The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-15

49,
today Judge Advocate Lemly introduc-
ed Lieutenant ]. H. Holden, formerly
watch officer on the Scorpion, as a wit
ness. Lieutenant Holden signed the
entry in the Scorpions log, giving the
particulars of the receipt of a message
for Commodore Schley from the Eagle,
which vessel had brought it from Cap
tain McCalIa. on May 29, 1898, when
the flying squadron, then bound for
Cienfuegos, fell in with Captain Nc
Calais s~ub-squadron, which had just
left that port.
The government had sought to show
that by this message Commodore Schley
had been notified tina the Spanish feet
was not in the harbor of Cienfuegos,
and Lieutenant Commander Souther-
land, of the Eagle. had testified that he
had megaphoned to the Scorpion that
there were only a torpedo boat and
several C~annOnierOs in that harbor.
Captain Lemly told the court today
that the log Of the Scorpion did not
show the receipt of the message in this
form and that there was no evidence
to show the delivery of the message to
Commodore Schley.
OlIltI NllIlcSSGS Oh the Gay We're Lieu
tenant Commander w. H. Schuetza,
who served on the Iowa, and Lieuten-
ant A. w. Grant, who was on the Mas
Sachusetts. who testified concerning the
general campaign of the flying squad
ron.
LEIPER CONCLUDES HIS TESTI-
MONY.
Lieutenant Edward F. Leiper con-
Guided his testimony begun yesterday.
Captain Lemly asked him concerning
the blockade of Santiago by Commo-
dore Schley. The witness said the yes
sells were lying in column from six to
eight miles off shore. At night the
steamed back and forth in front of tbs
harbord 500 yards apart. They were so
far out. the witness said, that it was
impossible to distinguish points on the
shore or to determine where the shore
line met the water line.
Mr.. Rayner called attention to the
fact that the log of the New Orleans
places the distance of that vessel from
the MORO at four and a half miles.
and the witness said this was true.
THE CHART INACCURATE.
Lieutenant Commander William II.
Schuetze. who was a member of the
board of naVigatOrS which prepared the
official chart of the positions of the
vessels engaged in the battle of July
3rd, said he had not been satisfied with
the report.
Il protested" he said, against sign
ing the report as being inaccurate, but
I was finally persuaded to do so by the
senior member of the board. COmman-
der Wainwright. who thought that was
the best We could do ever If we stayed
there until dOOmsday, and 1 signed il
under protest. My first objection was
that the chart was inaccurate. That
the position OF the Iowa, as plotted on
his chart gave her too much speed.
Another objection l had was the initial
position of the Brooklyn when the
Spaniards first left the harbor. 1
cOntended that the BrOOklyn's position
was too close to the mouth of the har-
Dor: that h was not in her regular
position. She was south of it."
IOWA Numbered BY THE TEXAS.
Captain Lemly: Il want you to state
whether you saw the Texas?"
When l first saw the Texas she was
heading to the eastward of the north.
Soon afterwards I noticed her again
II h was headed to the westward
n apparently lying dead in the water.
1 called Captain Evans attention to
the fact hat she was in our way; that
n was lying dead in the water and
cautioned the captain that we would
probably u into her if we kept on the
way we were heading. She was then
on our port bow. We were trying to
get close into the harbor and steamed
at first directly for the mouth of the
harbOr. AS the Spaniards turned to The
westward We turned in the same direc-
ton and in this maneuver we were him
dered by the Texas"
On cross examination Mr.. Rayner
questioned the witness in reference to
the official chart.
why did not you state: This chart
is wrong and 1 wont sign ito"
II did,
Then why did you sign?"
Because l was ~pursuaded by the
other members of the board that that
was the best We could do and they
wanted TO come to an agreement.
That was a compromise"
Then really this chart was signed
for the purpose of coming to an agree
ment and not for the purpose of show
ing any accurate results, was it7"
The board was ordered to show ac-
curate results. but it was an absolute
impossibility to make a chart of that
kind showing accurate results. There
never was a chart drawn of any battle
in the world that is correct"
When the court r~e-cOnvened after
luncheon Lieutenant Commander
Schuetze said he had seen no evidence
OF a disposition on the part of any OF
Cervera's ship to ram any of the Amer
lean vessels.
By the court: WAS your position
during the battle of July Srd such as
TO enable you to observe clearly the rel
ative positions and movements of the
different ships?"
NO, sir. l never observed the rela-
tive positions of all the ships on &C
count of the smoke and the attention
we were paying to our own ship in the
fight"
BLOCKADE OF CIENFUEGOS.
Lieutenant Commander Grant was
asked by Captain Lemly concerning
the blockade of Cienfuegos, and said
there were no directions giving an or
der of battle there, but that there was
upon arrival a signal from the hagshlp
that Cienfuegos was to be b~lockaded.
He had on the occasion of the maneu-
yer off Cienfuegos seen the Spanish
e~arthworks there and the masts OF one
vessel lying in the harbor, but nothing
to his knowledge had been done TO de-
stroy these works.
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