The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-09-25
lsidore Rayner Becomes Leading At
torney, Assisted by Captain
Parker and M, A. league.
Mr.. Rayner Shows HowRecords Have
Been 'Doctored Testimony on
Movements of Warships.

commented in a general way upon their
purport, spoke of the difficulty he had in
! getting coal on board his ships while at
C1enfuegos and subsequently to the date
OF which | am speaking May q, and said
1t had been almost an impossibility to get
coal on board on account of the weather.
he questioned me relative to the prac-
tlcablI1ty OF coaling ships at st. Nicholas
Mole and Gonaivas channel. AS to ST.
! Nicholas Mole l said: There is no ques-
| t1on the small ships can coal there AS
10 Gona1ves channel, 1 know OF no rea-
son why you should not be able to ccal
| there. The commodore made some re-
marks upon my statements, the language
OF which do not recall, but he asked me:
How about the large ships at St. Nicholas
Mole" said: You can't coal your big
ships there
Might Coal One at a Time.
Il had special refernece in my reply to
the battleships and protected cruisers of
the Brooklyn and New York class. I
salo, thinking Of the fact that my own ship
mad been there and was of some 12 600
tons displacement and nearly 600 feet in
length. Perhaps under favorable condi-
tlons, you might be able to coal the
large ships there, one at time The
area OF deep water for the anchorage OF
large ships is so little there it was not
practicable to coal at the very outmost
more than one large ship at a time. Then
IN case the weather became bad she
would Immediately have to 60 to sea. L
was anxious while l was there with the
harvard, on account Of her size. and L
would have left at once in case had wealth.
er mad come on. I recollect no Qualifi-
cation as to GonaiveS channel"
ADMIRAL Cotton said in response to a
question from Captain Lemly that vessels
from the fleet could have coaled where
they were on the 9th '.at some time dur
Ing that day." he said. AS indicative of
Inc condition Of the sea he said he had
used cockieshell boat In going from the
harvard to the Brooklyn and had worn a
white uniform
was anything said at the time about
going to Key West for coal?"
Returning to what said with refer
ence to the difficulty which Commodore
SchIey stated to me he had had In getting
coal on board of any Of the ships at
C1enfuegos, he said he was very anxious.
Inc coal supply was getting short. thM
weather was bad and it had been bad al
most continuously. 1t was very serious
proplem as to how or whether he could
POSSIBLY get coal on board ships off San
tlago He said if he found the weather
did not improve and he found it tmprac
t1caole to coal there he could only see the
only resort. and that was he would ha
compelled to return to Key West in order
to supply his ships with coal. Having
tnat question in view he was apprehen-
5IVe especially as to one ship, the Texas.
he did not even know at that moment
whether she had on board sufficient col
10 enable her to return to Key West
Returning to Key West.
During my visit he gave an order to
make signal, general signal, az 7 re-
member it, not limited to the fjving
squadron alone, to report what ships had
coal enough to reach Key West. The sip-
nal was made or at least assume il was
made AT all events during nv presence
with Commodore Schley he received a re-
port that all the ships, including the
1, 1e1as, mad sufficient coal to return to
Key West I think the commodore wac
very much relieved when he received This
information. Shortly afterward. should
say within few minutes, he directed
signal to be made preparatory for the
ships to return to Key West The order
was given In general way cannoA
give the words of the order but what I
nave stated was their purport While I
was still there he received report that
the signals were read. Before left shin
ne ordered signals to be made for shine
TO form preparatory for steaming to Kew
West NY
To go back bit. 1 had informed
ColAAouore Scnley that 1t was utterly
Impossible for the Harvard to get any
Wnere except to Kingston. had not SUI
nc1ent coal to get to Key West and ha
verbally authorized me to proceed at once
10 kingston to receive such amount Of
coal as l could get there sufficient To
enable me to return to the nearest United
States port. left the Brooklyn about
noon. Immediately after my departure
the Brooklyn commenced steaminR ahead
and noticed that many OF the ships at
tnat moment under Commodore SchIev's
command were in motion, presumably pre-
pairing to take their stations in steaning
order to return to Key West. AS soon az
returned to my own ship after the boat
was nolsted. 1 steered to the southwest
for Kingston"
did you state in specific terms that
you agreed with Commodore Schley as to
the difficulty In coaling?''
The question was not discussed and
expressed no opinion"
Did this conversation occur before or
after the dispatches which you took
aboard had been read by the commander
in-chief?''
After"
Locating the Enemy.
In response to further Questions Az
miral Cotton said that he had the original
translations of the cipher dispatches ad-
dressed to the Harvard. The dispatch OF
May 20 was then read to him as follows:
Washington, May 25, 189S.-Harvard, st
Nicholas Mole. Haiti.-Proceed at once and
inform Schley and also the senior officer
present of Santiago as follows: All Depart
ment's information indicates Spanish division