The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-12

tfago by starting for Key west TOT coti Or whether his disobedience of orders in | that instance was justified: whether he was too far off when he bombarded the Santiago forts and one of Cervera's ves- sels; whether he was running away from the Spaniadrs when he was making the l loop, or whether he was making a good | tactical move in doing so, and finally what it thinks about the whole cam | paign. But this will not be binding on | the friends of either Schley or Sampson. | They will be at liberty, and doubtless the discussion from the beginning of the ] miserable chapter to the end thereof. | Navy officers may refrain. from public
 comments out of respect for the naval
 recrimination will undoubtedly continue l until this generation dies out. It has al- | ways been so in the case of army or navy | feuds.
 Although the court of inquiry is sup l posed to be organized merely for the | purpose of ascertaining the facts, 1t IS | of Navigation. of which Capt Arranf
 Schuyler Crowninshield is the head, VII VIII appear for the purpose of trying to sub
 uiated by himself Admiral Sampson, Capt French E.. Chadwick. the com
 mander of Sampson.s flagship; Leut. n; one C or two other officers who have not attained the prominence in the aHalr tnat has been accorded to those already men,
 The precept, or order directing the con- vening of the court, amounts substan- tlally to ar
 Indictment of Admiral Schley.
 In issuing it.. Secretary Long said; The the circumstances bearing upon the sub feet of the investigation hereby ordered, and to this end, besides orally all proper witnesses whose attendance can be secured, will call upon the department for all documentary evidence in relation
 thereto on its files"
 While the. Secretary relies upon the animation into this matter full ana com plete as requested by Admiral Schley.
 he took the liberty in directing the con vening of the court to suggest the points upon which he desires special investiga-
 ton. The points he has enumerated are a. condensation of, the various charges toned, either in the form of official com munications, newspaper and magazine articles. or in public interviews. The Is mentioned in the second article of the
 precept. It relates to the movements of the flying squadron under command of May. 1898. The substance of this charge
 Is that he remained there after he had receiver orders to proceed with all
 The so-called Bureau of Navigation | clique in making continents upon his con. duct off that Cuban port, generally failed to mention the fact that the so-called orders to go to Santiago made his going contingent upon the satisfaction of nim- self that the Spanish fleet was not Tn | that harbor. Schley's friends declare that his apparent hesitation in .obeying that indefinite order is due to the fact that
 he had not been able to communicate
 with the Cuban insurgents, which in-
 ability arose from the fact that Admiral Sampson had failed to communicate to SchIey the code of signals agreed upon be- tween himself and the Cuban insurgents. The insurgents displayed signals evinc- ing a desire to communicate with Schley:
 but he paid no attention to them until
 Captain McCalla, the commander or the Marblehead, arrived and told him their significance. Upon the receipt of this
 knowledge, Schley placed himself in com,
 munication with the Cuban rebels, and
 learned definitely that Ceryera's squad
 ron was not there. Within six hours
 after the receipt of the knowledge
 brought by Captain McCalla, Schley was
 directs that the court inquire into the
 propriety of the movements off the har-
 bor of Cienfuegos.
 Another charge also mentioned in the
 precept Is that Schley was exceedingly
 slow in moving from Cienfuegos to
 Santiago. He made not much more than
 was designated as one of the kind that
 flies Schley's explanation Is that he
 was hampersd by the old hulk of col
 Her, afterward brought into celebrity by
 the fact that Hobson sank her near the channel leading into Santiago harbor.
 He had no authority to abandon her or \,
 name, was also very slow ship
 The most important charge, so import
 ant Is it that two articles of the precept
 are devoted to 1t. is that relating to
 schley's Turn Westward | from Santiago toward the Yuactan chan
 nel with the intention of passing through | it to Key West, there to coal his vessels. | Secretary Long desires the opinion of the | court on this retrograde turn westward | and departure from Santiago and the pro- rfafx- la ala fn | 'the circumstances attending, and the | reasons for. the diIobedience by Commo- | dore Schley of the orders of the depart ment directing him to remain off Sanai- ago and maintain a close blockade. It is
 upon this movement toward Key West
 that Admiral Sampson one, week after weeks after 1t was made, Eased his official report that Schley was guilty of repre-
 hensiblc conduct and ought to have been
 The answer of Admiral Schey will be
 first, that the weather was too rough to
 coal his squadron from the collier Merri- mac; second, that the Merrimac was dis
 abled; third. that he was not at all cer-
 tain, neither was the department, that
 Cervera was in Santiago harbor. In fact, Captain Sigshee reported to him that he
 had been cruising around the vicinity of
 the mouth of the harbor for a week, but
 had been unable to discover any signs of
 the enemy; fourth that he elected to go
 westward instead of around Cape Maysi,
 at the eastern extremity of Cuba, because all the advices of the department which
 had reached him, as we'll as a long letter from Admiral Sampson, indicated that the destination of Cervera was either Cien- fuegos or Havana, at either of which places he could unload the munitions of
 war which he brought for the Spanish forces shut up in Havana. He knew that Sampson was coming back from his fruitlesS trip to San Juan, Porto Rico, and would pass along the north coast of Cuba. so that if Cervera decided to go northward through the Mona passage he would fall in with Sampson somewhere southeast of the peninsula of Florida. If Cervera made a dash for Cienfuegos or Havana, either from Curacoa, the place he had been last definitely located or from Santiago, where Sampson knew he was supposed to be, the Spanish com mander would fall in with Schley's squad ron. and in either event the enemy could not escape without a decisive action.
 On this westward movement is based the charge of disobedience of orders. There is a dispute as to the phraseology or the communication sent by Schley on which this charge is based. The depart ment says he wired: Regret orders of department cannot be obeyed. Must go te Key West for coal" Schley says he teleRraphed: Much to be regretted or ders Of department cannot be obeyed. nave striven earnestly. Must go to Key West for coal"
 schley sailed westward for the greater pa or the day. when, he alleges, the weather moderated, repairs to the Merri- mac were completed, and he found that he could coal his squadron at sea. He not only found that he could do so, but actually dCcOmDlishad fhe fact and re-