The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-04

OlQer gun III ludI l. kdfG HILL
the range at 1850 yards and he fired
and that shot struck very near the
stern of the Colon. Both 12-inch guns
| were disabled at the fire from a ex-
IRENE elevation. After that we stood
a mile and a half, possibly W. miles,
to our blockading station again That
was all I saw done TO injure he Colon"
The witness was then asked about
the blockade of Santiago under Conn.,
modore Schley. He said the squadron
stood seven or eight miles out at night
with the Vixen and the Marblehead on
the inside at night.
The judge advocate asked the witness
concerning a statement by a lieutenant
OF the Spanish navy. printed by the
navy department to h effect that at
dark the American ships withdrew to
the southwark, disappearing.
The introduction of this book was OBJ
jected to and Admiral Dewey said:
1.-The witness has already told what
distance was maintained by the fleet.
We don't care for that kin Of infor-
nation. Admiral Evans was there and
can answer for himself. We want
facts; not newspaper articles.
Did o ave az opportunity Of OBJ
serving the movements Of h Brook
Ign during the battle Of Santiago?"
II saw the Brooklyn when b fight
began. When 1 reached the bridge OF
the Iowa, the Brooklyn was still off to
the westward headed 1 should say
northwest. That was just as the fight
began. I saw her again possibly five
minutes afterWard when she was
steaming westward very fast, firing her
port battery, headed northwest towardl
the head Of the Spanish column. 1 die
not see the Brooklyn again until my
attention was directed to her by the
navigator calling to me Lookout Cap
tain. for the Texas 1 went on the
port bridge where the navigator was
standing. and 1 said: Where the devil
Is the Texas?' The navigator said:
Here she is sir, in the smoke l said
to myself: Captain Philip will look af-
ter the Texas and went below. In a
few minutes the navigator called out
again Lookout Captain, you will run
into the Texas / walked over to the
port side Of the bridge and saw the
Brooklyn'S smoke stack and military
masts. She was lying directly across
| the bows of the Texas. The Texas was
| apparently backing and dangerously
close to the Iowa.. The Brooklyn SEEM
ed to be 100 yards directly in front of
| the Texas. I eased the helm of the
Iowa a little, ported her helm
a little and just at that moment
the Oregon came through my lee n
| passed between me n the Texas and
the three boats were punched together.
| At that time the Brooklyn was shut out
| in the smoke. and I saw no more Of her
| until the Colon had passed we'll to the
westward of me, when some n on the
| bridge said: The Brooklyn is knocked
| out I went on the bridge to see what
had happened and h was then a mile
and a half forward Of the port beam OF
the Iowa with the Colon seven or eight
miles ahead and on her ~starboard
| bow"
On his cross examination by Mr..
Rayner Admiral Evans said that he
had left Key West with the Iowa for
Cienfuegos on May goth and that he
knew before leaving that port that a
secret code had been arranged for conn.,
municating with the insurgents on
shore at C~ienfuegos, as Captain Chad
wick had given him this information.
He came on board the Iowa." said theI
witness, ito deliver dispatches to me
before we got under way. To my best
knowledge and belief he gave me al
written memorandum containing theI
secret code, but Notwithstanding II
nave made diligent search among my
papers for this document I have failed
to find it."
Then did you inform CommodoreI
Schley that this system Of signals had
been arranged?"
Il did not. 1t never entered myl
mind that he did not know it."
Upon what ground did you supposed
that Commodore Schley knew it?'
He was the commanding officer Of
the squadron"
From what source did you supposed
he got this information?"
Il did not oppose anything about it.
1t never entered my head. If it had II
should have said, Of course, that the|
commanding officer of a ava forceI
would not expect n of his juniorI
captains to give him ~informationI
about signals. 1t was given me as al
piece of information which I thought
every captain in the fleet had. I neverl
thought OF Commodore Schley in c)n
nection with it. If 1 had supposed for
| a moment that Commodore Schley did
not have it I would have given it to him
the first thing on my arrival there. II
did not intend to say that ComodoreI
Schley had this signal CODE"
Mr.. Rayner questioned Admiral|
Evans at some length concerning tha|
signals as displayed on the coast near
| C~ienfuegos. which the admiral said the
officer of the deck had told him had
been seen on May 22nd and 23rd but
the witness said that he had no con-
versation with Admiral Schley about
these lights M had made no report tol
him Of their appearance or significance.
! Mr.. Rayner then changed the base Of
his examination from Cienfuegos to
o1AittoSo Va dShll oil HNdlS IL
he had seen the official shart showingI
the positions of the Brooklyn and
other battleships on the day Of the bat
tie off Santiago, July 8. 1898.
The admiral replied that he had seen
the chart but that it was wrong.
Mr.. Rayner: When did you first
know about the turn of the Brooklyn,
as you say, a short distance from the
Texas?"
when I saw her cross the bow of the
Texas"
You do not recollect that Commo-I
dore Schley first told o on July 5th
that it was the Brooklyn IND not the
Texas that made the turn"
II lever imagined anything Of the
sort"
Give briefly the purport of Jour con-
versation on that date with Commo-
| dore Schley."
He was sitting at his desk writing.
I walked into his cabin to make a re-
| port. He put his hand on my shoulder
| and said: Bobby, I am just writing my
report of the battle of the 3rd Of July,
I have said of you that you handled
your ship with conSummate SKILL