The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-25

had failed to communicate any inform
 ation, and the further fact that Mccall
 las squadron had been withdrawn iron
 the vicinity, were responsible for tn
 delay in communicating with the insur
 gents.
 "Of course" he said, ito risk a boa
 through the surf on coast believed tt be occupied by the enemy might have resulted i'll repetition of Captain Me
 Calla's experiment, He found that the
 coast was pretty well occupied. I saw
 cavalry once or twice, both to the eas
 and to the west of this point. They
 appeared for moment and immediate
 ly got out of sight. I thought that tc
 waste ammunition upon solitary cav alryman was like shooting big guns al
 sparroWs, and that killing one or more
 men would not affect the result. , thought it would be better to reserve
 all the ammunition we had for use against the squadron, which l felt to be
 somewhere in that sea, and it seems to me that was wise conclusion l did everything that was possible during the time we were there to maintain the
 blockade that was contemplated I did
 all the coaling that was possible or practicable"
 Continuing ,on the subject of coaliEg,
 Admiral Schley said:
 After we got hold of colliers we were
 very much better fitted to resist shock
 as well as to deliver this coal rapidly
 Perhaps with the later experience of
 the war I might have coaled on days with worse weather. We had good many accidents about which no mention has been made because they came after that period of time. One of the colliers had to go to New York absolutely smashed in. The Merrimac herself had several holes punched through her, and my impression now is that portion of the topworks of the Sterling was in- jured i'll some way, but we managed. with more experience to do little bet ter than at first. There always was at Ctenfuegos a rolling swell and vessels with projecting sponsons or projecting guns were always in danger, l recol- lect in. one case that one of the six pounder guns of the Brooklyn was bent at an angle of thirty degrees by coming into contact with one of these colliers. VI CpuIS lNll SNlCN5 iiit'uc lN IANip'i'N7 ly dangerous to coal except under the most favorable conditions. The prob lem presented to me at Cienfuegos was to solve the problem of coaling, which has disabled the navies of the world for fifty years. I think we accomplished this req sonably well under the circum- stances"
 On the morning of May 24 Captain McCalla arrived off Cienfuegos with the Marblehead and the Vixen and the cap tain, according to Admiral Schley, i'm reported to him on board the Brooklyn. The admiral said he then heard for the first time of the code of signals arranged for communicating with the insurgents at Cienfuegos.
 'I was q good deal surprised" said the witness. and asked who made these arrangements. He said. I did when l was here before.' I asked why 1t was not communicated to me. That 1 he did not know. of course. He was not answerable eor that. I said: Where are those fellows?' He said: I communicated with them when I was here last to the westward some twelve or fourteen miles, but they are and they may or may not be there I said: Go ahead and take | Up the line of search and let me l know '' @1
 The admiral then told of his sending Captain McCalla ashore and of the lat ter's reporting about o'clock on the 94th, he thought, that the enemy was not at Cienfuegos, which fact he had earned by communicating with the . Cubans on shore. An hour or two had f hen. the witness said, been consumed ! oy the preparation of despatches in- ,luding despatch to be sent to the secretary O. the navy and about 6 o'clock the squadron steamed to the ;outh
 q think" the witness said, that we inaly got under way toward between
 and o'clock on q course of about southeast. The orders to the squadron were by signal. I did not care wheth- r the enemy saw them or not I am luite sure that the distance which we lad steamed from the preliminary for nation until the final departure was utside of any distance they could lave been read or seen from shore.'
 Here the admiral went into an ex- lanation of the condition of the vesthnr s0d tae irnossiblity of coal ng on the 24th, 25th and 18th.
 | he admiral then referred to his pick ns up the scout boats Tn this con- cotton he again spoke of the condition f the weather during the voyage from 'it nfuegos over, saying that Captain 'ook had reported that he had never cen more motion on the Brooklyn and hat some of the youngsters in the teerage were seasick, which was an thing. He then related the incident of Cap an Sigsbee's coming aboard the f rooklyn from the St Paul saying that !, le visit had impressed itself vividly I his mind. Z CT recollect distinctly" he said, that { ? had on rubber boots and an old r ockadlng cap, which we all wore more I : less, and an ordinary blouse suit" a The admiral then proceeded to give h e Information which Captan Sigsbee s Id brought, prefacing what he had to II y with the statement that he did not
 ieve Captain Sigsbee would misstate q ything for his commission. IT T do not believe" the admiral said n hat he is capable of stating what is F,