The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1901-10-01
A SHORTAGE OF COAL.
schley Said he Could Not Go to
Santiago for That Reason.
The Commodore Expressed the Be-
lief That the Spaniards Were in .
CieRfuegOs, As He Had Heard
Some Firing.

cOufG OF inquiry was IN session for on
ly an hour and three quarters Thurs
day, adjourning at 12:45 in order to
permit its members and others en-
gagged there to attend the funeral of
Judge Wilson, late chief counsel for
Adm. Schley.
Capt. Wise concluded his testimony.
Adm. Cotton made a brief statement
on recall and Lieut.. Spencer S. Wood,
who commanded the dispatch boat Du-
pont during the Spanish war, began
his testimony. Machinist GRAY. who
was in charge of the starboard en-
gines on the day of the battle of San
tiago, also testified briefly. He said
that on the day of the battle the star
board engines were stopped and the
machinery reversed. Capt. Wise was
questioned at considerable length as
to what he had done before the ar
rival of the flying squadron off San
tiago towards locating Cervera's fleet
in the harbor. He said that while he
had satisfied himself of the presence
of the Spanish fleet, he had been con-
tent to communicate his knowledge to
Adm. Schley, Through Capt. Sigsbee,
not considering it necessary to make
direct communication with the COM
mander-in-chief. Lieut.. Wood gave
particulars of his delivery of dis
patches from Adm. Sampson to Adm.
Schley on the god of May, while the
admiral lay off Cienfuegos. He said
Schley seemed very nervous and es-
pecially anxious to know what Samp-
sons intentions were. He had not
concluded his testimony when the
court adjourned for the day.
Washington, Sept. 2S.-In the Schley
court of inquiry a letter was pre-
sented from RI. Adm. Sampson, ask
ing to be represented in the court
by counsel, but the court refused to
grant the request on the ground that
"the court does not at this time re-
gard You as a party to the case"
The principal witnesses of the day
were Lieut.. John Hood, who COM
manded the dispatch boat The Hawk
during the Spanish war, and Capt.
Bowman II. McCalla, who was in
command of the Marblehead. The
testimony of both these officers dealt
with the delivery of dispatches from
Adm. Sampson to Commodore Schley,
and both related conversations with
the latter. Capt. McCalla gave in de-
tail his part in arranging a code of
signals with the Cuban insurgents,
and his communication with them
near Cienfuegos on May "a, 1898, when
1t was learned definitely that Ger
vera's feet was not in the harbor
there. He said that Capt. Chadwick,
who was Adm. SIMPSONS chief of
staff, was the only person at Key
West to whom he had communicated
the signal code.
Capt. McCalla expressed the opinion
that coaling was feasible off Santiago
at the time Schley began his retro
grade movement.
Lieut.. John Hood said that on May
IS he had delivered dispatches from
Adm. Sampson TO Adm. Schley when
the latter was off Cienfuegos. In re-
Spouse to a request from the Judge
advocate, Lieut.. Hood related the con-
versatiOn he had had with Adm.
Schley after delivering the orders,
saying that he (the witness) had
told the admiral that it was Adm.
SIMPSONS wish that the flying squad
ron should proceed Immediately to
Santiago, as his information was very
positive. Commodore Schley read
the dispatches and then turning TO
me said:
Captain, Adm. Sampson wishes me
TO go to Santiago. can not do it."
I told Commodore Schley that the
admiral certainly expected the squad
ron to leave the instant L arrived.
Commodore Schley then said, in near
IL these words: "I am not at all sat
isfied that these Spaniards are not
here in Cienfuegos. Besides my shipG
all want coal; that the Massachusetts,
Texas and the Brooklyn wanted so
many tons of coal, and that the day
before Capt. Sampson had sent him
down the Iowa with only half her coal
supply, so that she could not go any
where; that it was useless to send
ships down there only half filed with
coal.7 I told Commodore Schley that
I had passed a collier conveyed by q
gunboat only little before daylight
that morning and it would certainly
Toe there with at least four or five
thousand tons of coal within two or
three hours. He referred again to
his belief of the Spaniards being in
CieRfuegos, and stated that he had
heard some firing about 40 miles from
port, which he took to be a welcome
to the Spanish squadron. He had also
seen some smoke which he conceived
TO be the Spanish squadron. and he
believed they were there. l said to
Commodore Schley then that the in
formation which the admiral had he
considered as definite; he had no
doubt that the Spanish squadron was
at Santiago. Commodore Schley then
said to me: Capt. Sampson does
not understand. He is not on the
spot and can not Judge" l also in
formed Commodore Schley that they
certainly expected the squadron TO
l. 4I-% Il