Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-23
THAT FAMOUS LOOP
Navigator of the Texas States
That 1t Was Very DAN
gerous.
RIs BATTLEsHIP WAS IN PERIL
Proceedings of Today and Sat.
urday Afternoon in SchIey
Inquiry.

Washington. Sept. 23.-In the
Schley court of inquiry today Lieut..
Commander Heilner, navigator of the
Texas during the war. told the story
of the battle July 3 and said the
Texas was in the greatest of danger
when the Brooklyn made its famous
loop. He made the estimate that the
Brooklyn swept past the Texas by
within 100 to $50 feet out of the
smoke. The point made was that the
latter ship was in great danger be-
cause of the loop.
Washington. Sept. 23.-Only one new
witness was introduced Saturday to
the naval court which is investigating
the conduct of Admiral Schley during
the Spanish-Americal war. This wit
ness was Commander NtOn Schroed-
er, who was executj officer of the
battleship MassachU during the
war, and is now gOvt--oi' Of the island
of Guam. His testimony dealt with
the cruise of the flying squadron"
from Cienfuegos to Santiago and the
bombardment of the Spanish ship
Cristobal Colon as she lay in the mouth
OF the harbor at Santiago ON May 81.
The commander said that the cruise
was not as expeditions as it should
have been.
Distance of the Fleet from Shore.
While Commander Schroeder was
giving his testimony Judge Wilson,
counsel for Admiral Schley. sought to
have him make a comparison of the
distance of the feet from the shore
under Admiral SchIey with the dis
tance under Admiral Sampson after
the latter officer arrived and took COM
mand, but the judge advocate objected
and Wilson withdrew the question.
saying. however, that he did so only
temporarily. and that he would raise
the point at n later stage in the in
vestigation. The forenoon sitting was
devoted mainly to the cross eXamin9.-
tion of Commander Harber and Id
miral HigginsOn. the latter having been
recalled. Admiral Higginson correct
ed his statement made Friday con-
cernfng the distance from shore MAIN
tanned by the fleet during the blockade
CT Santiago. He said that early in
the blockade the feet was five or six
miles out. to Sea. moving up closed lat
ef
Companion of Commanders.
At one point the name of Admiral
Sampson was mentioned for the first
time since the opening of the inquiry,
and Judge Wilson. of counsel for Ad-
miral Schley. indicated a purpose to
compare the records of the two naval
commanders. Addressing Schroeder
he asked him If the character of the
blockade Of Santiago had not been
changed after Admiral Sampson's ar
rival. Commander Schroeder replied
that it had been, and that then the
blockade became stationary, Sampson
having more ships than Schley had
bad.
was Going tn SPOT thelCoIon."
Referring To the bombardment'O of the
Colon. May 81, Commander Schroeder
said that he was with CaEain Higgin-
son when he went to meet Commodore
Schley as the hitter came aboard the
Massachusetts. and that the commo-
dore had remarked TO Captain Higgin-
son upon boarding the ship: II am
going to take you and the Iowa in this
morning to pot the Colon" The bonn
bardment had. he said. begun about. .
o'clock. and had continuer for only
about half an hour. He said that the
instructions had been to put the range
at 1900 yards.