The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-24

and she did not make any back water,
and she did not STOP
Did you hear any conversation between
Commodore Schley and any other officers
during the early part of the engag cement
of July 3?''
Il heard none before or during the turn.
There was no officer with the commodore
on my side of the Ship
Witness Hill was then excused. and
Lieut.. A. A. Alderman called.
Lieut.. Alderman was in command of
the after thirteen-inch turret and the
after elght-inch turrets of the Oregon on
the day of the battle off Santiago, and
in response to a request from Mr. Rayner
gave running account of the engage
ment Describing the beg.nning of the
action, he said:
Eve closed up the matches and laid out
fire hose, and Immediately turned guns
on the entrance to the harbor' He said
that the firing was begun by the marines
on the upper deck. He said he could
at that time see one after another of
the Spanish ships coming out of the har-
Dor, and he estimated their distance from
the Oregon to be about three and half
miles. He said that as the ships came
out signal was made through the tele-
phone in the coming tower to fight at
will.
THE Indicators the witness went on,
gradually fell until I think my first shot
was fired at a range of 5000 or $500
yards
He had, he said. at that time, fired five
shots from the 13-inch guns, but soon
afterward the Spanish ships drew so
far ahead he could no longer train his
guns upon them.
The witness said that the Oregon was
held right on her course evidently
toward the head of the enemy's column
and he described her passage between the
Texas and the Iowa.
Oregon in Hurry.
ct had very good opportunity said
the witness, ''for seeing both of those
ships. We were very close to the Iowa
on our starboard hand, the Texas was a
little off on the port hand. I did not see
the Brooklyn, but [ knew she was farther
on ahead of the Texas; that a. whole
ships length was between my position
and the Brooklyn wherever she was. AS
we passed between the Iowa and the
Texas these ships seemed to be practi-
cally at anchor. We were going very
fast then and forced draught was COW
ering our quarter deck an inch or more
deep with cinders, many of them red hot
Water was running from every hydrant;
we had to keep the deck from burning.
At that time the fire Of the enemy and
of our ships was very heavy. The water
was whipped up in all directions; shots
flew over head. 1 think it was the most
exciting time of the whole engagement,
Just at that time it was reported that
the torpedo boats were coming out
saw two of them coming out of the en-
trance to the harbor and steam close
along the shore. The Gloucester ran up
very close to them. AS l could not get
my guns to bear on the heavy ships of
the enemy. I thought 1 would try a shot
at the torpedo boats. I took my time
about it, waited until those noats were
tapping and estimated the range as 1920
yards from the torpedo boats I fred a
13-inch gun and when the smoke cleared
away, I saw one of those boats blow up
1 do(not claim it was done by my shot.
There were several others firing at that
time. 1t is a wonder to me they were
not blown up sooner
Spanish Ships Afre.
At this point the witness varied from
his narrative to criticise the navigator's
chart, saying that it showed the position
of the Oregon at that time to be four
miles to westward of where she actually
was. The witness then described & e
burning of the Maria Teresa and the
Oquendo, saying that the Teresa, which
was Admiral Cervera's flagship, was such
a mass of flames that it seemed impos-
sible for anyone to live on her. He con-
sidered it a waste of ammunition, he
said to fire at the vessel.
When the court reconvened after
luncheon, Lieut.. Alderman continued his
narrative, saying that when the Colon's
flag went down the men on the Oregon
ceased firing. The Brooklyn bore at that
time two points on the Oregons port
bow and was about mile distant, said
the witness.
He described the sending of boats to the
Colon by the Brooklyn, which he said,
seemed to take long time. AT this time
the Texas and the Vixen arrived. The
New York also arrived and when she
came up, went in very near to the Colon.
On this the Oregon returned under orders
eastward on false alarm.
1--WE had already" he said, prepared
to send prize crew aboard
On ross-eXamination the witness re-
iterated his testimony, saying that the
Texas was passed by the Oregon at the
beginning of the battle. He repeated
that the vessel was not apparently MAX
inc headwav hut he could NOT he Safd