New-York tribune., 1901-12-14

| only twenty-seven tons coal on board. VIII
| leave St. Paul here. Will require 9,'"o tons OF
coal at Key West
THE soUADRoNs COAL SUPPLY
The coal supply of the vessels Of the Flying
| Squadron at noon on May "a was su1nclehl 20
have enabled them 10 steam at ten Knots an
| The Brooklyn for eleven and a quarter days.
Iowa seven and half days
Massachusetts, ten days
Texas. six and quarter days
Marhlehead. three and quarter days.
Vixen. eleven and a half days. .
Or to have remained on blockade duty on
Santiago de Cuba.
The Brooklyn for twenty-six days
Iowa. sixteen days
Massachusetts. twenty days
Texas. ten days.
Marblehead. five days
Vixen. twenty three days
And then steam to Gonaives. Hayt or 10 cape
At that date the Flying Squadron was accom-
panied by the collier Merrimae. containing 4'59o
tons OF coal
The amount Of coal required to completely
| fill the coal bunkers Of all the vessels Of the
Flying Squadron on the same date was lou
tons.
The conditions of wind. sea and weather from
noon May 26 to June l were favorable for
taking coal from collier at sea off Santiago de
The Iowa the Castine and the Dupont coaled
AZ Cienfuegos from the collier Melrimac on May
%. and the Massachusetts and the Castine on
May "a The Texas asked permission to coal
first on May % and was refused by Commodore
the Massachusetts second.
The Texas was ordered to coal from the col
lier on May q, but the order revoked
the Massachusetts was alongside the collier
and the commanding officer of the collier deemed
it unsafe to place his vessel between two bat
tleships.
The Texas and the Marblehead coaed at sea
off Santiago from colliers on May % and IS
the Massa chusetts and the Vixen on May %
BROOKLYN. Texas and Marblehead on May 81
At $50 p. m. May % Commodore Schley sig
he Gar hpra
tell him half of squadron out Of coal and collier
engines broken down"
At 1915 p. m. May % Commodore Schley
signaled to the Texas: The more coal you take
| in this smooth weather the less you will have
| TO take on in Hayti."
LEFT SANTIAGO UNGUARDED
Commodore SchIey made no effort to
| tain whether the Spanish squadron was in
the harbOr of Santiago: ne left snid harbor
entirely uneuarded from q %. IN. of May rs
| TO p. m of May 20. and guarded only by the
| scout st. Paul from u. M, May ~. until
about y. of May rs.
The Flying Squadron arrived off the harbor
| of Santiago de Cuba. seven miles south of the
| blockade.
The distance from Cienfuegos to Santiago is
| 315 miles.
DID NOT PROCEED WITH ALL DISPATCH"
Commodore schIey did not proceed with
| dispatch from CienfueGos to Santiago
Cuba
| Early on the morning of May % the CristobaI
Colon and other vessels of the Spanish squadron
| were discovered at anchor in the harbor of San
| tiago. about twelve hundred yards from the en-
| trance.
NO ATTEMPT To CAPTURE SPANIARDS.
No attempt uns mnde by Commodore schIey
| May 20 or May 20 10 capture or destroy
| these Spanish vessels.
At l 80 p m. May 80 the cruiser New-O Orleans
and the collier Sterling joined the Flying
| Squadron.
At 1885 a. m. May 81. Commodore schley
| shifted his flag to the Massachusetts.
| AT 11:10 a. m. the flagship Massachusetts sig
| nailed: The Massachusetts, the New-Orleans
and the Iowa will go in after dinner to dis.
| tance of 4 900 yards. and fire at the Cristobal
| Colon with s. u and l3 inch guns Speed about
| ten knots
| At l:30 D. m the three vessels designated
| steamed, in column toward the entrance to the
| harbor of Santiago heading to the eastward, at
| about ten knots speed. The ships passed the
| harbor entrance about 1000 yards distant from
| the Moro firing at the Colon and the shore
! batteries with ranges varying from 1000 to 500
yards All projectiles fell short.
| When the ships had passed to the eastward
of the entrance the flagship turned offshore.
| passed the entrance and fired as before, but
| with ranges varying from 5000 to 11OOO yards.
The fire was returned by the ships in the har-
| Dor and by the land batteries, but no large guns
| were used by the batteries. Several projectiles
passed over our vessels but no injuries were sus-
| tanned
| The Flying Squadron did not withdraw at
| night from the entrance to Santiago Harbor to
! distance at The blockade maintained
| at an average distance of about six to seven
| miles from the harbor entrance during the day,
and proba bly, somewhat nearer during the night.
| Two vessels performed picket duty at night two
miles inside of the line Of vessels. The Spanish
| squadron was discovered to be in the entrance
to Santiago Harbor. steaming out, about $50 a.
m. July 3. 1898
The Brooklyn at that time was heading 10 the
westward of north. about six thousand three
| hundred yards southwest three-quarters south
from the Morro. which was practically her block
aiding position.
| Large vessels coming out Of the harbor of San
tiago were obliged TO head about southwest by
south, and the Spanish vessels therefore, IN
coming out until clear o. the shoal to the west