Evening star., 1901-10-25
RESUMES HIS STORY
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have been for him to have gone to the
west, and not to the east, as that would
bring him nearer to the military base at
Havana. He continued:
I'VE arrived in front of the harbor at
Santiago about 6 o'clock, if my memory
serves NE correctly. MORO was distant
about six or seven miles. We continued on
until about o'clock, and took up our posi-
tion for the night" He thought that the
Vixen as well as the Merrimac had each
blown out manhole in one of its boilers
and had machinists working in 1t during
the night to make repairs. These two ves-
sells remained near the flagship on account
of this repair work
ION the morning of the 10Th 1 moved a
little closer in.
Discovery of the Colon.
Admiral Schley then interrupted himself
and said that he was going to say that on
the night of the 2sth signals had been
made from the port, and he thought below
the signal lights which afterward showed,
he said, that they must have been on the
Colon, as they were in the place where she
was discovered afterward. She was plain
ly visible the next day between 1.SO0 and
1000 yards in the barber She was recog-
nized the Colon. he said, by her mill
tary mast and two smokestacks. Laying
back of her little to the east, he said,
another ship was seen that morning which
appeared to be of the Viscaya type. He
said that he also saw a torpedo boat and
afterward 1t was reported to him that two
torpedo boats were there.
II felt satisfied" he continued, "after
seeing that much of the Spanish fleet that
the whole feet was there, because l could
not conceive that any commander would
have detached one or two vessels Before
o'clock in the morning l saw to the east
ward the smoke of a steamer, which SUBJ
flx- we'd fn hn
she approached Capt. Sigsbee came on
board at my command. 1 told him that the
Spanish squadron was really in the harbor'
that we had seen several of it's vessels
My impression is that Capt. Cook was
standing alongside and Capt. Sigsbee eX-
pressed a great deal of surprise. At all
events 1 gave him telegram do not
recollect whether it was in cipher or in
English-informing the department and Ad-
miral Sampson that the enemy were in
port. / think that telegram is to be found
on page 419 of the appendix.
The admiral then looked up the record
and read these words of the telegram
Enemy in port. recognized by the discov-
cry of the Colon In front of the Maria
Teresa"
The admiral said he was inclined after
ward to believe that it was really the Mer-
cedes instead of the Maria Teresa.
A number of official dispatches passing
between the department. Commodore Schley
and Admiral Sampson were then referred
to by Admiral Schley in order to have them
properly placed in the record in connection
with his testimony rather than because of
their relation to his own remarks. The dis
patch sent by the commodore to the de-
partment off Santiago, May %. at 10 am.
saying. Enemy in port; recognized Colon
and Teresa and two torpedo boat destroy
ers. etc." was read.
This" said Admiral Schley, Il sent with
Captain Sigsbee to Mole st. Nicholas. in
structing him to put the dispatch in cipher
and to report his arrival there to the de-
partment One copy was sent to Admiral
Sampson and one to the department"
Mr.. Rayner: after sending that dispatch,
what did you do them?
The Plan of Blockade.
Admiral Schley-"After sending that dis
patch the squadron maintained it's position
in blockade off the harbor, and the forma-
tion of the fleet was in my judgment the
only available plan of formation. That was
to keep the squadron constantly beyond the
batteries, and to that end I called all the
captains on board and explained to them
not only the method of blockade, but the
method of attack in case the enemy should
appear. The squadron was to be broadside
on the channel, simply wheel in their
direction. In that case if the enemy should
come out way or the other the fleet
would simply go to the right or left, to the
east west. accordingly. The general
plan adopted was to attack the head of the
column. few guns, of course, being turned
upon the others. Accompanying picket
boats We're to be employed as torpedo boat
destroyers. to be protected under the lee of
the larger ships, and to follow the fleet.
THE squadron then took up it's position
and maintained it usually during the day
The order was given to maintain at all
times steam enough to get up speed of
twelve knots, and also to maintain that
formation. l do not think at any time We
VIC Gt-a ilacs oh md
always determined upon the position upon
bearings upon the MORO itself.
In all these matters the surf regulated
me good deal, because it was always visi-
BILE from the ship. During the entire time
of that blockade until the 1st of June
saw the surf every day and watched it
carefully. When night came We formed
a column and steamed east and west IS
slowly possible. We did not get up as
much speed as some people have imagined
because of the condition of the bottoms of
the vessels. L know that in the case of the
Brooklyn she had not been in dock ct any
later period than other vessels, ard l know
her condition at that time. The order was
given to go east and west two or two and
one-haf miles from Aguadores to Com
panias. Back of Santiago. like most of the
ports on the southern side of Cuba, there
were high hills. There was a table land 200
or 80 feet high, and back of that to
the west was peak 5000 feet high. and
to the eastward was another 1000 feet in
height, and maybe more. These peaks were
used as bearings in locating our positions.
''At night l invariably took couple of
turns in toward the shore. Going east We
turned with the starboard helm and going
west We turned with port helm. There
was never a night that | did not look out
for the picket boats before L went to bed,
and L always saw them. / could see them
through glasses, and many times l could
distinguish the outline of the land and
could see the MORO and the entrance to the
harhOr nnly yo6n If
Cienfuegos and also the blockade off San
tiago was sufficient is borne out by the
fact that no vessel entered or escaped dur
ing that time.
The Engagement of May 81.
'On the 31st of May while the Brooklyn