The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1901-10-04
TELLING IT AGAIN.
Navy omcers Go Over the Battle Of
Santiago Before Court Of Inquiry.
Capt Jewell Denies a Statement By
Read AdmiraI sebIey Regarding
the whereabouts OF Cervera's
FIeet-Evans a witness.


Washington, Oct. In the SchIey
court OF inquiry Monday Capt Nil
Ter, who commanded the collier Mer-
rimac until relieved by Lieut.. Hobson,
was examined as to the possibility of
coaling at sea between May o and
%. He said the Merrimac could have
taken coal on any of these days On
the 25th, he said, the sea was nasty
and the battIeships could not have
coaled without great difficulty.
Capt. Jewell, who commanded the
Minneapolis during the Spanish war,
denied that he had at any time given
any information to Commodore
Schley regarding the whereabouts Of
Cervera's feet. This was in contra
diction to a statement made by
Schley to the navy department.
Capt. Robley d. Evans, who com
manded the battleship Iowa during
the Santiago fight, gave the most i'm
portant testimony so far elected.
He covered the entire period from the
time the Iowa left the port of Key
West on the goth of May, 1895, until
the 5th of July, when Admiral Evans
testified he had a conversation with
Admiral Schley concerning the battle
OF July 3. He described in detail the
principal battle of Santiago and also
gave particulars concerning the bonn
bardment of the Colon on the 31st of
May. While he had no words of CEN
sure for Schley, there was no praise.
He said the Iowa could have coaIed
attempt was made to DESTROY the
Colon in Santiago harbor May 81. No
effort that he knew of was made by
Commodore Schley to communicate
with insurgents on land. Evans went
infinitely into the battle of Santiago
and told of the famous loop made
by the Brooklyn. He said the chart
showed this loop was wrong. He
thought the Brooklyn was out of the
fight when he saw her steam away
to make the loop. He told of the
Brooklyn crossing the bow of the
Texas and the extreme danger the
latter vessel was in for a time. In
reply to the statement that CommO-
dore Schley was ignorant of the sys-
tenn of signals that had been ar
found out that Sch1ey did not have
the code Of signals.
Capt. Evans and all the command
ing officers were summoned on board
the Brooklyn on May %, after it had
been discovered that the Spanish fleet
was in Santiago harbOr. Evans said
there was a general conference, but
he refused to admit that Commodore
Schley planned the line of battle
when the fleet should come out. He
left the inference that one officer had
as much to do with the battle as an
other and he did not give Schley
credit as commander-in-chief.
Thomas W. Dienaide, a newspaper
correspondent who had been on board
the Texas during the Santiago cam
paign, was called. Dienaide said that
when the battle OF Santiago began
he had Immediately gone on the
bridge with Capt. Philip, remaining
there until the captain had gone to
the lower bridge with him. There
he had remained until the chase Of
the Colon began. The Texas was
then, he said, heading in the general
direction of the Spanish feet. He did
not see the Brooklyn until Is min
utes after the battle began, off the
port bow of the Texas, headed to-
ward the Texas on a course about
right angles. Then Capt. Philip gave
the order: ''StOp both engines; helm
hard starboard." Immediately the
Brooklyn was in front of the Texas
and Capt. Philip exclaimed: Look
at that fellow going out to sea-
Capt. Charles d. Sigsbee, who COM
manded the scout ship st. Paul during
the Spanish war, was next called. He
said that in obedience to orders from
Capt. Wise, who was his commanding
officer, he had proceeded to the vicin-
ity of Santiago, arriving there on the
21st. He told Of taking aboard the
Spanish pilot, Nunez, and said that
he did not have great confidence in
that individual His instructions
were to report to Commodore Schley
that the Spanish squadron was prob
ably in Santiago harbor.
He was then asked if he had ex-
pressed his belief to Commodore
Schley that Cervera's feet was not
IN the harbor as reported later by
Commodore Schley. The witness re-
Piled: 81 stated that we had seen
nothing OF the Spanish feet. nav
have stated that knew nothing pos
itively or absolutely about its move
ments, but I recited certain events
60 show that there was probability
Of the feet being In Santiago at the
time"