Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-11-09
IN ITS LAST STAGES.
The End of the Famous Schley In
quiry Approaches.
Cross-ExaminatiOn of the Admiral
Is Completed-LastO of the Evidence
Heard - Mr.. Hanna Begins
the Argument.

Washington, Oct. 31.-The long ordeal to
which Admiral Schley has been subjected
since Monday morning ended Wednesday
afternoon when his DISCRIMINATION was
concluded and he was allowed to leave the
witness stand. When the judge advocate
finished the cross-examination shortly
after three o'clock the court propounded to
the admiral 81 questions prepared bs the
members Of the court These questions
touched many points of the campaign of
the flying squadron, but mainly conferred
about the difficulties encountered in coal
ing and the reasons for the retrograde
movement. Not one of them related to the
battle of Santiago
The judge advocates cross examination
Wednesday covered the retrograde move
ment, the reconnaissance of May 81, the
loop of the Brooklyn and the alleged coll
loquy with Lieut. .Hodgson about the Texas.
The cross-examination of Admiral Schley
on the battle of Santiago began with
question as to what the first movement of
the Brooklyn's helm was after the enemy's
ships were sighted coming out.
I'VE were heading west by NORTH he
replied. THE first helm was to port
Capt. Cook gave the order for the
turn?"
yes"
"You regard that turn as very impor.
tant. do you not7'
II think it was the movement that de-
clded the events of that day."
Admiral Schley, in response to question,
said he never heard of the Texas Incident
until six months after the battle He had
been under the impression until later that
the starboard engine of the Brooklyn was
backed to facilitate the turn. He recol-
lected distinctly that he warned Capt
Cook as the enemy approached that they
were going to ram him. He was closely
questioned as to the order which went be-
low Ito stand by to ram" In answer to
question he said he supposed the captain
CIT he 10 wa M a n
Does your letetr to the senate, dated
February IS, 1899, plead the precautionary
order of the department for not destroying
the Colon?"
Il should rather think that is the in
ference"
The admiral then at the request of the
Judge advocate read what he wrote to the
senate. The letter contained the precau-
tionary order of the department at the
opening of the war. He again explained a.
he had done before that when he wrote
his communication to the senate he did
not have all the records before him. He
omitted to mention in that communica-
ton, he said, Admiral Simpsons caution
at Key West. He had prepared it largely
from memory. In further support of his
position the admiral read the departments
instruction of July 49, specifically warning
the commander in chief against risking
armored vessels to the fire of land bat
teries. He was cross-questioned closely
as to all the orders bearing upon this Sub
ject. He said he had never seen until he
saw them In the report the orders of April
6 and Is modifying to some extent the orig
inal order. But he had been advised of
their purport.
The instruction was to go in to 1000
yards, and he thought until several days
afterward that the ships had gone In to
that distance. II directed the ships to
follow the flag, to operate against the
Colon and fire at the forts to develop them,
and L think the reconnaissance, SO far as
1t went, was eminehtly successful. The
batteries were developed, and the fact was
demonstrated that the enemy was in port.
With a squadron of only five or six ships,
L believe that only the strongest military
necessity would have justified me in risk
ing the loss of vessel that might have
reduced our squadron to a numerical in
feriority with the enemy. If one or two
of our ships had been crippled. the enemy
might have come gu. and engaged US with
disastrous results"
Capt. Lemiy at this point passed to the
battle Of July 3, stopping to ask one or two
incidental questions about the circum-
stances of the evening of July 2.
Now" said Capt Lemly, there appear
TO be three reasons why you made the turn.
Why did you make that turn?"
LAS l already stated IN my direct tes
timony, there is another very much more
important reason which you have not
asked, and that was that the ship might con-
| tinue in the action and beat the enemy
as we did. That was the controlling one
of ALL
One of the most interesting features of
| the day was the development of the fact
| that the report of the battle written by Adj
miral Schley July g. 1898. was not the orig
inal report. The original report never has
been published, and in accordance with
previous decision the court declined it to
| go into the record. Admiral Schley was
| allowed to explain, however, that Admiral
Sampson declined to receive the first re-
| port because it did not mention the pres
| ence of the New York. II felt that the
| victory at that time" said Admiral Schley,
! in explaining the matter, was big enough
| for all, and l made this change out of gen.
| erosity and because / knew If the New
York had been present she would have
done as good work as anybody else