The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-05
TRYING TO
CALL SAMPSON
Admiral SchIey's Counsel Wishes
to Have HimSummoned to TeS-
tify as to Construction of Sen
tence in His Letter
MATTER WAS THEME
FOR LIVELY DISCUSSION

Mr.. Rayner Would Merely Say Al
ter Court Adjourned That He
Would Insist on Having Admiral
Summoned Unless Point Was
Conceded
Washington, Oct. Ain the Schley
Naval Court of Inquiry, Mr.. Rayner,
chief of counsel for Admiral Schley,
asked Judge Advocate Lemley to sum
mon Admiral Sampson as a witness in
the case.
The request grew out of a difference
in the construction of sentence in
Admiral SIMPSONS letter to Commo-
dore Schley written from Key West,
May 20, while Commodore Schley with
the Flying Squadron lay off Cienfue-
COS. This is known as the Dear
Schley letter" and it is, as printed in
the navy department documents, sup
piled to the Senate.
The admiral said, after expressing
his opinion that Notwithstanding the
report that the Spanish squadron was
in Santiago, it were better to continue
to blockade Cienfuegos and Havana.
I'VE shall continue to hold Havana
and Santiago until we receive more
positive information"
During the examination OF Com
mander Raymond P. Rodgers, this dis
patch was under consideration When
Mr.. Rayner expressed the opinion that
the word Santiago had been inadver-
tently used by the commander-in-ch
assuming that he meant to use the
word Cienfuegos, as better correspond
ing with the contents. AS the doeu-
ment was printed there was paren-
thetical note to which Admiral Schley's
initials were attached saying that evil
IDENTIFY the wrong city had been mem
toned.
Mr.. Rayner asked Judge Advocate
Lemley to make this concession, but
the latter declined to do SO, saying
that he would produce the original of
Admiral SIMPSONS dispatch to prove
that he had said Santiago. Then Mr..
Rayner said;
Il cannot take that word Santiago
to mean anything but Cienfuegos; 1t
| is an imputation upon Commodore
/ Schley and 1 cannot permit it to rest
without summoning the author of that
| dispatch" To which Capt. Lemley re-
| sponded:
Il have told you once before you can
summon any one y please"
Then" retorted !fr. Rayner, sum
mon Admiral Sampson"
| This occurred only short time be-
| fore the adjournment of the court for
the day, and was the subject of more
or less conversation Of an animated
character after the days work was
F, concluded.
Mr.. Rayner would only say that he
would insist upon the admirals beint
summoned unless the correction wal
conceded.
/ The witnesses for the day were
Lieut.. C, w. Dyson, Of the bureau o.
steam engineering, concerning the Goa
supply of the flying squadron; Com
|mander Raymond P. Rodgers. who was
second in command of the battleshiI
Iowa during the Spanish war and car
ried Admiral SIMPSONS dispatches OF
May 20 to Commodore Schley, and
! Commander Albion C. Hodgson, who
was the navigator of the flagship
| Brooklyn.
| While Commander Rodgers was on
| the stand, Mr.. Rayner submitted a
computation in relation to the shells
! from the American fleet which had
struck the wrecked vessels of Cervera' S
| squadron, showing that at least 81 per
cent of them were fired by the Brook
lyn This computation, Mr.. Rayner
said, had been prepared by Admiral
! Schley upon the basis of report
made by a board of survey of which
| the witness was the senior member.
! Commander Hodgson gave a graphic
| description Of the battle off Santiago,
| describing the part taken in 1t by the
Brooklyn and explaining the change In
the entry of that vessels log.
The court began its proceedings
with the recall Of witnesses, who were
on the stand yesterday, for corrections
of and additions to previous testimony,
after which they were excused and
new witnesses were introduced
Lieut.. Dyson, who was on the stand
yesterday when the court adjourned,
was recalled. He had added to his
coal history of the fleet information as
to how long the supply of coal on hand
May &c would have held out under
forced draught. The information was
contained in a chart, whichwas read
by Judge Advocate Lemly.
The chart covered the period from
May Is to June 1 and showed that on
May 26 the Brooklyns supply was 952
the Marblehead 122 tons.
He said that on May "a the Brooklyn
had coal enough aboard to have re-
manned on blockade duty off Santiago
for rs days, and then to have returned
to Key West: the Massachusetts
enough to remain II days and then 60
to Key West the Iowa enough for II
days; the Texas, seven days, and the
Marblehead one day. This was assum-
, ing that they would have gone by the
i Yucatan channel
Mr.. Raynor brought out the informa-
ton that under forced draft the Amer
| lean ships with the supply of coal they
had on May 26 could have sustained q
chase of the enemy's vessels respective
ly as follows; Brooklyn, 2.3 days, Iowa
IL days, Texas "a of a day, Marble
head 2-l0ths of day, while the Massa.
/ chusetts, at Is knots an hour, could
have chased the enemy for 1.S days
| This would leave each vessel with only
enough coal to return to Key West, af-
| ter the chase.
The witness said, in reply to ques-
! lions that his statement contemplated
average conditions of weather and Of
! the vessels.
| Lieut. Dyson was followed on tht
stand by Commander Raymond p
Rodgers, who was executive officer OF
I the battleship Iowa during the summer
of 1898. He testified to leaving Key
West on May 20 for Cienfuegos TO joir
the flying squadron.
At that time he was told by Admlra
Sampson that he had received informa
ton from the department at Washing
ton that the Spanish fleet. under Ger
vera, was probably in the harbor a
Santiago. He. however. had not beer
informed of any secret code for com
munication with the cuban insurgents
near Cienfuegos. He had, he said TAX
en- disDatchas for Comm odore Gchiav