The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-01

what It's operations were up 10 tnat
time"
When the court resumed its session
at 2 O'Clock the admiral at the request
of Mr.. Rayner stated his observation of
suspicious circumstances on land and
in the harbor at Santiago on the even
ing of July End. He sale hat the out
lying Spanish land forces were at that
time being pressed into the city by the
American and insurgent forces. and he
had noticed several of their b~lockhouses
burned that evening. He had at the
same time observed smoke coming from
over Socapa hill and he thought the
enemy was preparing for a sortie. OF
this circumstance he had notified Ad-
mirai Sampson and he thought the ad-
miral had acted upon the notice as the
blockading line was moved in closer
that night. He explained why all the
engines CT the Brooklyn had not been
coupled up. saying this was largely be-
cause of the intense heat and also be-
cause Captain Cook had not considered
it necessary to do so.
THE BATTLE.
Admiral Schley began his description
Of the battle of July 3rd, about 2:30
o'clock He said the day broke fair
with a pleasant land breeze After 1
had eaten my breakfast" continued the
admiral, Il came up TO see what could
be observed with glasses. We were ly-
ing at that time possibly three miles or
a little over from the land n / remem-
Der to have wondered why the enemy
permitted Us to remain so close without
fling at us. At S:45 o'clock an order
lily reported to me that a signal had been
made by the flagship to disregard her
movements and that she had gone east
ward. 1 did not, Of course, know where
she had gone"
Describing the coming out Of the har-
Dor of the Spanish fleet. witness said:
when i heard a call from the wa
bridge to tell the commodore that the
fleet is coming out That was some
time after the men had been called to
quarters, about $50 o'clock. The ship
was lying at that time with her head in
toward the land in the direction of Ca
banas, a little owe to the westward and
one of the marking points we used IN
maintaining our position. / over
the tarboar and saw the enemy COM
ing out of the entrance Of the harbor.
I looked eastward to see the order or
the ships. 1 saw the Texas apparently a
point or more abaft of the Starboard
beam. The Texas appeared to me to be
heading on some one of the easterly
courses. To the left of her was the
Iowa. The Indiana was to the east
ward of that position n the Glouces-
ter was lying in under the land. The
New York was out Of sight and out of
signal distance. I looked for her in Or
der to determine what my position IN
the action was to be. Of course, If the
New York had not been out Of distance
l would not ave given OF made a sig
nal.
Il had in the meantime gone forward
on a little platform that I had had con-
structed around the battle tower as my
position in the fight. I had only been
there a moment when Captain Cook
joined my. In the meantime Mr.. Hodg-
son who was on the upper bridge, sang
out something to the captain about be-
ing connected up and ready. He at the
same time said to me: Commodore they
are coming right at u.s. Well I said,
go right for Them and the helm was
put aport. The ship was started ahead
first at perhaps half speed. I don't re-
collect hat. She took her way very
quick n 1 said to Cook: Hoist the Sig
nal: Close in for action Then followed
the signal: Close up and the Brooklyn
as we'll as all the other ship charged in
for the entrance according to the orig1-
nal plan. We all moved directly for the
head of the column, the idea being to
arrest and knock them to pieces as they
came on.
1--WE continued on our course for ten
or twelve minutes he said, and 1 saw
all the ships of our fleet closing in. One
thousand yards is the limit of effective
torpedo range and as we were ap-
DEOdCIlIS dDOul lHdl ulSldlIS l. illSii-
toned something of that sort to Cap
tain Cook at the same time saying to
him Much will depend Upon this ship
today. Cook replied that we would
soon be within the cross fire OF the
ships. / saw Lieutenant Simpsons first
shot and then I saw the first vessel in
the Spanish line take a rank sheer to
the westward, leaving the Viscaya COM
ing straight on. Then the latter also
turned to the westward. 1t was not ap-
parent that the original plan of the
Spaniards had failed and that the
Spanish fleet, in order and apparently
at distance. had succeeded in passing
the battleship line. A new feature of
the fight became Immediately apparent.
Captain Cook now CAV the order to
port the helm. l did not. l should
have lone so in a second. 1 said to
him:Is your helm aport' and he re-
piled that: 1t is aport or hard apart
l think the latter"
Coming to the turn of the Brooklyn
Admiral Schley, speaking clearly and
never hesitating for a word, said that
he had never seen a ship turn more
steadily. 9TH turn he said, was alb
solutely continuous: there was no cas-
ing of the helm and / ever saw the star
boardside of the Texas. 1 am sure we
were never nearer that vessel than 600
yards. We were never across her bow.
She never entered into my head at all
as a menace or danger"
He said the closest range given was
LOO yards. w were so close he went
on THAT remember 1 could see men
on the Spanish ships running between
the superstructure. l coul even see
daylight between their legs.
During the turn, Lieutenant Com
mander HodgSon, very properly, maue
the observation that we should look
out for the Texas" but there was new
er any colloquy between any
colloquy of any character between
Hodgson and myself. first because he
was too good an officer to nave so
transgressed, and, second, because If he
had undertaken it / would not have per
mitted it. That is fiction; there was no
c~Olloquy."
At this point the admiral said the
leading one of the Spanish ships was
on the B~rooklyn's ~starboard bow and
that not only all of the enemy's ships,
but the forts as we'll, were firing appar-