The Yale expositor., 1901-10-04
SAYS SHIPS Gould COAL.
Was Being Done at Time of
Schley's Dispatch.
BUT THE SEA WAS SEVERE,
"Retrograde Movement" Subject Investi-
gated-Jewett Contradicts Schley-The
Days Proceedings Tale
Told by Log of the Merrimac.

Washington, Oct. Capt. James
M. Miller, who commanded the collier
Merrimac off Santiago in May, 1898,
gave testimony before the Schley court
Of inquiry aimed at the contention of
Admiral Schley that he could not coal
his ships in those waters the week be-
fore the sea fight.
The examination was conducted in
accordance with clause No. 6 in the
?recept. May 27, thirty-six days be-
fore Cervera's fleet left the harbor,
Schley turned the squadron under his
command back toward Key West, de-
claring it was necessary to coal his
ships. This "retrograde movement"
as it has come to be called, is one of
the chief complaints made against the
admiral. Capt. Miller was called by
the department to show whether or
not the movement was necessary;
whether, in fact, the state of the sea
and weather compelled Schley to leave
Santiago to replenish the bunkers of
his vessels. 1t was vitally important
point ,and Capt Miller was kept on the
stand an hour.
/ First the judge advocate general OBJ
tanned the information that in the
opinion of the commander of the coll
lier it was possible to coal ships at that
time. Later the counsel from Schley
hammered away at the witness and
tried to extract from him the state
ment that it was dangerous to try to
coal at sea. Capt Miller held his
ground against the assaults of the le-
gal lights on both sides and confined
his story to the facts set forth in his
log book. This record showed that
ships coaled both before and after the
date when Admiral Schley sent the dis
patch to the department that it was
necessary to go to Key West to coal.
Jewett ContradIcts schley.
When Capt. Jewett, commander Of
the Minneapolis, took the stand he
stated that he did not give Schley the
information as to the presence Of the
Spanish fleet at Santiago. The coun-
sci on both sides became involved in
another wrangle over the admission of
conversations between naval men, and
ment. in addressing the court, declared
it was apparent that all the officers did
not consider it necessary to tell Schley
for the reason that they accepted as
true the report of the department that
Cervera was hiding in the harbor. Mr..
Hanna took the ground that they had
no reason to doubt the departments
information, and intimated that Schley
was the only one who was skeptical on
that point.
Capt. Miller is a little man with a
determined mien and a short-cropped
beard which makes him look like Gen.
Grant He told about loading 5000
tons of coal at Hampton Roads and
arriving at Cienfuegos May %. having
made a speed Of nine or ten knots.
He had orders first to coal the Iowa.
BY referring to the log OF the Merrimac
Capt. Miller said he coaled the Iowa,
the Castine and the Dupont May %.
The following day, the oath, he coaled
the Massachusetts,. On the way from
Cienfuegos to Santiago the Merrimacs
engines broke down the evening of the
Goth, and she was towed by the Yale.
He coaled no ships May 26, but the
next day he coaled the Texas, which
came alongside, and the evening of
that day he coaled the Marblehead and
Vixen by boats May 20 the Massachu-
setts coaled from the Merrimac, the
30th the Iowa and the 31st the Marble
head apain