Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-10-23

the flrSt OF the orders of this chardc-
ter stated that the department does
not wish the vessels of your squadron
TO be exposed to the fire of the batter
les ut Havana, Santiago or other
strongly fortified ports in Cuba" and
the others Frere regarded as modfica-
tons OF these. In the last of these,
dated May 6, the department said:
The department is perfectly willing
that you should cXrose your ships to
the heaviest guns of land batteries If.
| in your opinion there ar. Spanish YES
sells of sufficient military importance
protected by these guns to make an IL
tack advisable, your chief aim for tho
present being the destruction of IN.
cnemy's present vessels"
After having read th,s.. different dis
patches tho witness was asked hy
capt. i."mly: can You separate your
knuWi"t!4t. with regard to the CONVEX
aatiun With Commodore, Sc;lley so as Ia
distinguish between either of the two
orders or both oi these orders and as
To whether on not ANYTHING was said
with regard 20 the receipt of informa-
tion il relation to these letters here
= Il
| trrvieW OF May IS, in Key West
No. sir. cannot distinguish be
tween any of them. ] have given my
general remembrance, which is that
| he orticr was not to risk the ships"
In reply to questions by capt Lelnly
he witness said there had been no
written or printed order Of battle but
that on the day before Cienfuegos was
reached some special directions We're
sent to the ships by the Scorpion This
vas. he said. order No. .. relating to
signals in case the enemy should be
sighted. This order was then read.
The witness answered several uues-
tions put by the court as follows:
AT what period of the battle Of July
. aid you use range of 100 yards?'
That was at about the beginning of
what is known as the turn; not the be-
ginning but after the turn had begun.
should say.
AT what point Of the chase did you
estimate the Colon to be 10000 yards
distant from the BROOKLYN" When
the Niscaya went ashore"
Lieut.. Wells was then excused and
|
TONED by Capt. Parker and said that
he had been a yeoman OF second class
on board the Brooklyn during the San
tiaso campaign and had been the writ
er OF that ships loG. He had made the
entry concerning the battle Off Santia-
so and he produced copy of the rough
log which he made for his own use.
The witness said that as the log Civ
ing an account of the Brooklyns turn
had been at first prepared. il read: We
engaged with port battery at first. but
westward we put our helm starboard
at first. then hard aport, so as to bring
our starboard battery to bear and
swing clear Of the Texas fire We stood
parallel with and TO the enemy"
This entry had, he said. been changed
later 1T the instance of Lieut. Hodsson
50 as to make il read as il does in the
permanent copy as follows: "As soon
as the enemy stood 10 the westward we
put our helm hard aport swinging
clear of the Texas" etc.
Mr.. Mason then retired and George
Edward Graham. The Associated Press
questioned by Mr. Rayner and said he
had been on the Brooklyn from March
% to Aug. 70. 1898.
Mr.. Graham was then Questioned
concerning the conversation between
Commodore Schley and Captain Sigs-
bee on the occasion of the CAPTAINS
visit to the Brooklyn on May 2s as fol-
lows:
Did You see Captain Sigsbee on
board the Brooklyn on May 26th?"
Yes. SIR
Did you hear him in conversalion
with Commodore Schley?" Yes. sir"
can You give us what that conver-
sation was?" After he had reached the
quarter deck gangway he stopped and
commodore Schlcy said to him. Have
We got EN-. Sigsbee?' Captain Sigsbec
said: No. they are not here. ] have been
here for week ana they are not
here"
rs that the whole of the convcrsa-
lion as YOU recollect?" No. sir, we
went aft. further back OF the quarter
.eck. and he continued the conversa-
ion. Commodore Schley said: Are you
,ure they are not in there? Sigsbce
'eplied: I have been very close to the
larbor entrance two ~ three times
'aptain Cotton has been in and cut a
able and they are not there
You heard Sissbee say that" Yes.
sir. ] took some part in the conversa-
ion
Did you record that conversation
md did capt. Sigsbee know you re-
,urded it?'' Captain SigSbee knew |
vas newspaper man and was there
o0king for information. and Captain
,igsbcc later took a dispatch written
~ me and vised by Commodore Schley.
lie took II aboard his ship and was to
ieliVer i'to one of the small boats or
'lse t. e it over himself
~ Capt. Sigsbee took that dis
,at,n?'' Yes. sir. II was open. II
detailed the fact that the feet was
Tot there
do YOU remember the reconnais-
,ince Of May 31?'' Yes, sir. I was
board the Massachusetts.
Were YOU present at any converse
ion between Commodore Schley and
apt. Higginson in the pilot house of
Continued on page 81 N;