The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-30
Examination of Witnesses In
Schley Case Closed.
Dewey Announces Court Will
Ask Some Questions.
HE DEFENDS THE LOOP
Schley Says BrOoklyn's Famous
Turn at Santiago
Was Most Important Incident
of the Battle.

Washington, Oct 30.-At 2:36 p m
Judge Advocate Lemly announced that
ne had no further questions to ask Ad-
miral Schley.
Mr.. Rayner stated that he had not a
single question to ask. Admiral Dewey
announced that the court had some
questions to ask
AT sos p. m Admiral Schley was ex-
cused and at 3:1O p. m. the court ad-
journed until tomorrow.
Washington, Oct 30-With the open
ing of the Schley court of inquiry Ad-
Iniral Schley began the fifth day of his
testimony and the third day of his cross
examination. The prospect then was
that he would continue on the stand
throughout the day. Judge Advocate
Lemly still had a long list of type-writ-
ten questions before him and the differ
ent members of the court have been in
dustriously preparing questions to De
presented to the admiral for his con-
SIderat1On when his examination Dy
counsel is concluded The testimony be-
gan today where it left off yesterday
taking up different phases of the block
ade of Santiago and passing from that
question into the reconnaissance of May
81, when the Spanish cruiser CriStobal
Colon was bombarded. The battle of
July 3 was left for the last subject to
be considered
The first question Capt Lemly asked
was whether the Iowa was with the fly
ing squadron at Hampton Roads when
he gave the captains of the ships the
verbal orders as to attacking the enc
my's fleet Admiral Schley replied that
she was not In response to questions
he said that he first fell in with the
Iowa, off Cienfuegos. Capt. Evans was
then i'll and Commander Rodgers was
in command. He did not recollect
whether he had communicated the YER
bal orders to the latter. He first saw
Capt Evans on May %. He was then
questioned to his conversation with
Capt. Folger when the latter suggested
a circular blockade such as existed at
Wei Hei Wei.
The witness said he thought the fleet
was larger than his at Wei Hei Wei
and that there were f1anking vessels in
that fleet He was asked whether he did
not consider a circular blockade with
the vessels pointing in. mobile as the
other form in that the ships could move
either way by turning with the helm.
The admiral replied that he thought a
circular blockade were all the vessels
charged to the center would produce
confusion and inevitably lead to a diff
ferent arrangement according as the
enemy moved east or west. THE out
come" said he, could only be more or
less confusion such as did actually occur
later"
The admiraPs attention was called to
Capt Folger's statement that the latter
had advised him to go in closer at San
tiago and his own statement in chief
that on the next day Capt Folger had
stgnalled him that they We're within
range of batteries The admiral in re-
ply changed the date of the signal to
day later He read Folger's signal Il
think the forts may open at this range
He said when Folger made this signal,
the squadron was in practically the
same position as ON the day FoIger tes-
titled that he had asked the admiral to
go In closer Witness attention was
then called to his statement that neither
at CfenfuegOs, nor Santiago, had any
vessels entered, or departed and he was
asked how he knew this He replied
that he only knew it because he never
heard of any ships getting in. On the
north Cuba blockade, when a French
man succeeded in getting through the
blockading line into Havana, the fact
had been widely advertised as a great
accomplishment His conclusion there
fore was that none had entered.
BOMBARDMENT OF COLON
Coming to the reconnaissance of May
81 when the Spanish ship Colon was
bombarded as it lay in the harbor at
Santiago. Capt Lemly asked Admiral
Schley when he first received notice thar
the commander in chief would be at
Santiago. The witness replied that the
notice had come in the dispatch brought
to him by Captain Cotton which was
dated May 29- This telegram was. he
said, not received until May 81 Possi-
bly,. too, the New Orleans might have
brought information of the coming of
Admiral Sampson
why did you wait two DAYS after the
discovery of the presence of the fleet IN
the harbor, before undertaking your re-
connoissance +"
'Forthe reason had used those two |
days Tor coaling the vessels of the fleer
SO as to be prepared in case the enemy !
should come out
Relating the occurrences of the bor,-
bardment, he said he recalled that Can+ |
Higginson had asked after he (SchIaxl |
went aboard the Massachusetts that |
the bonbardment be POSTPONED INIT,
after dinner That he warned some !
people to get off the turrets and that |
Lieutenant Comma nder Potts had eixran
notice that they We're on the range h
did not recall, he said the signal nor |
to go IN closer, but it was possible that |
sucn signal had been sent and it had |
not been recorded. 1t might be that if |
was with this, with other signals |
which had not been recorded because /
the writing of them was always de- /
ferred until the next day.
mo man. he said "excent tha ,,ras,
correspondents. who brave all 1ane-ers -s7
can always have paper and penciI al /
hand while battle is in progress and
as a consequence there is a failure 70 /
record many occurrences that should be
recorded"
Here followed an examination of tho
various signals from the Massach11sa+ts
on the day of the bombardrnent which
the admiral verified At the same time
he remarked that he thought that +F7a,-e |
were other signals unrecorded
Admiral SehIey said that he had or
dered the range at 1000 yards for thar
day. but that he had not supposed the
Colon was SO far up the harbor
'-Of course" he said. .sI left the meas