The Washington times., 1901-10-15

| head TO coal. The Commodores only so
licitude appeared about the sponsons OF
$50 that when the sea became smooth
on the evening of the 9th, began llr
| Hanna but Captain Cook interrupted him
with: Not smooth, it was becoming
smooth
Hard to Coal at Sea.
.CoaIing under all conditions is bad at
| sea. isn't it?" Mr.. Hanna suggested.
Yes" was the response. we didn't
know so much about it then as we do
now ! don't think. though. that there
was ever such I. bad sea while we we're
down there as there was on the 25th (the
day after the Flying Squadron left Glen
fuegos)."
| Commodore Schley's idea in maintain
| ing the Santiago blockade, the witness
said, was to keep the fleet full of coal
and steaming all the time at night All
| his idea was that the Spanish squadron
| was coming out, He wanted to get the
| fleet to come out rather than TO keep it
! IN. and he wanted TO keep the Flying
Squadron moving to be ready for action
| As to the circular blockade, instituted by
| Sampson, as compared with Schley's NOV
| ing blockade, Captain Cook said the first
! did not require much coal.
MIR. Hanna then took up the Brooklyn's
! part in the battle with Ceryera.
! Q.-Were you on deck when the Spanish
| feet came out?
| Al was in the cabin.
Q.-When did you first know that the
| Spanish feet was coming out?
| Al heard the executive officer call out:
| Clear the ship for action! l had given
| directions to have the ship ready for in
! spection. / knew at once that something
had happened and went at once amid
| ships.
Glad you any Information that the
| Spanish fleet was TO come out that day?
| No; and l did not think so. / turned
in the night before about midnight, feel
ing rather the other way and giving up
I AL hope Of the feet coming out.
! Q-When you came on deck where were
the Spanish vessels? What were they
| doing?
| castle there were two in sight. The third
| one was just outside the entrance, and the
fourth appeared Immediately afterward.
Meeting the spaninrds.
Q-What did they do when they came
out; which way did they head?
Ave were to the westward. The en-
trance to US was about northeast by
north. The feet came out south and
turned as they left the entrance to four
in our direction. When L first got on
deck, the helm had been starboarded,
/ heading Il little to the northward. When
! | saw the fleet, the ships were heading
southwest, and seemed TO be coming
straight for the interval between the
Texas and the Brooklyn. L went in the
coming tower and directed the helms
man. 1 told him what / wanted to do
WAS 20 keep straight for the feet They
wavered Al little.
Sometimes they turned one way and
sometimes another. We shifted helm once
or twice, but very little, indeed, and
7 finally when we were getting Up fairly
close, say between 500 and ,, 90 yards, it
seemed TO me clear that they wanted to
pass between the Texas and the Brook
lyn.
The Texas was well on our starboard
band, and she was headed to the rorth-
ward and westward. All ships were car
rylEg out the instructions Of the COM
maEder-in-chief, and that was to mead in
from the entrance. Ne were well to the
westward and hedged to the northeast.
When saw that, / ported the helm per-
haps half way over Sne was swinging to
starboard very rapidly. The Spanish fleet
was coming straight for this interval l
steppcd out Of the tower on the pert side
to get a good look at the iitet to see Just
what they were going to do as TO our
relative Positions and l saw them evil
IDENTIFY put helms hard aport and turn TO
the westward. We were then turning
very rapidly TO Starbo2rd, with port helm
and we had turned, think, almost to the
cast. ! he Texas was well on our star
board side.
| then gave the order hard aport' to
helmsman ran through the opening be-
tween the shield and the corning tower
I to the other side on purpose to see. our
! own fleet and our relative positions.
I O,iiclxer than I couid tell il the tornmo-.
B
! dore called to me; Cook. hard aport,' or
I Is your helm aport2 answered: The
: helm Il hard aport. turning as rapidly as
possible. As ] watched the Texas the
bow Of the Brooklyn seemed first to point
TO her port bow | never saw the star
( Loard bow Of the Texas, and, changing
I her bearing very rapidly. the bow of the
( Brooklyn passed along the port side Of
/ the Texas until there was clear open
! ing between us and the stern of the
{ Texas. We made a complete turn, a very
/ quick turn, with helm hard aport, until
I We came around and paraiIeled the feet
on the other side.1 As We raraHeled the
Spanish feet the Nizcaya---
Admiral Dewey-3iay interrupt? How
near did you pass to the Texas
! Al never thought Of a collision. 1t
{ never entered my cad. I-pever for a mo-
rnent had one idea in that respect. We
/ passed. | judge, about 400 yards. l had
! handled the ship under all circumstances,
! and got 50 | could Judge pretty correctly,
aud my imprC sSion was that we were
/ about the distance We sailed il squadron.
I Put a collision ] never thought OF. Sne
I turned perfectly clear Of the Texas, came
around. and then We had the Nizcaya on
our starboard bow and about abeam were
! the OQUendo and the Colon. At the time
! ! thought it was the Teresa. but ! soon
] discovered this vessel was dropping out
I and heading for the beach. That was
/ about the hottest time Of the action. 1t
/ was a critical time. There was not any
! time for indecision, and / do not think
/ there was any | have always felt In nv
| mind in studying the positions that the
|
| chances would have been for disaster had
We shifted helm at such time.
Saw the Oregon.
However. we got around and we had
| those three vessels. ] looked and could
see nothing but smoke astern, and the
vessels seemed enveloped in this smoke
! could not understand Il. | could not un-
derstand exactly how we got there. They
| Were all three firing on the Brooklyn,
al 4FF4fVr hsar
I could tell it, ! saw a large white bone
! in the water, and through this smoke
] saw the bow Of vessel. | exclaimed at
/ the time, What was that The navi-
| gator, who was near me. said 1t was the
! Massachusetts, or something to that cf-
] ect- | said she was away, and then lie
/ said. This is the Oregon. / felt perfectly
assured from that moment. She came IN
1 than we were az that time. She had all
( her boilers on; hSsi shifted boilers that
! morning from forward to aft. She had
steam and hot water on.
/ Q--N here was the Oregon with respect
| to the Brooklyn at that time?
/ Al estimated 600 yards. She passed
| in between the Texas and iowa She got
! in between that opening, came to the
| uOrthWard Of the Texas, and came out
! about 80 yards from US ! mean q per
! Ifndicuiar course, ana that would ac-
/ count for just what we made to the star
/ board In turning We made more than
! the tactical diameter because We passed
part Of that distance with helm hard
/ apuTt.
Q.-Lvhat is the tactical diameter Of the
By1u6lyG2
| About G50 yards.
Q.-Was i easy to handle the ship un-
/ der auch circumstances?
Al have never seen one Cqua! to her
IN that respect
Q.-Was the stlyhCard engine Of the
Brooklyn reversed during that turn?
Alt was not There was some qucs-
ton about that Tn reason 1 feel u1ei-