The Washington times., 1901-10-04
SAMPSON Versus SAMPSON
rFrom The Times. Norember ia, ls9s.I


A very grave question. affecting the
| truth of American history, and the repu-
| tation of our navy for personal honor
is presented in a comparison of the
variant statements made by Admiral
| Sampson as to his alleged share in the
| sea fight off Santiago de Cuba, on the
Sd of July, 1898
Admiral Sampson is irretrievably on
record in the connection, in two reports.
| The first was sent to the Government by
cable. and dated at Siboney. July 3, 3:15
D. m. 1t was that explosion of glory in
which he announced that the fleet under
my command offers the natioa, a
Fourth of July present, the destruction of
the whole of Cervera's fleet" The second
report was the one written in cold blood,
and after he had been enabled to learn
the facts of the battle. 1t was sent by
mail to the Navy Department, and dated,
~. S. Flagship New York, off Santiago
de Cuba, July Is"
During the twelve days which inter
veDed between the first and second re-
ports. the surface indications are that
Admiral Sampson deliberately determined
to discredit some of his original state
ments. and TO denounce officially ac-
ments. in an attempt to prove his active
personal participation in the events of
the engagement of July 3. 1t is unneces-
sary to charge him directly with falsify-
ing the data of his reports. They, and
not The Times or any other person or in
fluence. are his accusers.
The process by which Admiral Samp-
son seems to seek the perversion of facts
HE Int he
by reference to the inconsistent state
ments in his reports of July and July To-
In his report. by cable, of July 8, he
states: AT p. m. the last warship. the
Cristobal Colon, had run ashore SIXTY
miles west of Santiago, and let down her
coIors"
After twelve days of deliberation, he
says: AT 1:1O it 1.-THE Cristobal ColonI
gave up without firing another shot,
hauled down its colors and ran ashore at
Rio Tarquino, FORTY EIGHT miles from
Santiago"
Again. on July 3, he says: 1.-The In
fanta Maria Teresa, oquendo. and Viz
caya were burned and blown up within
TWENTY miles of Santiago
But. two weeks or less later, he asserts:
''The Vizcaya was set on fire and at Il :15
turned in shore and was beached at As
seradero, FIFTEEN miles from Santi-
ago"
In this connection, 1t is important to
note the truth, thoroughly well known to
Admiral Sampson. that Asseradero is
TWENTY ONE miles west of Santiago
Harbor entrance.
To return to the Cristobal Colon, which,
according to sampsons first report. went
ashore sixty miles. and, according to his
second, forty-eight miles west of Santa
go: Rio Tarquino is SIXTY miles west of
Santiago Harbor entrance by the near
est water route, and is FIF'TY-FIVE
miles west in an air line, but. as Samp-
sons feet was not composed of airships,
this latter route was not open to him.
The mouth of Santiago Harbor is little
over fifty minutes forty seconds east OF
the point where the Colon went ashore.
At twenty degrees north latitude the
latitue Of Santiago, a minute is 1.0S3
miles long.
The Colon therefore went ashore
FIFTY -FOUR AND ONE-HALF miles
west of Santiago. But the coast line at
this point dips to the south and then runs
to the west, so that in addition to the dis
tance west the ships had to travel south
and around this bulge in the coast line
ing the actual distance FIFTY-EIGHT |
AND ONE-HALF miles, approximately
the distance first given, and correctly so,
by Sampson.
Having cut off twelve miles from the
true distance to Rio Tarquino. Sampson
finds himself in an embarrassing situation
as to the distance from Santiago TO !
Asseradero, where the Vizcaya ran
ashore. In his first report he said the |
distance was TWENTY MILES, which is
practically correct. In his systematic
reduction of distances of % per cent he
finds It necessary to reduce this so that
it may appear that the New York was
in sight; so In his second report he says |
the Vizcaya ran ashore at Asseradero, |
FIFTEEN miles west of Santiago. The |
first statement was correct; the second |
incorrect.
When these conflicting statements are
considered in the light of time |
and distances the conclusion will be ir-
that in order to reduce the dis |
tance the New York had to travel to |
reach the Vizcaya, Sampson reduced the |
true distance from Santiago Harbor en- |
trance to the Vizcaya by five miles, and |
that he reduced the distance between San |