The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-25

ENemey LOT IurEnef INSTRUCTIONS. he
went to the Florida port at a twelve
knot speed. that being the highest all
the vessels of the squadron could make.
The squadron at the time consisted of
the Brooklyn, Massachusetts. Texas.
Scorpion and Sterling, the latter being
a collier.
The admiral said the Sterling was
lost sight of the first night out in
dense FOG, and he never saw her again
until he met her off the south side of
Cuba. The flying squadron arrived at
Key West on the nth the admiral
thought. ard on the next day he went
ashore to pay his respects to Commo-
dOre Remey. after having saluted his
flag. Continuing his narrative. the ad-
miral said:
While there the commodore showed
me a Geographic order from the hon
Orable secretary of the navy. directing
me to proceed with all dispatch to the
blockade of Havana. He also showed
me a number of dispatches, the pur-
port Of which j remember, but the con-
tents / do Hbt.
During me time I was on shore.
after having had my conference with
him. there were several Of the Cuban
people resident there who informed me
that the province in which CienfuegOs
was situated and from that to the
westward, was almost thoroughly oc-
Cupied b. Spanish troops and we had
better be careful in any attempt at
intercourse.
OF for the Blockade.
IT FASTENED off, and on my way to
the ship in the afternoon 1 thought [
saw the New Lork approaching. At
all events. when J got on board. deter
mined to go at once off Havana, the
flagship had arrived and salutes were
exchanged. I went on board 20 pay my
respects and also to talk over the sit
uation with Admiral Sampson. i found
he admiral much
and necessarily so because his respOn-
sibility had been very great He had
had great trouble in keeping his squad
ron together and he appeared to me as
if ne was in a good deal of anxiety
which I could readily appreciate.
He showed me a number Of orders.
Among them was one which stated that
a division Of the two squadrons had
been decided upon, one for the r nth
and the other for the south cOas OF
Cuba, in which he was given the e.
ference of command. The order. j
remember correctly. stated that u .er
any circumstance ] was to ren ain
with my command and I asked MIN
which of the two stations he would
take. and he said he proposed to hold
the Havana, or north one.
He also told me, whichever side
went on, to remember that they were
very heavily fortified and his confiden-
tial instructions. which he delivered to
me verbally. were that we were not to
risk our battleships against the fOrti-
fed places OF the coast until after the
Spanish squadron had been disposed of.
Ny recollection now is that he told me
il was at Curacao The impression left
upon me was that il was somewhere in
the Venezuelan gulf and that IL was
supplied with ammunition and stores
destined for Havana. and that that was
undoubtedly the point it was to reach.
Pledged Loyalty to Sampson.
"He said his information was that
the orders Of the Spanish fleet to reach
Havana or some point in railroad COM
munica ton with it were Imperative
and that he believed and thought that
Cienfuegos would be the point. that
came under the acceptance of the or
der more directly. We looked over maps
and 1 must say 1 agreed with him. I
could not imagine that anyone who had
studied the military situation of the
island al al could have supposed that
Santiago would have fulfilled any of
the conditions of this instruction.
I'VE had talk together. / said that
I had been ordered to report for duty
to Commodore Remey and imagined
il necessarily meant himself and that
I wanted to assure him at the outset
that I should be loyal, absolutely and
unreservedly. to the cause we were
both representing Captain Chadwick
who was present. do not remember
whether all the time or not--said: OF
course, commodore, anyone who has
known your character would know that
81 would be impossible for you to be
otherwise than loyal
I asked the admiral If there had
been established any means Of COM
nunicating with the insurgents;
whether any locality was known where
they were TO be found. He told me
that he aid not know; that when lac
got the situation better in hand he
would communicate with me, but that
7 he thought il would be better for me
20 start as early as we could get away
and blockade Cienfuegos. 1 said very
well, that ! was prepared. of course.
20 go anywhere.
Coa1ed for the Trip.
II then went aboard my own flag
ship in order TO hasten .s.le operations
of coaling. Willis there the AlgOn-
quin came out. bearing an order from
Commodore Remey. directing me to go
off Havana. ] signaied the admiral to
know whether or not he understood
that my orders were TO go off Havana.
he replied by signal that he understood
! that his coming TO Key West mOdi-
fed my orders. and that l should be
prepared to carry out the orders we
had agreed upon in the afternoon. I
do rot remember whether that was on
the afternoon or in the morning. but it
was before I left for CienfuegOs."
The next move Of the flying squad
ron. Admiral Schley said, was from
ley West to CienfuegOs. and the adj
miral told haw, as the communicating
ckisf Of that squadron. he had the YES
sells coaled so that at or o'clock
on the morning Of May 10 all the ships
of the fleet turned their backs upon
American soil, and aid their course
for the Southern coast of Cuba. This.
I lac said. was done under the order of
/. Il .fr-asT
Sampson. IL this point the witness
quoted Admiral Simpsons order No. 8.
not falling TO point out as he went
along that in this order the admiral
I SAID.
After 7 have the situation more in
] hand / win write you and give you
any information that suggests itself. ="