The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-10-25
SCHLEY-
COURT OF INQUIRY
Lieut.. Wells Continues Story
of Cuban Campaign.
YEOMAN MASON IS CALLED
He Was the Brooklyn's Log-W ritter
During the Spanish War-Attend-
ance Upon the Court Larger Than
Usual-lnterest Increases.


ance Upon the Court Larger Than
Usual-lnterest Increases.
Wells resumed the stand soon after the
Schley court of inquiry was called to
order at IL O'Clock today and continued
his narrative of the events of the Cuban
campaign of 1893. He was under cross
examination by Judge Advocate Lemley
and his assistant, Mr.. Hanua, when the
court adjourned yesterday and they
continued their questions today. Lieu.
tenant Wells was followed by A. V. Ma
son, the log-writer of the Brooklyn, who
wrote the logs on that vessel during tho
Cuban campaign.
of the Associated Press, who was on
board the Brooklyn with Admiral
Schley during the entire campaign, was
also ou the list of today's witnesses.
The early attendance upon the court to.
day was somewhat larger than on pre-
Vlous days. indicating the increasing at.
tenr'veness of the court as a public spec.
tacle.
captain Lenly began his examination
of Lieutenant Wells by asking him
whether there was kept book of rec
ords showing letters received Oh the
Brooklyn, as Lieutenant Comu.ndcr
Sears had testified there vas. He re-
Piled that there was no such BOOK Kepr,
but there was record OF lerters sent TO
and received from vessels o; the quad.
ron. Lieutenant Wells also was cues
toned concerning the department ov,iers
concerning the rlSking oi rnr American
ships TO bombardment from the sno-e
batteries, the orders Under con usideration
being those of April anu April rs and
those of May 8.
The first of the orders of this charac.
ter stated that "tnc u"Dirr,upnC does
not wish jhe vessels OF our squadron TO
be exposed to the fire OF the batteries ut
Havana, and other .s;rrugIy fortified
ports i'll Cuba" ard the o5nvrs were re-
garded as notifications o: these. In
the last of lle>e, dated MAY s, the de.
partinent said:
1.-The department is perfccrlv willing
that you SHOULD expose YOUR S.lips TO the
heaviest guns of lani b,u: cries, if, in
your opinion, there are Spanish vessels
or sufficient military Importance pro
tecteu by these guns To maze an attack
anu make your cnlef nim 1T the destruc-
tion of the enemy's principal vessel"
Questioned .hbou, Dispatches.
After having read these GiSpatcheS the
witness was asked by Captain Lemley:
"Can You separate your knowledge
with regard to the conversation with
Commodore Schley so as to distinguish
between either of the other orders or
both or these orders and as to whether
or not anything was said with regard to
the receipt OF Information in relation 10
these letters here which you have be.
fore YOU ut the interview of May l8 in
Key West?"
No sir. do not distinguish between
any of them. have given my general
remem brance, which is that the order
was not TO risk the ships"
The witness said he had no written or
printed order of battle. but that the day
before Cienfuegos was reached some
special instructions were sent to the
ships by the Scorpion.
II received no written orders and did
not know of the existence of any. Ire.
member, however, that the command.
ing officers were called upon"
"At what period of the battle of July
did you use a range OF !. 100 yards?'
"That was about the beginning of
what is known of the turn, not the be-
ginning. but after the turn had begun,
l should say"
"At what point of the chase Gid you
estimate the Colon to be 10000 yards
from the Brooklyn?"
"When the Vlscaya went ashore"
Lieutenant Wells was then excused
and Albert V. Mason called. He said
he was a yeoman of the second class on
board the Brooklyn during the Santia
campaign and was the writer of that
ships log. He made the entry concern-
ing the battle off Santiago and produced
copy Of rough log which he had
made for his own use The witness
said that as the log giving the account
of the Brooklyn's turn had been at first
prepared it read:
1--WE engaged with port battery at
first, but just as soon as the enemy
stood TO westward we put our helm star.
board at first and then hard aport. so as
to bring our starboard battery TO bear,
and swinging closer TO the Texas fire
we stood parallel with the enemy"
This entry had, he said, been chan ged
at the instance of Lieutenant HodgSon
so as to make it read as it does In the
permanent copy as follows:
GAS soon as the enemy stood to the
westward we put our helm aport, swing.
ing clear of the Texas, etc"
n no. H..NA