The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-11-01


miles. in fact, and cruise icisureiy
about until morning. when the status
OF the day before would be iehabiiit
ed. It IS now announced with some
thing OF flourish by the Sampson al
mirers--or at their instigation-that
the moment Sampson assumed com
mand the ships were made to hold
their places day and night No fall
ing back for Sampson He was right
there all the time. He had every
thing planned, so the enemy had to
4 fight his way, and so on, and so FORTH
and all the rest of It.
Pausing just long enough to sug-
gost that II these claims be well
founded, and Sampson did, indeed
compel Cervera to accept his terms, It
could never have beer Sampson's plan
10 be in the fight at all, we proceed to
ask for information on the general
subject of blockades. It does not
appear that Sampson altered the for
nation as Schley had It ur'ng the
day, or, If so whether he altered it
materially. Neither have we yet been
able to imagine more than one eff
fective formation where the coast
line runs straight as the cu-hion of a
pool table and the mouth Of the har-
Dor is for all Sic world like tie mid
die pocket. The exit being at right
angles with the shore, and given good
water for running either to tine right
or to the left, how could Schley, or
Sampson. or anybody else have adopt.
ed any alternative save that of fat
tened semicircle so as to close every
avenue of escape? What, thea, was
Schley's formation when Sampson
reached Santiago, and in Whit respect
was it amended so as to make il
triumph of ingenuity and wisdom al
most superluman? If Schley had al
ready adopted the Obvious II not the
Indispensable plan of blockade before
Sampson reached the scene. why all
this inane uproar over Simpsons in
spired arrangement--an arrangement
which foresaw everything. provided
for everything. and made it "samp-
SOUS fight at every points Was
there, as matter of fact, any inn
portant difference between Schley's
and SIMPSONS daylight dispositions
except, perhaps, the item which coli
templates schley's presence and per
mitted Simpsons absence When the
long expected and preordained sortie
took place?
But Sampson made radical change
In one respect He stopped the with
drawal at night and held the day
time formation continuously Was
the change for the better? Nothing
happened upon which we can base
satisfactory conviction. We have Of
ten heard it boasted by sampson's
choristers that it would have been
simply impossible for Cervera to 90
out on a dark night, because Samp-
sons flashlights would have 80 illumi-
mated the narrow exit as to iaaue the
annihilation Of the Spanish vessels
by our batteries and without the
slightest risk That is as may be.
We 30 not pretend to know. At all
events, the expedient kept the Span
lah fleet inside, which, judging from
his attempt TO block the channel by
sinking the Merrimac, was exactly
what Sampson wanted in his heart.
There is non Sampson aspect of the
chase, however. which seems to call
for respectful Hct.ce. The British ma
val expert sent here to observe the
war, Captain Alfred Paget, r. ~, was
frequently heard saying that the
night withdrawal was entirely proper
and correct On many occasions he
stated IN the presence of responsible
witnesses that such was the inyar.
able practice in the English navy
when blockading foreign port His
argument was that II assured safety
from torpedoes without in the least
increasing the chances OF the enemy's
escape. since an effective scout serv
Ice could always summon the block
aailg neet n, time.
And there you are. Sampson
claims everything, but unless he
wanted 20 he out OF signaling distance
when the engagement took l'tee he