The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-10
Leads all North Carolina Daies i'm Newsand Circulation
the Flying Squadron arrived off that

requesting the commanderi in chief to |
decrease the speed of the squadron"
Not that / know off,
by the court: do you know that any |
orders were signalled to the fleet by the |
BROOKLYN during the battle of July 80" |
From my own personal observation, |
! do no: know
Rear-Admral Taylor in reply to a |
question from the Judge Advocate as to |
whether he had observed the position of |
the Brooklyn at the time of the begin |
ring of the battle. said:
just before the beginning of the bat
tie did and on two occasions thereaf- |
ter.:'
After the beginning of the battle |
llease state where you observed the
BROOKLYN. whether you noticed her proX-
unity to the Texas and what it was
AS HE SAW THE LOOPS.
when the battle had been on about
ten or fifteen minutes my attention was
attracted to the Brooklyn by my sigma,
officer, Captain Dawson. He said to me
that the Brooklyn must be injured or
words to that effect, as she was dropping
out of action. l observed the Brooklyn
heading apparently about south or off
shore.
''She was then on my port bow half a
mile perhaps ahead of me, and at that
time quarter of a mile outside of the
line of our column. She was not turning
as far as / could see The Texas was
apparently lying still in the water. / did
not see whether she was backing or not
The distance between these two ships
was impossible for me to see, as they
fDa .1xy ,x,
of the distance between them. A few
minutes later my attention was again
turned to the Brooklyn. She had then
proceeded distance not over two miles
and not under one mile from the time
had seen her first, and the second time
l saw her, as near as l could figure out
one and half miles to seaward of our
column of battle
did you observe whether there was any
attempt on the part Of the Spanish yes
sells to ram any of the vessels of the
American squadron
Il observed that there was no such at
tempt.
Mr.. Rayner began his cross-examinatioD
with an effort to introduce certain sig
nails which had passed between the In
diana and Admiral Simpsons flagship
the New York in the early morning of
July Sd, 1898. Captain Lemly made i'm
mediate objection and Mr.. Rayner pre-
sented an earnest plea to be allowed to
read the signals. He was not permitted
at that time to do so, but it is under
stood that the signal which he desired to
introduce as having been sent from the
New York to the Indiana was dated at
SIS a. m, of that day and was an invi-
tation from the flagship to accompany her
to Siboney, while the response was a
declination to do SO. The Admirafs in
vitatioa was wig wagged by Captain
Chadwick and was as follows:
"The Admiral wishes to know if you
will join him this morning in going to
see General Shafter?''
To this Captain Taylor replied at S:37:
Work aboard ship previously going on
prevents me from going with you to-
day."
MIR. Rayner contended that the signals
were among the most important occur
rences of the day prior to the time that
the command of the fleet devolved upon
Commodore Schley.
Captain Lemly replied that under pre-
vious rulings of the court the reading
of the signals was clearly inadmissible.
He, however, agreed that he would con-
suit with Mr. Rayner and that if after
this consultation the question including
the reading of the signal should appear
proper. Admiral Taylor could be recalled
and the question asked. To this Mr.,
Rayner consented
TAYLOR ON THE STAND.
At the afternoon session of the court,
Admiral Taylor said that on the morning
n ho hat Cf Jr,ly Ord bo Ind ho1
signalled .The enemy is escaping" The
Indiana was, he said at that time always
cleared for, action He had, he said, per-
sonally seen the Brooklyn while on her
southern detour commonly known as the
loop
The court asked only one question of
Admiral Taylor, as follows: "Was the
Indiana in such position with reference
to the Brooklyn and the enemy's ships
just after they cleared the entrance to
the harbor that you could form a fairly
correct estimate of the distance between
them?"
The reply was: "At the time men
toned, there were but two occasions
when the smoke permitted me to see the
Brooklyn distinctly. l could not there
fore say what was the distance between
the enemy and the Brooklyn just after
the Spanish fleet came out of the har-
bor'
Commander Potts said that during
the blockade Of Santiago the distance
observed by the Flying Squadron was
from seven to nine miles from the
mouth of the harbor At Cienfuegos the
distance out was from four to five miles,
With an increase of the distance at night.
BOMBARDING THE COLON.
The witness said that he had been on
the Massachusetts, on May 81, the day
OF the bombardment of the Colon, when
Commodore Schley had used that YES
sci as his flagship.
Detailing Commodore Schley's conver-
sat1on on that occasion the witness said:
When Commodore Schley came on
board | heard him say. 'Higginson, l am
gong III with You and the Iowa and pot
the Colon with your big guns l want
to flre deliberately Admiral Sampson
will be here tomorrow morning and /
wish to destroy the Colon or words to
that effect. After that there was a con-
versation between Commodore Schley
and tho commanding officer of the ship
as to when he would go in. and it was
determined that we would allow the
men to go to dinner, and go in after