Evening star., 1901-10-28
could COAL
Admiral SchIey's Papers.

| said: Lieut.. w ellis mas teSt1Heu tnat youi
papers were gathered together and put into
| a box. What do you know about that?'
| Admiral Schley-'Perhaps 1 had better
| state the circumstances. After the squad
ron had returned to New York on the 20th
| I was taken down sick and was in bed for
| several days. About that time l was ap-
| pointed as one of the members of the Porto
| RiCan commission, and l did not get back
| from Washington until the 9th or 18th. l
| said to my secretary before leaving that
| wanted all papers relating to my command
| packed up in a box for transmission to the
| department, the regulations required. L
| think [ got back to New York about the
| 18th, day or two before sailing, and in
| moving the box that contained these papers
| went along with my baggage, and L Kept
| them in my hotel in Porto Rico unopened
| When my flag was hoisted on the Newark
| they were transferred to her and came TO
| New York and by some mistake or other
| they were not sent Finally l wrote Capt.
| Goodrich, and Capt. Goodrich sent me this
| box at the Everett in Washington. L open
! ed it to see if it was complete, and closed
/ it up. l think on the 9th or 9th of August
1 turned them over to the department. That
! is the reason why they were not immediate
| ly transferred. There was nothing retained
except the document which l presented to
| the court which got into an envelope among
| my personal papers.
Admiral Schley then addressed the court.
! and said he would like to add word, with
! the courts permission. to his account of
| the battle. about seeing the vessels he
i began. Il omitted to mention that the
| Vixen was to the west, and when the en-
| emy appeared she very properly took her
| place under the lee of the flagship, and
| continued in that position. A good deal of
| the time she was under fire and in very
| great danger and the only criticism which
| | should make would be that l think her
| commander exposed her more than there
| was any necessity for.
in relation to the hits he continued,
land particularly those found on the
| Brooklyn. | would like to say that the
Brooklyn was the only ship in the squadron
carrying 5-inch guns. Most of the others
| carried S-iDch guns and 6-pounders, so that
| it would be impossible to distinguish the
hits on the Spanish squadron from these
| ships. But the Brooklyn with her 5-inch
! guns scored about 36 or 81 per cent of the
hits upon the foreign ships. although she
| constituted but one-fifth of the fighting
force. She received thirty hits from the
Spanish squadron out of the forty-two that
| struck the American ships. or score of
about 40 per cent of the hits by the Spanish
| squadron. l think with that addition to
my testimony l have about concluded all
that ! care to say upon the subject on dl-
| rect examination
Cross-ExamfnationB begun.
Judge Advocate Lemly Immediately took
the admiral in hand. He asked him if
| there were any conferences between him
and the captains of the squadron regarding
| what should be done in case the enemy
| should appear
| Admiral Schley answered that there was,
| and mentioned a conference which he held
| with Capts. Higginson, Jewell, Sands and
| Cook.
The Judge misunderstanding more
| specifically, what instructions were given
| regarding the order of battle?' Admiral
| Schley replied: I'VE were talking first
about the propriety of keeping the torpe-
does charged. There was a good deal of
difference of opinion on this question. Some
were in favor of putting their metal heads
on and keeping them fused; others regard
| ed them as a menace, and the conference
| resulted in leaving the matter pretty much
in the discretion of each officer. In so far
as the Brooklyn was concerned we merely
| kept the torpedoes charged. Whether this
| was the case with all the others ! do not
recollect. 1 then stated that whenever or
wherever met the enemy the plan would
be to attack the leading vessels, devoting
the fire upon them; the others could be
taken care of later. That was the general
! instruction"
The judge advocate-''What instructions
| were given in meeting the enemy If the
ships were in line instead of in column
Admiral Schley-"I did not give any spe-
cifc instructions, because 1t would be i'm
possible to describe the conditions Of a bat
tie the contingencies of which could not be
foreseen. But 1 cannot conceive any en-
emy which would attempt to meet you in
line"
The judge advocate-"What further con-
sultation was there with the captains of
the fleet at any timer
Admiral Schley-"Off Santiago, after we
had located and discovered the position of
the Spanish fleet, there a conference
in which the form of the blockade and
method of attack If they should come out
| was discussed"
Q. (By the judge advocated: Was there
any prescribed order of battle? A. No.
Q. Was there any time to have given
such an order? A. Probably, yes.
| Q. When at Key West you say you
! learned that the coast about Cienfuegos
was almost wholly occupied by Spaniards?
A. did not say that. l said almost thor
oughly by Spaniards.
| q. Who informed you in regard to the
| situation at Cienfuegos-that it was almost
| thoroughly occupied by troops. l want to
know who they were. A. They were ordi-
nary citizens. / do not know who they
We're In view of the fact that 1 was the
commodore they talked to me in regard to
that matter.
Cienfuegos? A. I did not know where
would go. I supposed / would be operating
anywhere on the coast.
The Confidential Instructions.
| Q. Referring to the confidential instruc-
tions given you by the commander in-chief
at Key West, who was present at the in
terview between you and the commander
in-chief at that time? A. Capt. Chadwick
was in the cabin, but whether he was there
all the time / do not recall. But Admiral
Sampson and myself were there
, Q. When was this? A. This was on the
afternoon of the 18th of May. I think. At
all events. Admiral Sampson had come into
the harbor, and had taken his position and
anchored his squadron, and had gone off
to my ship for the purpose of carrying out
| the instructions given by Commodore
Remey, directing me to take position In
| front of Havana
| O. Did he give you any all these In
2 | structious (referring to Admiral Sampson)i
1 A. He merely stated to me the nature OF
, | these confidential instructions and I rec
, | ollect that we had some conversation abou,
, the character of the fortfications. / re.
| member mentioning the kind Of guns thai
!, | were supposed to be used in the forti
fications OF Cuba about that time.
: | Q. Was Capt. Chadwick present? A.
| cannot state that he was present all The
! time. A part of the time he was there
: The admiral and l talked over a grea
| many matters, and it is very difficult
, | matter to remember three years and foul
: | months afterward all the incidents of tht
, | conversation and who was present unles!
!. ! there was something very striking to i'm
| ioni 1artS ON, ind