The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-27

gave no further thought or attention
TO the message other than to assure my
self that the outcome Of the euEaE cement
should be communicated to the Navy De
partment at the earliest practical mo-
ment-
4 must say. Z / had dictated the mes
sage myself, ! should have expressed the
facts differently. Anyway. it IS a most
trivial matter, and Is not worth a mo-
intHL consideration. ana want YOU dis
tGCtly to understand that while should
have sent different message If 1 had
either dictated it or had time to give the
message more consideration ! am not
attempting in the least to shift the re-
-SponSIOllity for this MESA Ee to any other
person read it and approved it. and &C
cept the fun responsibility for it
As to the blockade Schley had insti-
tuted; did 1t meet your approval of what
blockade should be2T
Now you are touching on subject
which l do not want TO discuss. I viii
say however, that the blockade which /
esta blished upon nay arrival essentially
differed from the one which SChIey had
instituted. l would rather not say any
thing more on that subject
Although the admiral was evidently re-
iuctant to discuss the subject further, he
added:
of course, I was not an eyewitness to
Schley'S blockade as II was maintained
during the few days prior to my arrival.
Inc only Official information that l have
on the subject Is contained in the official
records to which you and everyone else
may have access fo- the asking. / did
and 1t expedient, however, shortly after
my arrival to issue an order of blockade
distributing the force in a ser=i-cirCle,
with the entrance 10 the haTbOT as the
centre. having a radius of SIX miles an
the daytime and a less radius at night
After bombardinE the batteries and dis
covered their weakness this radius was
decreased. Il vessel WAS stationed with her
searchiight lighting the entrance and ali
that part OF the haTbOT visible from the
entrance 50 that no SOTtie could have
been attempted without having been dis
covered long before the enemy reached
the entrance
Assurance was made doubly sure by
Stationlng at night picket line OF small
vessels IN Senl-ciTCle well inside the
lighting line and q third semj-circle of
ships launches still further inside I am
of the opinion that none. of these things
was done previous to this time, but
neither or not the blockade previous 10
this time was efficient you must, as I say,
form your opinion from the official rec
ords.
There is also a most interesting and
presumably authentic pamphlet that has
been published by the Office Of Naval In
tglligenCe which is the diary OF Spanish
officer VINO was stationed IN Santiago
throughout the blockade. who remarks
fleet some time around twilight each
Right up to the time OF the
arrival Of the New York ard oregon.
and on the night following their arrival
ships came closer 10 the entrance instead
Of disappearing. as had been hitherto the
. case cannot and must not. however,
cT1uclSe the blockade eSta bllShed preVl-
Gus to my arrival. but only quote the OBJ
seTvaions Of others, from which you
must draw your conclusions
"ODe other thing, admiral. admiral
Schiey in a recent interview said that the
Brooklyn inflicted IS per cent of the dam
age done the Spanish ships and received
Il per cent of the injuries sustained by
3 he IDS -ug 81 ron
Il do not wish {" criticiSs Scbley or any
Of his statements / do not want to be
: brought into any discussion IN which ne
/ Is involved HIS statement may be per
lily true The exact figures are UDlm-
portsnt. 7 viii repeat now what said be
foTe-that the Brooklyn did excellent work
in the battle To the best Of my recOlleC-
ton. L have never criticised the Brooklyn
except for her initial movement, which
in my opinion took her too far to the
Z southwark This. in my opinion. was an
error Of Judgment. I do not wish TO say
anything more on that subject
one OF your aptains.Captain Evans.
Of the Iowa-has recently been subjected
TO criticism for fighting the battle from
within the coming tower Of that vessel,
though all the rest of the commanding
officers took stations 90 the bridge OF the
Z top Of the turreL+
''yVhatever Evans may have done the
proper place for a man commanding
vessel which is fitted with a coming. tow
ct is within that coming tower If he can
control the vessel from within as we'll as
Without The tactical value of the cap
tain-s life makes IL an imperative duty for
him 10 protect that life. not from person
al reasons, but on account Of his import
/ ance to the vessel This IS a fact accept
ed oy all naval authorities. as shown by
the fact that coming towers are fitted on
all ships that are designed to take their
place in the line of battle
There is an instance which ! recall
during the bombaTdueut Of San Juan /
was standing outside the coming tower
Of the Iowa. because i did not think I
could observe the action of all the vessels
+ under my command from within the tow
ct as well as from without y shell cut
in two Jacobs ladder, fragments Of
which struck both Lieutenant Command
er Rodgers and myself Captain Evans
who witnessed this, said to me IN his
characteristic way: Now. perhaps, you
viii come inside -r--
IF a captain fees that he can Go just
as good work from within the coming
tower as from without. as viii frequent
; " be the case. he should be censured IL
he does not take every precaUtiOn to pro
tect his life, which is Of more value than
the life Of any other man on board, IS
! far as the efficient handling Of the vessel
GOES