The age-herald., 1901-10-26
SCHLEY GIVES MOST GRAPHIC
 ACCOUNT OF SANTIAGO FIGHT


 steaming to the westward. We went little further than I had intended, on ac- count of the difficulty in getting the Yale to read our Ardois signals. We were obliged to go four or five miles further on that account. In my judgment 1t was not possible to have coaled as I said yester- day. That was one of the conditions which I watched especially and was a better judge of that than any other officer of the fleet, because I was more interest ed in 1t. I signalled to Captain Philip. asking him if he could coal, and I think
 his signal indicates precisely that he
 was uneasy about It. for he signalled
 back to me can try The impression left upon my mind was that at that time even he was uncertain"
 Heat Interfered With Coalins.
 Continuing, he said that even as late as the following morning Philip had sig naled that both the Texas and the Merrt- mac had sprung a leak.
 The admiral also referred to the ex- treme heat, saying 1t was so great that the men were exhausted and the doctors had recommended on this account coaling operations be suspended.
 Here Admiral Schley brought his nar- rative up to Santiago, and said in that connection that he had regarded the or ders of the department concerning the probable presence of the Spanish fleet at Santiago as more of a suggestion than a would take only a little while to get back in any event. He repeated that the prop CT military maneuver would be to pro- ceed west ward towards the bases at Ha- vana and Key West.
 He arrived with the squardon off Santi- ago about o'clock p. m., May 28 he said, and took up his position five or six miles out. afterwards holding the fleet in formation day and night. On that first night he sent the Marblehead close in with instructions to keep a close watch on the mouth of the harbor. That night he noticed the signals on shore known as blinkers and also observed lights on 8 lower plane, which he had since become convinced were from the Colon Hing in the harbor. The next day he discovered the presence of that Spanish vessel there as he had also of others of the enemy's war vessels. He said that when he thus secured irrefutable proof of the fact that the vessels were there he told Captain Sigsbee of the fact, and that officer ex- pressed surprise that such was really the case It was at this period that he sent his dispatch to the department giving ab- solute information of the presence of the Spaniards and Sigsbee took this message to Mole St. Nicholas.
 Plan of the Blockade.
 Admiral Schley said that after locating
 the fleet in Santiago he formed the block ade In the only way he believed such
 small squadron could be utilized for such
 a duty. The shIps were in column broad side on to the entrance of the harnor so
 that simple turn of the wheel would
 bring them in line if the enemy appeared. He called the captains of the ships aboard
 and explained his idea of the blockade to them, and also his general plan of attack, which nan Of bp first and confuse and cripple each in turn.
 The picket boats were to be used as torpedo boat destroyers. The ships were to maintain steam so as to be capable of twelve knots. The fleet steamed back
 and forth before the entrance of the
 harbor. Morro Castle, he thought, was at
 no time more than five miles away. He judged this by the distinctness with which
 he could see the surf The bottoms of all his ships were foul, perhaps a knot or a knot and ahalf slower than they should have been The admiral explained how the fleet steamed back and forth, using the bold headlands at night to determine their positions with picket boats always inside. Every night except when rain squalls occurred and they were usually | brief the admiral testified he could see the pickets either with the naked eye l or with night glasses. He never went to | bed without looking for them and there i was not night when he could not distin- guish the land and the Morro.
 | In concluding his description of the | blockade that had been maintained, the 1 admiral said: That 1t was sufficient is | shown by the fact that during its exist ence no vessel entered or escaped from | the harbor."
 Reconnaissance of May 31. | Coming to the reconnaissance of May 31, Admiral Schley said: "On the S1st while the Brooklyn and the Marblehead and the Texas were coaling, l transferred my flag to the Massachusetts and de- | termined to develop the Notifications be- yond information which we had from the | hydrographic offce-my impression now | is 1t was rather undetermined. l think | one source stated that the batteries were old and another that Krupps were mount ed The general belief, however. was that all of the Southern places were very | heavily fortified. In fact, we knew very I little about the effect of higher powered artillery either on shore or aboard ship, | and feeling that I ought to know some | thing about the Notifications which de- tended that place, l determined to go In and take advantage of what I believed | to be the longer range of our guns and develop fully what these defences were and incidentally, if we could. get a shot at the Colon, that was lying exposed. I think we were lying In a position per- haps four or five miles to the westward. The steaming in was at slow speed. I transferred my flag named 1000 yards and went on board the Massachusetts. When I boarded her 1t was near the dinner hour, and Captain Higginson suggested that we postpone until o'clock, then going in to develop these batteries. as- scented. After the neal we steamed in pretty nearly head-on. There was not much opportunity for anybody to seek I cover behind a turret unless he got be- hind the protecting plate which was l guard to the entrance of the rear. Some weight had been laid upon the fact that we were in white clothes. I would like | to invite attention to the fact that that was matter which I controlled entirely | for my squadron, and 1t was about the only suitable dress for that region" Was Not Excited. Once on board he had, he said, engaged l in a conversation with Captain (now Ad- miraD Higginson. q was not excited" | he went on. nor nervous, for I need not have undertaken the reconnaissance had | 1 not desired to do so. I had some regard | for those standing on the turrets, think | ing they were exposing themselves to danger from shock, which was unneces- | sary, though I was differently circum- stanced, and so expressed myself. Com | mander Potts is in error in saying that took advantage of cover. I did not, for I was not concerned about myself" speaking of the range of 1000 yards, the admiral said Commander Potts had him.