Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-10-19
|OEWEy'S NEPHEW A BAD
WITNESS FOR SCHLEY
Spanish Fleet Might Have Come
Out Without Being Seen,
He Declares.
BLOCKADE LINE TOO FAR OUT
Even the Picket ships Could Not See the
spanish II They tamo Out mt Night
and Exercised Caution-Inquirt
VIII Last Another kontb.

Washington, Oct. 14.-Judge Advocate
Lemly Will be unable to conclude the
presentation OF the governments sid
in the Schley court Of inquiry last
week, as intended, and will probably
consume the greater portion OF this
week. Attorney Rayner the
court viii not be able to terminate It's
labors before the middle Of November.
Among the witnesses called for the
purpose OF correcting previous testi-
mony was Admiral Taylor OF the Indi-
ana. He was questioned where he had
received the Information that the
Spaniards wern coming out or San
tiago harbor before their appearance
on the morning OF July 3; whether he
had not got a message from the vixen
In reference to smoke coming out or
the harbor, or If anybody on the In
diana had reported 10 him they had OBJ
served smoke. Taylor replied In the
negative 20 ELL.
Lieutenant J. II. Holden was rein
reduced TO continue his examination.
Other witnesses called for the day are:
Captain Chadwick, SIMPSONS chief of
staff during the war with Spain; Lieu
tenant Commander Marsh and Lieu
! tenant Bennett, both of whom served
on The flagship New York; Lieutenant
Althouse OF the Massachusetts,, Lieu
tenant Boughter OF the Marblehead,
Lieutenant Reynolds, signal officer
OF The Texas.
When court was called TO order, Cap
tin Lemly made n brief explanation of
his statements yesterday concerning
the statement received from Comman-
der Mark. He said the statement was
"unsworn.'
II would like It Il appear" he said,
| s1.1.A -. 49,. -, E,,,,.t, f1nxy !
| are not, being In the shape OF deposit
lions and ex partc. such sworn evi"
dence as is usually admitted before a
court, but came In with their full value
merely because there was no objection
on either side"
Land batteries Very Weak.
Lieutenant Adelbert Althouse, for
merly division officer on the battleship
Massachusetts, was called. He de-
tailed the movements of the vessel In
connection with the flying squadron.
He said at Cienfucgos the vessels lay
six to ten miles out at night, going
nearer in the daytime. Lieutenant
Althouse said on the day OF the bonn
bardment Of the Cristobal Colon he had
been in charge OF the S-inch turrets on
the Massachusetts. He said the ship
had not been to exceed three minutes
I'm passing the entrance to the harbor.
on the first passage there were only
two shots fred. The instructions were
to make the range 1000 yards, but the
shots fell short. The n was In
creased on the return trip to $500, then
to 10, 900 yards.
Asked what was developed as to the
strength OF the land batteries by the re-
ccnnoissance he said to his mind 1t was
shown they were very weak,
In reply to a question az to whether
he had made any notes concerning the
engagement he replied:
mo, we went in under instructions to
sink the Colon"
His orders had been to direct fire at that
vessel.
When Althouse was excused Captain
Lemly introduced as evidence the reports
made by schley TO the secretary OF the
navy Of the engagement OF May q. In
one OF these, dated June 3, Commodore
Schley said:
Reconnaissance intended principally to
destroy Colon. Fire returned without de-
lay by heavy batteries to east and TO
west OF entrance, large calibre, long
range; reconnaissance developing salts
factorily presence Of Spanish squadron
lying behind island near inner fort. as
they fired over hill Mt random. Quite
satisfied Spanish fleet Is there"
Dewey's Nephew TCstines.
Lieutenant =. G., Dewey, nephew of
Admiral Dewey, who was watch officer
on the Massachusetts. was the next
witness. He placed the distance Of the
bloCtading line under Schley at from
five to eight miles, the distance being
about the same day and night. There
was, he said, no particular formation
OF the vessels.
when YOU were at the western end
of the blockade, with the leading YES
sci making a turn, what orders were
there for attacking If you saw the
nrnr,r canning o,tt ,f tha ont ron rao ~
Il do not believe we could have seen
the enemy coming out. There were no
orders | have any knowledge off,
why do vol think O could not
have seen the enemy coming out, 1 such
had been the case
"OWing to darkness and the distance
from the harbor. For instance, when
we were at the western end OF the line
the ships could nave come out and
stood to the eastward without our be-
ing any wiser, unless they showed
lights
sition?"
81 think it would have been the same in
either case"
did you have any conversation with
the commander Of the flying squadron, or
any one in his presence, in relation to
firing on the Colon or otherwise"
II was told shortly after we started
into the entrance that the commodore
wished to see the turret officers in the
pilot house. l went to the pilot house.
The commodore said he intended TO 20
in in a few moments and rave a try at
the Colon, and that he hoped we would
sink her. i asked what speed we would
make and was told about ten knots. ]
remarked at the time i thought that was
giving us very little chance at the Colon,
as she would be In sight between the
head lines only a couple of minutes and
the smoke from the guns would prob
ably make our fire very slow. To the
best OF my recollection the commodore
stated he would nave to do the best he
could, that the speed would be ten knots"
All shots Fell Short.
Describing the range at which he had
fired the guns on thai occasion he said
AZ first IL was 7,G0 yards, under orders,
then he had increased II to $500 yards, but
that all the shots fell short. He said the
Spanish shore batteries had not given the
American ships much trouble on that
occasion. None from the Colon came
near, he said, But two or three shots
from the batteries fell about the Massa-
chusetts, one passing over 1t
What conclusion did you arrive at az
to the calibre Of the shore guns?
81 did not think they were Of very large
caliber, not over 6-inch."
Tn reply 10 a question by the court as
to whether he was ordered to direct fire
on the Colon or on the batteries May 81
Lieutenant Dewey said the orders were