The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-01
Admiral Evans Gives a Graphic De-
scription of the Engagement
of July 3, 1898.
Iowa, Texas and Brooklyn Nearly
in Collision, But the Oregon
Didn't Wait.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3O,-Rear Admiral
Evans, who as captain commanded the
battleship Iowa during the Santiago cam
palgn, was a witness before the Schley
naval court of inquiry TODAY.
Ills testimony covered the entire period
rom n the time the Iowa left the port of
Key West on the 20th of May, 1895 until
the 9TH OF July, when Admiral Evans tes
Iined ne, had converse ton with Admiral
1Ghley concerning the battle of the third.
he described in detail the principal battle
off Santiago. and also gave particulars
concerning the bombardment of the Colon
on the 31st of May
Otner witnesses of the day were Capt.
Theodore F. Jewell who was commander
OF the cruiser Minneapolis during the
spanish war, and Commander James M
Miller, who was in command of the COL
iler Merrimac until that vessel was turned
over to Lieut.. Hobson to be sunk in the
mouth of the Harbor at Santiago. Ad-
mlral Evans had not concluded. his testi-
mony when the court adjourned for the
day.
Admiral Dewey, as is his custom, was
one of the first members to put in an an
pearance, but he found Judge Advocate
Lemly and his assistant, Mr. Hanna.
there in advance of himself. The admiral
as usual, wore only citizens clothing upon
his arrival, but he was soon transformed
into gallant tar by donnfng his service
UNIFORM Capt. Lemly and Mr.. Hanna
were engaged from the early morning in
preparing the programme for the day.
They began the days proceedings accord
ing to custom by recalling the witnesses
OF previous days
While Commander Switzerland was on
the stand he was asked by the court
whether if the fleet of Cervera had been
III the harbor at Cienfuegos it could have
been seen by the vessels blockadfng the
port. He replied: II cannot definitely
say. Not unless they had anchored in the
| lower harbor, just inside the entrance in
the deep water where the schooner to
which I referred before was anchored. 1
do not believe they would have anchored
in that spot"
CAPTAIN OF THE MERRIMAC.
The first new witness of the day was
Commander James M Miller, who was in
command of the collier Merrimac while
that vessel was a part of Admiral
Schley's flying squadron.
Commander Miller said that he had as
sumed command of the Merrimac on April
II, at Norfolk. He had taken on board
at Lambert'S Point soon afterward about
$500 tons of coal. His vessel, he said, had
been capable at first of making between
nine and ten knots but afterWard he had
liOuDl0 WlCn his pressure machinery, SO
that by May % and "a he would have hes
itated in trying t. secure speed of more
than seven knots. He read from the col
liers log to show that the Iowa. the Mas
sachusetts and the Castine had been
cealed on the 23d and 24th. No record was
found of the coaling of any vessel on the
25th or the 26th, the time consumed in
proceeding from Cienfuegos to Santiago.
''The sea- he said ION the 10Th was
n c. " unit raac ho haiDo
a heavy vessel. it's speed was affected.
but if 1 had had a smaller vessel I should
have felt it very much.' He also said
that the weather for that day was bad.
The witness said that late in the after
noon of May 26th the intermediate valve
of the collier was broken, but that pre-
vious to the arrival off Santiago she had
not been broken down, disabled or de-
layed"
AS to the condition on the 26th, the wit
ness said: 81 should say 1 could have
coaled as 1 find here Consulting the
log) we were making ten knots at one
time. We got up to twelve knots.
fancy the weather could not have been
very boisterous. I read here from the
log. At 1 o'clock seven knots, then
six, and so on We got up to ten. There
is one entry that we got up to eleven
knots On that date find steaming with
the squadron east to quarter north, ana
find by the entry, between o'clock in
the morning and meridian of that date,
that we made from ten to twelve knots"
Mr.. Hanna-What was the condition of
the sea?
1.-The sea had been smoothed 1 should
judge from the way we were going. We
raised our speed from seven to ten
knots.''
do you find any entries as to the
wind?"
1.-THE wind was east, southeast and
veered to southwest.
LAS to its course?"
''Its course 1 have not here. On the
Golfers we kept no regular log"
Gould you have coaled vessel on the
afternoon of the 26th?"
COULD HAVE CoALED.
ST could up to the time 1 was broken
down While 1 had control of the ship
1 could have coaled.''
'What time did, you break DOWN.
1--WE stopped at $50 that afternoon"
Asked If vessels could have coaled
while the Merrimac was in tow of the
Yale, the witness replied that that was a
suppositious question and that he would
not like to say AS a matter of fact she
did not coal any vessel while in tow.
On all days from May % to 81, except
on the days when en- route from Glen
fuegos to Santiago and when disabled
the Merrimac had had vessels alongside
for the purpose of coaling and they had
been coaled from the collier.
On cross-examination Mr.. Rayner ques-
toned Commander Miller concerning
coaling from the Merrimac on the Path.
He said the Massachusetts, had been
coaled at 7:3O in the morning of that
day. He was then examined concerning
signals as to coaling the Texas. NNhile
these questions were being put Capt.
Miller said, laughingly: go ahead.
You've got me there" He then pro-
ceeded:
az signaled over. 4 object to having
two battleships alongside of me, and
Capt. Philip, of the Texas, signaled ]