Cienfuegos and Havana,
then continuing, he, said; "We shall
{ continue to hold Havana and Santi-
ago until we receive more positive
information"
q During the examination Of Com
mandef Raymond P. Rodgers, this
dispatch was under consideration
when Mr.. Rayner expressed the opin-
ion that the word Santiago had been
Inadvertently used by the command
er-in-chief, assuming that he meant
to use the word C%ienfuegos as better
corresponding with the context. AS
the document was printed there was
a parenthethical note, to which Ad-
miral Schley's initials were attached,
saying that evidently the wrong city
had been mentioned. Mr.. Rayner ask
ed Judge Advocate Lemly to make
this concession, but the latter declin-
ed to do so, saying that he would pro-
duce the original of Admiral Samp-
sons dispatch to prove that he had
said Santiago. Then Mr.. Rayner said:
81 cannot take that word Santiago
to mean anything but Cienfuegos. 1t
is an imputation upon Commodore
Schley and l cannot permit it to rest
without summoning the author of that
dispatch to which Captain Lemly
responded:
81 have told you once before you
can summon anyone you please"
'"Then," retorted Mr.. Rayner, "sum-
mon Admiral Sampson"
This occurred only a short time
before the adjournment of the court
for the day and was the subject Of
more or less conversation of an ami
mated character after the days work
was concluded. Mr.. Rayner would
only say that he would insist upon
the admiral's being summoned unless
the correction vas conceded. The
witnesses for the day were Lieut.. c.
w. Dawson, of the bureau of steam
engineering, concerning the coal sup
ply of the flying squadron; Command
er Raymond P. Rodgers, who was sec
ond in command of the battleship
Iowa during the Spanish war and
carried Admiral SIMPSONS dis
patches, May 20, to Commodore
Schley, and Commander Albion C.
Hodgeson, who was the navigator OF
the flagship Brooklyn.
While Commander Rodgers was on
the stand Mr.. Rayner submitted a
computation of shells from the Amer
lean fleet which had struck the wreck
ed vessels of Cervera's squadron
showing that at least "a per cent Of
them were fired by the Brooklyn
This computation Mr.. Rayner sale
had been prepared by Admiral Schley
upon the basis of a report made BY
a board of survey of which the wit
ness was the senior member. Com
mander Hodgeson gave a graphic
description of the battle off Santiago
describing the part taken in it by thu
Brooklyn and explaining the change
in the entry of that vessels log.
Washington, Oct. 5.-Only one ses
sion of the Schley court of inquiry
was held today. An adjournment un
til Monday was taken at l o'clock il
order to allow counsel to rest aftel
the arduous weeks labor. Practical
" the only witness of the day wa
Lieutenant Commander Albert c
Hodges, who was navigator of tn
flagship Brooklyn during the cam