Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-10-26
/ - COURT OF X ~
| * INQUIRY.
T N.M|n| PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST WEEK. N@0I
PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST WEEK,

| NdItl bNl1IlDSblI, ASSISTANT I1iISilittI W.
gerald, all of the Brooklyn.
The most important testimony of thu
day was given by Correspondent Graham,
who not only told the story of the battle
but detailed two conversations at which
| he was present, both of which will, it Is
believed, be of considerable importance
in aiding the court in its conclusions.
| One of these conversations took place
between Capt. Sigsbee and Commodore
Schley aboard the Brooklyn on May 26,
1898, with reference to the rumor that
the Spanish fleet was in Santiago har'
| bor The witness swore that he heard
, this whole conversation, and that he dis
! tinctly heard Capt. Sigsbee tell the Com
modore that the Spanish feet was not in
side the harbor. When Capt. Lemly
sought to show that at the time this con
yersation took place Capt. SigsbeG was
not aware that the witness was Il news
| paper man, Graham answered that this
was not 4 fact, and that on the day the
| conversation took place he had given
| Capt. Sigsbee dispatch for transmits
sion to the Associated Press.
The other conversation testified to by
the witness was that between Capt
Evans and Commodore Schley after the
| fight. In this connection Graham said:
Il was in the Commodore's cabin on
! the Brooklyn on July >, when the con
versation took place. When Evans came
in the first thing he said was, Schley
did you see Jack Philip run away with
the TexasY and Commodore Schley said
No, neither did YOU
With reference to the Sigsbce conversa-
| ton on the Brooklyn in front of Santiago
| the witness said:
After Sigsbee had reached the quar-
| terdeck of the gangway he stopped, and
Commodore Schley said to him: Have
we got EN-, SigsbeeY The Captain said;
| No, they are not here. | have been here
for a week, and they are not here
| 1--WE went aft, further back Of the quar-.
| ter deck, and he continued the conversa
ton. Commodore Schley said: Are you
sure they are not in there? lie said: i
| have been very close to the harbor en-
trance two or three times. Capt Cot
ton has been in and cut Il cable, and they
are not there. "
you heard Sigsbee say that
| Yes, sir.
Lieut.. Simpson gave the most graphic
| and interesting story of the battle that
|
lie occupied a position in the forward
turret during the fight and fired the first
| gun. He described the approach of the
Oregon in the following language:
1T was after the Maria Teresa had
dropped astern and we had only two ships
| to contend with | got the cry that one Of
the Spanish ships was on fire and head
ing for the beach. l tried to see her.
Il looked back and could see nothing
| for the smoke. Then | heard the cry
very shortly afterward Another one is
on fire, heading for the beach, Between
shots | looked back again, and saw a
bow wave coming from the smoke, fol
| lowed almost Immediately by two thir-
teen-inch guns. 1t was the Oregon. She
was then about off our Starboard quarter.
[ should say COO yards. l called TO the
men that the Oregon was with us, got
cheer in reply and then the action con,
tinued, the Oregon firing also. AS the
Viscaya turned and headed off the Ore
gon fred one of her big guns.
Il heard the Commodore say, He has
raked her and she is on fire Signal to
Oregon to cease firing and through the
| peepholcs of my hood | saw Lieut.. NC
| Cauley climb on top of my turret with
the wig-wag flag, and | could hear the
aapping or the flag. As soon as the Wis
caya turned in we ceased firing on her
and were allowed to come out of the tur-
rets for a breathing spell.
In the same entertaining manner the
witness went on to tell of the end of the
battle and the surrender of the Colon.