The Washington times., 1901-10-31

| of my information l felt that that ought
| not to occur.
Odd not Captain Cotton inform you
that the Harvard had coaled at Mole st.
| Nicholas and that one large ship at a
| time might coal there in ordinary
weather?
Al do not recollect that he said any
| thing about his coaling at Mole st.
Nicholas His information to me referred
| to small vessels as / recollect.
| Q.-Were the injuries to the Merrlmac.
| as reported to you, of such character
as to conyince you that she was hope
lessly disabledz
intermediate valves were injured; i sent
| the chief engineer on board the next
| morning carly. and he reported to me
| then that her repairs would require soma
| days.
| Q-When operating in squadron. has
/ anyone authority to change the course OF
| commander r-in-chief. except TO meet some
| emergency. or when there is no time to
report to the commander-in-chief?
| A.-No.
Direction of Spanish Fleet.
| Q.-what reason had you for supposing
| that the Spanish squadron would run
| south after it left Santiago?
A.-Simply- because that, would have
| been the direction in which they could
! have hidden themselves sooner.
Q.-Why did the Brooklyn and the
u.
| short of coal?
Al think the Brooklyn was about 100
tons short, as nearly as l can remember
| The reason they left was because the or
der of the commander-in-chief to do so
was sent over on the morning OF the 18th
by a young officer, whose name | do not
recall.
Q.-Was there any particular shortage
| in the supply of coal at Key West on the
morning Of the 18th?
Al do not know what the supply was
there.
| Admiral Dewey-That would not be
reply TO the question.
Admiral Schley-I do not know what the
condition of the coal supply was
| Q-As you were ordered TO go to Glen
| fuegos to establish a blockade. was it
! your DUTY. under the circumstances, to
| communicate directly. either by signal or
otherwise, with the senior officers of the
vessels returning from Cienfuegos, and
| obtain from them all information re-
sarding the situation al or near that
port. particularly as there was no proba-
bility that said senior officers had knowl-
edge of the destination OF the flying
| squadron?
| Al thing such communication as was
made to me indicated that they must
| have done so, because Captain McCalIa
| testified that he was directed to comrnuni-
| cate to me information of the situation;
and even If he had not been so instruct
| ed, think he would have notified me
| without enquiry by me.
| Q.-What was your object in seeking to
! develop the batteries on May 81?
A-Simply to be able to know what was
| In progress. / thought that we ought to
our being oblig to force ig the 09iHss entranse O
Q--Are you certain that the prevailing
! winds near Cape Cruz in the month of
May are to the west or southwest?
| Al thought SO because that was the
| conclusion of the pilot. / knew very lit
| tie about il. I think thIt anyone who
reads sailing directions does not get very
| much comfort out of them.
| Q.-You have stated that you considered
| the movement to the westward based on
| sound military principles. Why, then, did
! you go back to Santiago?
A--For the reason that after the steam
ing radius of the ships had been eqnaliZed
the time consumed in going back would
have been very little, and It eventually
turned out if the Spanish squadron was
not there We should not have lost any
great time.
Q.-Point out the particular part in the
Department. order of May zj which you
regarded as ambiguous.
A.-The paragraph requesting me to
ascertain whether the Spanish squadron
was at Santiago | regarded ambiguous.
Q--Did the Flying Squadron, when on
blockade off Cienfuegos. ever steam in
toward the port between p. m. and 4
a m?
Any general impression now is that
the squadron steamed in variously from
the south~ard and westward In order to
q
TIED to maintain closer position at
night than in the daytime.
Q.-Nhat effort did you make at or
near Cienfuegos before the arrival of the
Adula to discover whether or not Ger
vera's squadron was in that port?
Al did-not make any because ! was
led to infer that the coast was occupied,
and 10 have sent in a party, after the
cable cutting expedition, would not be
prudent ] knew that Commander Nc
Gala had lost quite a number of men.
1t was announced once or twice that the
coast along there was occupied.
Odd any Of your light vessels scout
between the FLYING Squadron and the
south coast of Cuba with view of dis
covering the Spanish squadron in the
event of its having left Santiago for
Cienfueegos?
A.-No.
Odd you consider Captain Sigsbee'e
report that ne had not seen the Spanish
squadron. and Pilot Nunez's statement
that the Spanish ships were too large to
enter the harbor of Santiago. proof
that the information given to you by Cap
tain Mct'alla on May "a. that the Spanish
forces under Cervera had been reported
authoritatively in Santiago on May Is.
and that they were still reported there
on the afternoon Of May q, was errone-
Gus? GSee record. page 27S7.
Al do not recollect that did
OF you were governed In making the
retrograde movement by the motives you
have stated why did you send to the
Department The despatch Of May p, 1898.
llltI you gave 10 A-tpldln cotton to SEnl
/ in cipher from Is kingston?
A--That is a very difficult question to
answer. l imagined that the coal sup
| ply was the most important consideration
! did not know that gave my reason for
/ IL at that time. though / did in a snbse-
| quent despatch TO the Department state
| that the movement had been for a Ger
| tain object.
The New Orleans Gums.
Q.-When you designated the New Or
leans as one of the vessels to take ,art
in the bombardment Of May 81, did you
know the range Of her six-inch guns?
Ayes.
Q.-Captain Folger has testified that the
New Orleans fired at ranges varying from
s. 900 TO 1900 yards.
A-Yes; / knew that her guns were of
extra calibre; of about .5O-calibre
Off it was your intention on May 81
to open fire with three vessels only with
a view to developing the battery, why did
you at 20 IN. that day make signals
to the Flying Squadron, THE Massach
sets. the New Orleans and the Iowa will
go IN after dinner to distance of 1000
yards TO fire at the CristCbaI Colon with
3, TO- Y and 1S-inch guns; speed about ten
milesy'
Al intended that the heavier guns. of
course, should he directed at the Colon
Afterward ! determined to make another
signal to the New Orleans
Q-fou have spoken OF the calibre OF
he guns In the ships engaged in the bat
tl- OF July g. Did not some OF the ships
aarTT 6-inch guns2
AL think the Texas did
.--t 90 the conversation with Captain