The San Francisco call., 1901-10-09
sHIPs IN TIE BATTLE.
Officers Who Were on the Vessels
Tall Their Stories

WASHINGTON, oct. 6.-After the usual pre-
limiCarles in the Schley naval court OF inquiry
to-day LeutenGIS G. w. Dyson Of the bureau
of steam engineering Of the Navy Department
Was recalled TO continue his testimony regard
ing the coal supply of Admiral Schleys nying
squadron at the time of its arrival off San
tlago harbor on May 26, 1898. He was brought
Schiey's counsel for the purpose of giving
further testimony concerning the availability
OF the coal supply in charging the enemy.
1t was the understanding when court opened
that Commander Richard Wainwright would
after he should be excused Messrs. Bristol
Grant and Potts would be called in the order
named The three last mentioned We're all
watch officers on various vessels of the Amer
lean feet on July :, when the naval engage
Inent off Santiago was fought 1t has been
the desire of the court to secure as much teS-
timony possible from the men whose especial
duty 1t was to keep a lookout and these three
officers were Summoned to gratify this wish
There was q special interest in Commander
Wainwrights testimony because of his prom
inent Identification with the Spanish and
also because of the fact that he is super
intendent OF the Naval Acadamy at AnnapOlf
During the summer Of 1898 Wainwright com
manded the converted yacht Gloucester. which
played a conspicuous part in the campaign
against the Spaniards. In the battle of July
his vessel occupied position on the extreme
right OF the American column to, the east OF
the Indiana, and when the Spanish torpedo
boats Pluton and Furor came out of the har-
Dor he attacked them fearlessly and aided in
their destruction. He also was an observer,
though at a distance, of the battle between
the big ships of the two fleets.
recall OF Captain w NJ Foger, tor the -pur-
pose Of correcting his testimony of yesterday
Advantage was. taken of his presence to ask
him further questions concerning the blockade
Of Santiago. Among other questions he
conversation with Commodore SchIey during
the blockade. He replied:
Feared Cervera Escaped.
Toward the evening of one of the days the
30th, there was an extended, very severe rain
storm. so severe that 1 feared Cervera had
SlIfflctRQllV n ha We
permitted him to do 1 went on board the
flagship the next day, thinking it my duty
TO tell the commodore what I had seen as to
the blockade as kept by the Japanese off. the
port OF Weihaiwei, where similarly enemy's
feet was within fortified harbor. 1 said to
the commodore that the adoption of the tactics
Of the Japanese. forming a circle directly in
preferable as then it Would be dffinuit foT oe
anything to get OUT
Judge advocate-Was there any reply by the
commodore?
Il cannot testify exactly to his reply. 1
would prefer not to do so.''
Judge advocate-Give the substance.
He did not agree with me as to the neces-
WAS there anything further said by him?.
Nothing further that I recolect."
Captain Folger also said that he had no
recollection of picket line on the inside OF
At the request of Captain Parker of counsel
for Admiral Schley the witness examined the
for the purpose of determining accurately the
state of the weather, but he declined to modify
his statement of yesterday that the weather
those days bad.
Captain Folger was then excused and Lieu
tenant Dyson was called. He was questioned
by Captain Lemly concerning the steaming
condition of the Brooklyn on July g. The judge
advocate asked
What does the Brooklyn's steam log show
to the number of engines coupled up and
the boilers in July g. 1885, as compared
with the total engine and boiler power Of the
YesselT'
The reply was: "The Brooklyn has four main,
engines, two to each shaft connected together
and two auxiliary. On the morning of July 8
both forward engines were uncoupled; there
were banked fires under three Of the main boil
ers Two other boilers what call
dead no steam in them Judging from the
time it took to start fires in these boilers after
the Spanish fleet came out or the harbor
should say the furnaces were not even primed
and two of the boilers had to be run UP to
the sea steaming level. 1t took from 9:35 to
10 clock to start fires"
In response to other questions the witness de-
tailed from the log of the Brooklyn all that was
Mr.. Raynor Si asked if # was not necessary to
stop the ship to couple the uncoupled engines,
and the witness replied that the ship could have
been kept going with one engine while the other
was coupled. The engines were designed, he
said, to be kept coupled during war. Discuss
ing the speed of the various vessels of the feet
on July 3, the witness said that the Oregon got
up speed about equal to the Brooklyn on that
day notwithstanding that on her trial trip the
Oreson's seventeen knots. He called attention
to the fact that the New York had made six
the battle. In response to questions from Cap
tain Parker he said that the New York had not
had her engines coupled on the day of battle
and that the Brooklyn had made all the neces-
sary speed.
Hodgson on the Stand.
After Lieutenant Dyson was excused Lieuten-
ant Commander Hodgson was recalled for the
purpose Of correcting errors in his testimony as
printed in the official record. He took occasion
to change some Of the language of his previous
testimony. One of these changes was made in
response to the questions asked yesterday as to
why he had designated liar and q black
guard the editor or a newspaper which had
originally printed the alleged colloouy between
himself and Commodore Schley. He said he de-
sired to alter the reply that he had yesterday
given TO this lnterrogatory. He then said:
Il, Of course, am very sorry that I ever so
Ear forgot myself as to write letter containing
such intemperate language. 1t was not written
cation at the time In that letter l did not
accuse this newspaper of lying for printing that
statement In fact. II was to absolve 1t from
my name for the correctness of the gfst of that
statement The lying was on the matter of the
fact that the commodore displayed such trepl-
dation and cowardice on the Brooklyn the day
of that battle that he from the Spaniards
and took the Brooklyn to the southwark and
away from the night, in order to detract from
the credit OF the fame of the commodore In
that battle; that they wished also to detract
from the credit OF all the officers of the Brook
lyn on account OF the glorious part she took in
tent that 1 characterized as lying. There was
no lying in that conoquy unless a man stuck
TO the verbal correctness Of the words. So I
did not characterize the paper as a Iiaf for
printing that colloquy.' ~
Lieutenant Commander Hodgson being ~ex-
cused Commander Wainwright was called
Captain Lemly began his examination bv
drawing from the witness the fact that he
had had be been 1 member and lstterly senior
in making the charts showing the positions of