The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-27


upon me TO 20 to him ca1oze the time
OF day when 1t seemed least likely rnat
Cervera's neet would come out OF the
harbor. This opinion IS suDstant1ated
by the fact that that Cervera has been
severely criticised for choosing this
most inOppnrtnEa time rather than
would have had an opportunity to scat
ter his ships with a good chance of
some escaping IN the darkness.
Yen have also been criticised for
Weakening your feet BY sending the
batt1aship Massachusetts, to Guantana-
mo FOR coal
Your critics say you should have
been court rnartIaled for not keeping
your entire force on the blockade Line
and coaling from Golfers
This weakening OF the line was an
unavoidable feature OF the blockade
Although WHe did do considerable coal
ing from the GOLFERS ON the bl0ckadlng
line. we found it impossible to Keep a
sufficient supply on board all the yes
sels by this method. It must be re-
menbered that the vessels were con-
stan1ly under way and had 70 keep
steam enough OF their boilers to be
ready TO move &C. good speed on iE1E1ecL-
iata notice. This involved the expend-
ing OF coal faster than it could be put
on board by coallnE in the OPEN and we
were. therefore. obliged 70 send a vessel
each morning to Guantanamo to coal,
the vessel returning 10 her biOckadin&
station at nighEfalL In this way You
can see that the whole force was on
when all supposed IL was most likely to
be needed
Furthermore. while it would. or
course. have been best had IT been pos
sibis to have had every ship in her
station at all times, there never was q
time from June to July when our
force on the blockade was not far Sill
perior to the Spanish force inside So,
the absence Of one ship. as events az
reETFarClS proved LETT Us with sufficient
force TO make successful the outcome OF
the engagement
The message which YOU sent to the
navy department Immediately after the
victory. and which read. The fleet
under my command offers the nation
as a Fourth Of July present etc. adj
miraI. as you know, has caused much
criticism Was that written by you,
or at your dietation2'
Nc the message was written by a
member of my star; I don't clearly
recollect which. + approved the mes
sage. however. The Colon was on the
beach was sinking and all hands were
ma king every effort to save this vessel
had dictated the message myself
should have expressed the facts differ
emily am mot aErR n E1t1Elg in the least
to shift the responsibility Tor this mes
sage to any other person / read it and
approved it and accept the rull respon-
sibility for it,"
AS to the blockade SchIey had insti-
tuted-did it meet your approval OF
what blockade should be2.'
OF course I was not an eye witness
to the blockade as it was maintained
during the Few days prior TO my ar
rival. The only official infOrna ton
that I have on the subject is contained
in the official records. to which you
and every one else may have access
for the asking did find It expedient.
however. shortly after my arrival 70
issue an order OF blockade distributing
the force in a seIDi-circle- with the en-
trance to the narbor as the center with
a radius of six miles in the day time
and a Iesser radius at night
After bonn barding the batteries and
discovering their weakness this radius
was decreased A vessel was stationed
with her searchlight lighting up the en-
trance and all that part OF the harbor
visible from the entrance, 50 that no
sorIie could have been attempted with
out having been discovered long before
the enemy reached the entrance As
surauce was made doubly sure by sta
tionfng at night a. picket line OF small
vessels in a senai-circle well inside the
fighting line and a third seFui-eircie Of
ships launches still further inside
an Of the opinion that none of these
things was done previous to this time,
but whether or not the blockade pre-
vious to this time was efficient. you
must, as I say, form your opinion from
the official records CON Lris1ug orders,
signals and reports
There is q most interesting and pre-
suu1ably authentic pamphlet that has
Intelligence. which fs the diary of
Spanish officer who was stationed in
Santiago throughout the blockade who
remarks upon the disappearance OF the
blockading feet some time around
twilight each night previous TO the time
of the arrival OF the New York and the
oregon and on the night following their
arrivals SAYS in effect that at dark the
bIOckading ships came closer to the en-
trance instead OF disappearing as it
had been hitherto the case can not
and must not, however, ev1hcise the
blockade established previous to my
arrival but only quote the observations
of others from which you must draw
your own conclusions
zone other thing. admiral. Rear Adj
claimed that the Brooklyn inflicted 5S
per cent of the damage done the span
ish ships and received 81 per cent Of
the injuries sustained by the blOcl<ad-
ing squadron
II do NOT wish to criticise Schley or
any of his statements I do not want
to be brought into any discussion in
which he is involved His statements
may be perfectly true The exact fie-
ures are uniu1portant- viii repeat
now what I said before that the Brook
Iyn did excellent work in the battle To
the best Of my recollection i never crit
iciSed the Brooklyn except for her in
itial movement, q movement. which, in
my opinion, took her too far to the
southwark This. in my opinion, was
say anything more on that subject.
Held Up by Tramps.