The San Francisco call., 1901-10-25
Explains Retrograde Movement.

coli Collier and the Spanish force. if they We're out
side, would be in SO much COAL"
Explains Retrograde Movement.
In this connection Admiral schley explained
Ws Westward. saying that he had not considered
the economical aspect of this step, as economi
cal features could never be taken into consid-
era tion in military movements. He had,' he
said, made careful inquiry to the coal SUP
ply, Of the various ships and had turned over
his mind their endurance in battle.
Il was,'' he said, thinking over in my mind
that squadron, in its cCaing endurance, or
only to its weakest members. just as the speed
of fleet depends upon its slowest vessel; that
We could their standards of steam in order
to be of effective use as unit, and that de-
termined the westward movement.
Now the telegram I sent to the Hon. Sec
retary of the Navy did not refer only to the
battleship. as interpreted, but it referred to
the entire fleet. We had at that time ten ships
in the squadron, seven of which were short OF
coal. There were the auxiliaries and the
Texas; The auXiiiaries and the Marblehead
filed. The amount of coal which transmit
ted should have. 1 think called attention to
that fact. Now. as has been testified to and
shown think almost every one who has had
any command during war wherein large res
unwise not to have considered his own ac-
complishments. We could not assume that the
enemy was going to chase toward our base;
1t was probable he would chase toward his own.
He would have been there pretty regularly or
among his more intimate friends Marti-
nique. 1 do not think he would have been
liable to have gone to base and therefore
any calculation which took into consideration
the efficiency of the squadron had to assume
to US and most favorable to the enemy"
Admiral Schley again referred to the unman-
ageable condition of the collier Merrimac. say
ing that no prudent commander would have
sent ship alongside of her.
witness spoke of the discrepancy in the re-
port as to the information which captain. now
Rnnr drnir of tIo%
brought aboard the Brooklyn. He said that the
dispatch which Captain Cotton had brought
aboard had said that the departments advices
indicated that the Spanish feet was at San
tiago.
Dispatch Never Reached Him.
Continuing he said:
Captain Cotton said he delivered dis
that, they were there. That dispatch never
reached me. l never saw 1t. l never heard
Of it until the other day. If it ever was de-
papers, but it could not have been delivered
to me for the reason that dispatch of that
on my mind l never could have forgotten 1t,
never. Captain Cotton did not communicate
at fault and not his veracity, because 1 do not
believe he would state anything that not
Neither my first lieutenant neither my
flag lieutenant nor my secretary ever saw it
or can remember 1t. and 1t Is little strange
papers at ali times should have failed to re-
member dispatch of that importance So 1t
member it. I have no recollection Of 1t, nor
of a good many things which / have heard
dra ans eheg az ,hE point to his
conversation at Cienfuegos with Captain Nc
Gala He exonerated the captain from any
intention to do him injustice, but he said that
the captain had failed to give all OF that con-
versation.
ment concerning the departments orders. the
admiral said
''If my reply to the telegram of the Secretary
Of the Navy is not on record would like to
put it there in the terms sent it. because
wrote it in English: gave it to Captain Cotton
il afterward in a letter to the department,
which was received. The dispatch is here, and
has been In the department for nearly three
the translation of it there was any intention
to mutilate it, but I think. in the choice Of
words which were not exactly of the same
meaning the dispatch did not get to the de-
partment entirely as intended it should.
obedience of orders. I contend that there was
no disobedience Of orders. There would have
been disobedience Of orders II had abandoned
my station, but, having returned to the station
without other direction and having found that
the departments information was correct, I
hold that did not disobey orders and 1 think
that this dispatch, read and interpreted as sent,
will relieve that charge
No Disobedience Of Orders.
Admiral schley pointed out that the infor
nation sent from the Navy Department as to
tne whereabouts OF tne CUBAN insurgents in
the vicinity of Santiago erroneous the
dispatch placing them much nearer that city
than they were.
"If we haL gone to the place Indicated" he
said, lat the time we received the dispatch
we would have been in all probability COB
bled.'
Again referring to his own dispatch. Admiral
Schley said that 1t had been delivered in Eng
lish, but, he added, read in the light of this
order and in view of the fact that the SQUAD
did not return to Key West whatever may
have been our intention purposes, 1 say there
disobedience of that order, and there
is no order there to go back 1t was simply
that the department looked to me to establish
a fact of which it not certain
In response to request of Raynor for the
exact wording of the sentence in the dispatch
in dispute Admiral Schley gave it as follows:
1T is to be regretted that the department. $
orders cannot be obeyed; earnestly as we have
all striven to that end. "
This. he said was the authentic version of
the sentence and was as he sent it.
The admiral in the midst of the dis
cussion of the 'disobedence of orders dis
patch when the old clock in the courtroom
struck four and Admiral Dewey announced
an adjournment for the day, Notwithstanding
that Admiral Schley told him that he would
like to conclude his testimony at this sitting.
The admiral calm and collected throughout
the two hours that he was in the witness
chair, and he spoke in tones which, while not
loud. distinct that his words were
easily heard