The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-03

der was given 10 man the starboard bat
terry. and as ! crossed from one turret to
the other L observed the Spanish ships a
little bit on our starbOard bow. As soon as
/ got I'm that turret l swung the gun sharp
on the sLarbOard bow. In the meantime
some of our own guns had fired. probably
in the forward eight-inch turret, so L could
see nothing at al for the dense smoke.
While in that position. and while the turret
was being trained, Mr.. Mason. the eXecu-
tive officer. passed down the Starboard
gangway calling. Sharp on the starboard
quarteri' and ! accordingly trained the tur-
ret around and picked the Spanish up or
our. starboard quarter. and from then on ii
was a constant train of the turret until We
had the Spanish ships about ahead.
What do you mean exactly when you
say the vessel turned with a starboard
heinz
She was then turning with a starboard
helm, because that is the reason we lost
sight of the Spanish ships
But you do not mean, If L understood
you. she made the full turn with starboard
heinz"
"Oh. no: at that time 1 was under the
impression that it had. yes"
How did you come to enter in the ships
log that the vessel turned with a Starboard
helm? Do you recognize hat log (handing
him the log of the Brooklyn?D
IN THE BATTLE.
The witness then in response to a request
read to the court that part of the log book
which relates to the turning of the port
helm, as follows:
AT $50 went to quarters for muster and
inspection and Immediately afterward the
Spanish squadron was noticed cohllng out
of the harbor. The leading ship. the Maria
Teresa, flagship, opened fre at once. TINS
ship (the Brooklyn and the other vessels
namely, Texas, Oregon, Indiana, Iowa,
Vixen and Gloucester, engaged the enemy
at once. The enemy stood toward us at
first, then put helm aport and stood along
gagged with port battery at first. standing
in for the Maria Teresa. the Colon ana the
Viscaya. all three of which we engaged, but
just as soon as the enemy stood TO the
westward put helm TO port, swinging clear
of the fire of the Texas. so as to bring the
starboard battery TO bear and stood pafal-
lei TO the enemy j..
The witness then stated that the original
entry in the log had made 1t appear that
the helm was put to sta16oard instead OF TO
port, as it appears in rhe permanent log.
The change. he said. had been made on the
9Th of July, two days after the action.
Asked why he changed 1t, Mr.. Doyle said:
81 changed it after | had had a discussion
with Sharp. | had been under the impress
sion, as have stated, that we had turned
with a starbOaTd helm. Sharp was ABOARD
the Brooklyn on July 3 to luncheon with us.
and [ had a discussion with him that day
on hat subject. L think that is the time L
changed it,"
'Do you know whether the navigator had
then signed the log as correct!
81 do rot, sir.
They were put in. / think, in fact, L
know. at the suggestion OF some person
probably the navigator. They were put IN
evidently after the log was written up, De-
cause they are mterllned.
about how was the ship heading at that
~time-within the quadrant OF a circle south-
ward TO westward, northWard TO east
ward?"
I'VE were headed at the beginning of the
battle i'm shore, that is TO say, tns hea9 OF
our ship was probably about north, ana as
soon as the Spanish ships came out ana L
cot on top of the port turret the SNIP was
then moving ahead and turning with port
I lo5~, hara1Ga the SnanlSn SHIPS were a III
tie on our starbOard bow, but we We're Iuh-
ming the port battery and started 10 SWING
aation We must have continued around
there. as [ now know. but when was IN
he starboard turret we lost sight OF the
ships because they were on our port po"'
A LONG TURN.
..Tbe effect then of putting the helm
a,ort emitting the interlined words, in
order to bring the starboard battery to
bear would be to send the vessel through
more than $50 degrees, would it not, IN
turning
Certainly, yes. We were headed about
northeast. and that would mean more than
$50 degrees. oush sb;os frou
when we took them up on the star
hoard auarler after we made part OF the
turn. as L remember the range. 1t was l'4O
How do you ve,ify that ranger
Il have no way of verifying that. We
| had TO take the range given TO US:
"What mean by verlhcatlon Is as 10
whether or not shots were fired at that
range and how they FEM
II did not see the ShOts. L HIeu al tndl
range. l fired one now: os o,d
Mr.. Raynor then took the witness ana
asked him if it were not true that the
change in the log was not due 10 an error
sire on the part of anybody to falsify the
facts.
absolutely was the response.
And the error continued Mr.. Raynor,
Occurred as remember you to say, IN
this way: That, during the action you
could not see on account of the smoke, and
thought the ship did turn with starDoard
helm and was so entered =.
the enemy in the first instance with the
| mort battery by our own bow shutting the
enemy out and showing that at that time
we must have had our helm a little star
bard or that the enemy was going with
And when you learned you had been
mistaken you made the changer
II changed the entry, and | think If you
| had the rough copy here you would hnd 1t
was changed in my own handwriting.
WITNESS FOR SCHLEY.
Mr.. Raynor then stated to the court that
II was his desire TO treat Lieutenant Doyle
as a witness for Admiral Schley. To this
the court assented, and Mr.. RaynOr asked
the witness a series OF questions calculated
10 bring out a brief history of the Brook
lyn's part In the Santiago campaign and a
full statement of his observations while an
officer on board that vessel.
Mr.. Doyle said in response to these ques-
tions hat while at Key West, which port
the Brooklyn had left at the head of the
hying squadron on May ID, 1898, he had
heard nothing of the Spanish fleet nor had
he then been informed of a secret code of
signals arranged by Captain McCalla for
communicating with the Cuban insurgents.
Relating the particulars of the blockade
off Cienfuegos by the flying squadron from
the Dist TO the oath of May Lieutenant
Iowa and the Dupont off CienfLegos on
May %, of the Hawk on the 23d and Of the
Marblehead on the oath. He said he had
observed three lights which locke IKE
bonfires on the shore each night that the
squadron lay off Cienfuegos, but that
neither he nor any one else on board so far
as he knew understood their purport. He
at CienfuegOs on the evening Of the I'D of
MAY. Of the conversation with the officers
of the British ship Adula and Of the arri-
val of the Marblehead and the departure
of the entire squadron for Santiago after
the last named vessel had made commune
cation with the Cubans ashore.
Then, he said, on the night Of the oath the
ward, the speed at first being nine knots
an hour. but afterward being reduced TO
accommodate the small vessels, the Vixen
and the Eagle. When they made their start
there was quite a surf. a long swell of
the sea-" and on the 18th the weather was
still worse, making it very difficult for the
yachts to keep up.
iaYttananf nQy1p n1apa1 fha Iieto~oz