The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-09-28

Deen received at Kingston on May l9lE
saying that the Spanish squadron was in
the harbor at Santiago.
Afternoon Session.
At the afternoon session Mr.. Rayne,
asked Lieutenant Hood
II want to ask you whether in this
conversation with Commodore Schlcy
upon this occasion he did not tell you
that Admiral Sampson had instructed
| him before he left for Santiago to salts
! fy himself that the Spanish fleet was
| not at Cienfuegos?"
The reply was 'I gathered from his
conversation that had that information
| in some of the dispatches which were
written previously to the dispatch
| carried him, which was of consider
ably later date and therefore, of course
annulled all the others
But this dispatch you carried gave
him that discretion"
"That was not the latest dispatch
whose contents l knew"
MCAELA TESTIFIES.
Captain Bowman H. McCalla. who
commanded the Marblehead during thu
Spanish War was called.
Witness had first come into contact
with the Flying Squadron on May 10th
1898, when he was proceeding from the
south coast of Cuba to Key West He
met the squadron on it's way to Cuba.
Witness said he had not been asked TO
come aboard the Brooklyn for the pur-
pose of making a report on conditions
in Cuba, but had made full report to
Captain Chadwick, Admiral Sampson s
chief of staff, when he arrived at Key
West. On this point he said:
I'm addition to written reports on dis
patches which l carried, / explained TO
the chief of staff the secret code which
/ had established with the Cubans near
Cienfuegos. That was not done until [
heard that Commodore Schley was pro-
ceeding to Cienfuegos.''
THE SECRET SIGNAL CODE.
What was the secret code. briefly?''
"On the. 18th and 10Th of May 1898. I
had been in communication with three
Cuban officers and two privates on the
Marblehead and l had arranged with
Lieutenant LavareZ, who spoke English
very well, system of signals in case
they wished to communicate with the
Marblehead or my force. There were
to be three horizontal lights at night
and three horses in line on the beach by
day"
''Tc whom, according to the best of
your recollection, did you commune
cate that secret code of signals?''
only to Captain Chadwick, chief Of
staff"
did you make any written report
respecting these SignalS?'
Never. 1t was a secret code arrang-
ed by myself and l did not wish any
publicity to be given this code, because
the Cubans might be betrayed by any
publicity which would reach the Span
ish Government in Havana
Captain McCalla next told of his re.
turn to Cienfuegos on the oath of May
with dispatches from Admiral Schley.
He said:
1T had been reported authoritatively
when I sailed on the afternoon of the
21st Of May, that the Spanish squadron
was still at Santiago"
McCALLA ON A MISSION.
And you communicated that informa-
ton to Commodore Schley verbally?"
Commodore Schley told me he thought
.He opaHioH squadron was IN C1enfuegOS,
that he had received newspapers from
the steamer Adula some days previous:
that one of the newspapers contained a
cable dispatch from Santiago and from
that he gathered that the Spanish force
under Admiral Cervera might have sailed
from Santiago in time to reach Cienfue-
gos just before the arrival OF the force
under his command. l said that / had
brought arms, ammunition and dynamite
for the Cuban camp to the westward, and
that ii he would let me go ! would ind
out at once whether they were in Glen
fuegos He Immediately assented.
asked him if he had seen lights on the
beach. He said he had. asked if he
saw three. He said he had. l then said
the lights were from Cubans trying to
communicate. ! may have asked him
if he saw three horses in line on the
beach by day.
Captain McCalla then related how he
had gone ashore near Cienfuegos and
found the Cubans drawn up in line. He
gave them food and ammunition. Eve
found" he added, that Cervera was not
inside the harbor and that in fact the
situation in Cienfuegos was exactly as
1T was when l left it on the 18th of tie
same month.
Captain McCalla said he sent the in
formation obtained to Admiral Schley
by the Eagle, signalling that vessel to
proceed at full speed and report to the
Brooklyn that Cervera was not in Cicn-
fuegOS. He then folIowad in tho MartJe