Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-10-31
SCHLEY ON WITNESS STAND.
Tells of the Orders Given Him by
Admiral Sampson and of the Blocks
ade of CienfuegOs.

Washington, Oct. 23.~-Ileut. Is. w.
Wells, who was the flag lieutenant of
Admiral Schley while the latter was
in command of the flying squadron,
occupied practically the entire time
of the Schley court of inquiry yester-
day. On his direct examination he
continued his narrative of the Cuban
campaign. Lieut.. Wells was under
cross examination for about two and
a half hours, largely at the hands of
Mr.. Hanna, whose questions were di-
rected mainly to the dispatches re-
ceived and sent by Schley.
While this line of investigation was
being exploited Mr.. Rayner, speaking
for Schley, said the latter was willing
to admit that he had received the
Dear Schley" letter on the Dupont
which arrived at Cienfuegos May %,
but he added that no duplicate of this
dispatch had ever been received by
Schley. He said also that the ad-
miral admitted the receipt of two
copies of No. s, Admiral SIMPSONS
dispatch, saying the Spanish fleet was
probably at Santiago, and telling
Schley ''if satisfied that it (the Span
ish fleet) is not at Cienfuegos to pro-
ceed with all dispatch to Santiago"
Washington, Oct. 23.-The Schley
court of inquiry opened yesterday
with Lieut.. Wells. who was Schley's
flag lieutenant during the Spanish
war, still on the stand, but he was
soon displased to allow Yeoman Ma
son, who had written the Brooklyn's s
log for the period covering the Santi-
ago campaign, to testify. Mr.. Ma
son explained the erasures in the log
entry referring to the Brooklyn 5
turn on the day of the battle off San
tiago. He was followed by George
+. Graham, who as a press corre-
spondent was with Schley during the
entire campaign.
Mr.. Graham's testimony covered all
the principal events of the campaign
and discussed especially the lombard
ment of the Spanish ship Colon on
May 81 and the battle off Santiago on
July ,. Mr.. Graham testified to hear
ing a conversation between Commo-
dore Schley and Capt. Sigsbee when
the latter came aboard the flagship
Brooklyn off Santiago May &c. He
said that he had distinctly heard
Capt. Sigsbee tell the commodore that
the Spanish fleet was not inside the
harbor at Santiago.
Lieut.. Edward Simpson gave a
graphic picture of the battle Of July
8, and Lieut. Fitzgerald, an assistant
engineer who was on duty in the fire
room on July 3, testified that an or
der had been given early in the action
to stand by for ram.
Washington, Oct. 25.-Admiral
Schley yesterday took the stand in
his own behalf at the court of in
quiry. He was summoned a few min
utes after the court convened at 2
o'clock for the afternoon session and
when the court adjourned at o'clock
he apparently had only gotten we'll
under way in his testimony.
The admiral gave a detailed narra-
tive of all the events of the campaign
up to the battle of Santiago.
Admiral Schley outlined the plan
which he had indicated to his com
mandng officers before leaving
Hampton Roads, saying: Il explained
to all the commanding officers that as
it would be impossible to contrive a
plan of battle that would meet un-
foreseen contingencies, the general
plan of the squadron would be to
cruise in line of battle, and its gem
eral principle would he to attack the
head and leading vessel, concentrate
ing the fire upon them in order, first,
to obtain the moral effect and second
to t6row them into confusion. max
ing a victory over them probably
very much more complete. | did
that for the reason that the old plans
of battle had all been to attack cen
ters and rear, resulting in the escape
usually Of a part of each squadron"
The flying squadron arrived at Key
West on May II, and on the next day
Admiral Sampson arrived and Schley
talked over the situation with Samp-
son. He showed me n number of
orders. Among them was one which
stated that a division of the two
squadrons had been decided upon, one
for the north and the other for the
south coast Of Cuba. in which he was
given the preference of command. |
asked him which of the two stations
he would take and he said he pro-
posed to hold the Havana or north
one. He also told me his confidential
instructions, Wnlcn ne delivered TO me
verbally, we're that we were not to
risk our battleships against the forti-
fled places of the coast until after
the Spanish squadron had been dis
posed of.
Il asked the admiral if there had
been established any means of com
| munlcating with the insurgents,
whether there were any pllots, or
whether any locality was known
where they were to be found. He
told me that he did not know. but
that when he got the situation better
in hand he would communicate with
j me, but that he thought it would be
. better for me to start as early as we
could get away and blockade Cienfue-
/ Cos"
Coming to the blockade of Cienfue-
| gos the admiral explained the forma.
ton of his fleet there, saying that the
steaming which had been mentioned
in the logs was for the purpose OF
overcoming the effect of a current
which set directly into the bay. He