New-York tribune., 1901-10-09


headed to the westward. with the enemy's ships
running close along point seven miles west of
Santiago"
| Mr. Hanna-Did you see the Brooklyn when you
came deck?
"I did"
Where was she at that timer"
She was about as far out port bow rela
| lively speaking, as the Spanish ships
| starboard bow"
HAD she completed the at that time?'
L do not know She did not make any turn after
that. and always kept to the westward. At
| that time did not know anything about turn"
| fou dld not sec what is known as the loop?"
! II did not"
| Lieutenant Bristol then detailed the part the
Texas played in the battle giving the details Of the
! chase up the Cuban coast. Describing the close
OF that pursuit he said:
We continued on with tba chasa of tho Colon
which was then ahead of the Vizcaya in the same
req i've positions the Brooklyn, Oregon and Texas.
THsn 1GFk Joined ia in it. forgot to mention that the
and along at the time the Vizcaya sheered inside
bnp b an Kept about abreast Of until overhauled
oned t5 and hauled down her flag The Texas then
mained there that night.
| MT Hanna inquired: From the position you oc-
cupied during the chase could you or not deter
mine whlch of our vessels eadng?"
| The witness replied: Il could That was bv OBJ
| serVation of ships the distinctness with which Won
| could see the ships not from the positions"
| tions"' 'O
| ihat was obtained comparatively. The distance
10 the Colon ranged from about three and half or
cb ihisS up to five six miles at the end of the
n and considerably CLOSER he to us fan
| lVn so that me oregon was closer than the Brook
bny fne distance from that She was out on our
| III reply TO questions from Mr. Rayner Lieu
tenant Bristol said he had made his chart because
Oh MS interest in the battle. and that he had pre-
| pared 1t few days after the battle He had
started the work the day after the engagement
ana had depended partly upon memory in its
preparation Mr.. Rayner asked the witness IL his
1hait was not wrong except in the first positions
| assigned Mr.. Hanna objected to this method Of
examining the witness, and spirited coloquy oc-
| CURED between counsel
| LIVELY TILT BETWEEN COUNSEL
| should like to know where you when the
witness made his statement" said Mr. Hanna
MT hayner-l was here. and heard what he
Mr. Hanna-1 think 1t is outrageous for you to
ask the witness, rs your map wrong?"
| Mr. Rayner-I will make the style as pleasant
as possible think my style is all right
MT Hanna-You have a good opinion of It, no
doubt.
Mr.. Rayner-I will say. us the map right ex-
cept in reference to the first positions?" Do you
object that?
Mr. Hanna-That is very much better
Captain Lemly-That is not what you mean is 1t +?
MI. Rayner-That is not what l mean. I mean
1t Is wrong. but 1 want the witness to answer
The Witness-To the best OF my knowledge and
belief it is right
MT Rayner called attention to the fact that the
witness had said that at the beginning Of the bat
Tie the Brooklyn heading north and east
while Observation-Disclosures Hodgson who had
been aboard the Brooklyn. had said the vessel Vas
heading north and Which Is right?" he
asked.
Il believe am right the witness replied
You can't both be right
That is right too"
In response TO further questions Lieutenant Bris-
tol said his chart had been stored away for some
time. but previously he had had several blue prints
made of II.
At Mr.. Rayner's request the witness made meas
urements showing that according 10 his chart at
the beginning OF the fight or Santiago the nearest
Spanish ship to the Brooklyn $500 yards.
Mr. Rayner asked: How can you reconcile that
With the statement OF Lieutenant Commander
Hodgson that the range the time of the turn
OF the Brooklyn l 400 yards?'
DIsAGREEs WITH HoDGsoN
II cannot reconcile my statement with that OF
Lieutenant-Commander Hodgson"
Then those two statements perfectly
irreconciable?"
"A range OF 400 yards at the time OF the turn
of the Brooklyn is absolutely irreconciable My
idea is that with a stadirneter 1900 yards II is
not an accurate instrument, and that is what
they state they took the measurements with.
Also In smoke or battle II is almost impossible to
take ranges accurately. II a good deal OF an
estimate. Also have heard-I do not know how
true It is-the ranges board the Brooklyn were
taken by an enlisted man. do not question the
enlisted mans accuracy. except that would think
that officers accuracy would be greater than
that of enlisted man"
Mr. Rayner-And those are the reasons you give
now for accounting for this wide divergence? You
do not think the stadimeter is accurate as II
ought to be?
Those the reasons I have always had in my
mind for reconciling those statements. An.
other reason for thinking myself right was the
speed of the ship. which given half
speed. Take 1t at full speed-take her initial posi-
ton-and she could not arrive at a certain point
which would give her that range 400 yards"
Mr.. Rayner-Then the stadimeter is not TO be
relied upon all in comparison with your observa
tions. understand it In this instance?
THE stsdhneter at 1900 yards and is vel
known to be inaccurate for measuring distances
among officers IN the navy. because the graduations
are close together a small In observation
makes large error in the result"
us 1t inaccurate under 1000 yards?'
''It is more accurate under 1000 yards. but II ths
instrument has not been corrected recently it is
likely err
Mr.. Rayner-Is 1t possible for the stadimeter tc
have made mistake of 1000 yards? Don't yor
: think II that is the case you better abolish thai
instrument?
II do not believe Hodgson took an accurate OBJ
servaton 1 don't want to make that positive state
ment, but I do want to make the statement o.
what know in regard to the instrument. The
. instrument 1t is accurate ct lower ranges
and inaccurate at higher ranges"
Mr.. Rayner then questioned the witness to thu
stay of the Flying Squadron at Cienfuegos TIL,
latter said he had considered that they main
tanned blockade there. I'VE We're merely lytns
off the port" he said. land at night anything coult
have passed in so far as were concerned. wthou