The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-05

1000. he tSSIItSQ 20 Key west
on May 20 for Cienfuegos to join the
flying squadron. Before leaving he had,
as representative of Capt. Evans, ne
said, conference with Commander-in-
Chief Sampson, at which Captains Tay-
Tor and Chadwick were present At
that time he was told by Admiral Samp-
son that he had received information
from the department at Washington
that the Spanish fleet under Cervera
probably was in the harbor at Santiago.
He had, however not been informed of
any secret code for communication with
the Cuban insurgents near Cienfuegos
He had, he said, taken dispatches for
Commodore Schley, and while not ce~-
tain whether there was more than one
package, he was under the impression
there was more One of the dispatches
carried at this time was, the witness
thought, that signed by Secretary Long
and dated Washington, 1890 o'clock,
May 20. and beginning:
THE report of the Spanish fleet being
at Santiago de Cuba might very well be
correct, so the department strongly adj
v1ses that you send word Immediately
by the Iowa to Schley to proceed off
Santiago with his whole command, leav-
ing one small vessel at Cienfuegos"
Capt Rodgers was examined at length
concerning the coaling of the flying
squadron
could you have coaled the Iowa on
the afternoon of May 26?" Mr. Hanna
asked.
Gin the late afternoon, the time
speak of, the weather being fine and
smooth, L think there would have been
no trouble at ALL"
When the collier can deliver coal can
battleship like the Iowa take it?''
with a ship like the Iowa, with no
broadside guns, the danger in coaling at
sea is entirely to the collier"
Is there any more danger to a collier
with a battleship on either side?"
There would be very great danger to
eoiner In coaling battleships with a
oattleship on either side"
Capt Rodgers related two or three in
stances in which the ships of the fyine
squadron We're cleared for action upon
signal from the flagship Brooklyn be-
fore May 81, when vessels We're discern
ed in the distance. In each case the
vessels proved to be American ships.
Each time the signal was to clear for
action and make speed of twelve knots
an hour He also told of the lombard
ment or reconnaissance of the Cristobal
Colon on May 81 in which the Iowa par
t1cipated. He said the vessels were all
in formation and following the flagship.
which in that instance was the Massa-
chusetts. The range was at first given
at 1000 yards for this engagement, but
was increased to 11,000 yards These
latter shots fell into the channel in
which the Colon lay. Some of them
must have fallen within $500 yards of the
Spanish ship.
SCHLEY'S BLOCKADE.
Describing Commodore SchIey's block
ade of the harbor at Santiago, witness
said that the fleet maintained a position
OF seven or eight miles out with the
Marblehead and the Vixen inside the
line. He remembered that the Marble
head was on the inside from the fact that
some of the vessels in the squadron had
fired at her. He could not say whether
the Heet was further out in the day than
at night or vice versa.
He thought Vixen and the Marblehead
could have been seen by moonlight, but
1t was after the moon had set.
Capt. Rodgers had concluded his tes-
timony in chief when the court ad-
Journed for luncheon
The afternoon session of the court
began with Capt. Rodgers still on
the stand He stated in reply to ques-
tons that he was the senior member of
the naval board of survey appointed by
Admiral Sampson to examine the wrecked
Spanish vessels.
The purpose of this line of examina-
ton was to bring out the witness knowI-
edge concerning the effect of the Brook
lyn's gunnery in the battery off Santiago.
July g. Capt. Rodgers stated that the
Brooklyn was the only vessel that fired
five-inch shells, and Mr.. Rayner said that
careful computation based upon the re-
port of the board of survey showed that
twelve five-inch shells had been fired on
the four Spanish vessels.
Mr.. Rayner presented a statement
showing the number of shells found on
the vessels of the Spanish fleet, and the
witness was asked to state the per-
centage of fiVe-inch shells, assuming the
statement to be correct. Capt. Rodgers
replied that the total number of hits was
twenty-five and that therefore the five
inch shell hits constituted "a per cent of
all the hits. Mr.. Rayner said the state
ment had been prepared by Admiral
Schley.
The witness also said he knew that
the Brooklyn had eight-inch guns, but
Mr.. Rayner said the admirars computa-
ton was not intended to cover that
feature. His only purpose was to make
the showing for fve-inch guns, these be-
ing Enthusiastically the Brooklyn's.
Cross-examined on the dispatches car
ried by the Iowa, Capt. Rodgers was
asked if the dear Schley'' letter dated at
Key West, May 20 1898, written by Ad-
miral Sampson, in which the statement
Was made that ST am of the opinion that
the enemys ships will be to hold Cienfue-
COS and Havana was included in these
dispatches The witness replied that he
had no knowledge what the envelope con-
tanned While the examination was on
this point was in progress, Mr.. Rayner
read the letter including the following ex-
tract:
eff later It should develop that these
vessels are at Santiago, we could then
assemble off that port the ships best
suited for the purpose and completely
blockade it. Unless, then, we receive
more positive information, we shall con-
tinue to hold Havana and Santiago
QUESTION OF ACCURACY.
Mr.. Rayner remarked that he supposed
it would be conceded that the word San
tiago'' as given above was a mistake and
that it should be ''Cienfuegos." Capt.
Lemly replied that he would make no
such concession and tilt followed be-
tween counsel concerning the accuracy
of government publications. 1t closed
with an understanding that the original
document should be supplied tomorrow.
In reply to a question by Mr.. Rayner
as to the condition of the weather from
May "a to May &C. Capt. Rodgers re-
piled:
ct do not recollect the events of the
night of May a. My recollection is on
the morning and throughout the day of
the 25th, the wind was generally fresh
from a direction generally ahead. The
sea depends entirely upon the size Of
the ship. 1t was what 1 should call
a moderate sea. 1 recollect the wind
continued fresh that evening. Next
morning we must have got around the
cape, headed eastward. The weather
had moderated considerably, and in the
late afternoon the wind, L should say,
fell with a smooth sea"