New-York tribune., 1901-10-10

great mental excitement?
II cannot answer that
Captain Lemly objected to the introduction Of
the court decided that they could be put in.
Mr.. Rayner then asked concerning the weather
that on May 25 it had been what is called dirty.
There was an easterly wind and moderate sea-
The witness said on further examination that
sears and renenan e Sad been
during the bombardment of the Colon when Com
conspicuous objects the 1S-inch turret, it would
Referring to the Spanish shore batteries at San
tago, Commander Potts said they would .hav, have
been no menace to armored ships passing them
DEPARTMENTS ORDER ADMITTED.
At the suggestion of Judge Advocate Lemly.
and in accordance with the decision of the court.
Mr. Rayner formally introduced evidence the
order from the Navy Department concerning the
exposure of the American ships to the fire of shore
batteries. The order is that issued by Secretary
Long on April 6, 1898, and directed to Admiral
Sampson. The paragraph which Mr. Rayner es-
pecially wished have considered reads as fol-
lows:
The department does not wish the vessels 20 Of
your squadron to be exposed to the fire of the bat
teries at Havana Santiago de Cuba other
strongly fortified ports in Cuba, unless the more
within those harbors. Even in this case the de-
Wo1d suggest that hoa4 isd %
plish the desired object, viz, the destruction OF
sarily our own men-of-war to the fire of the land
batteries.
This dispatch also contains the following order:
The department further desires that in case of
particularly at the ports of Havana, Matanzas
and If possible, of Santiago de Cuba. Manzanillo
and Cienfuegos
The court asked questions as follows: "Can you
give the distance the large vessels were from the
either the 22d or 23d of May?'
said-four or five miles. did not measure the dis
What efforts were made by the vessels of the
Flying Squadron prior to the arrival of the Mar
squadron was in the harbor of Cienfuegos?"
''None that 1 knew Of
commander + Potts @ said the range given previous
to entering the engagement was 1000 yards but ne
finally to 10000 yards. Only shot which had
him as being at all dangerous; That fell near the
Massachusetts. Soon after that the Commodore
nd nd a Eysn gs the ont o b e said he had
shore batteries at Cienfuesos
LIEUTENANT LEIPER'S TESTIMONY.
Commander Potts was then excused. and Lieuten-
ant f. F. Leper called He served on the New
Orleans. and told of the part taken by that vessel
in the bombardment of the Colon May 81 He
described that engagement. saying that the first
shot from the Massachusetts had fallen outside
the Moro and, notwithstanding the range was in
creased all the shots well short of the Colon. There
were he said orders either to fire at or to make
observations of the batteries But. Notwithstanding
this. he did fire at the batteries his own
responsibility. He had personally aimed the guns
but the distance was great that only the red
line of earth could be seen-neither guns men
discernble One shot from the enemy fell
thirty forty yards from the New-Orleans. The
prOjectile small he had been surprised
that IL reached such range. All told, the firing
of his vessel upon the Colon had not consumed
than six minutes.
He thought all the shots from the American ships
had fallen short of the Colon. He had seen no evil
dence the presence Of large powerful guns in
the shore batteries, and of the opinion that
there were none to exceed six inches In cahre. He
had secured his most accurate idea of the strength
of the shore batteries by the fact that on June II
the New Orleans had approached to within 1850
yards of them. remaining for twenty minutes and
sllencing them after four five minutes.
Lieutenant Leiper still on the stand when the
court adjourned for the day