The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-22
CAPT. LEMLY INQUIRIES ABOUT
DEPARTMENT ORDERS.
"Av0ID BATTERY EXPOSURES"
Several Witnesses Who Were With
Fleet Testify as to Departmental
Order and Officers Confer
ences Aboard Ship.
(By Associated Press.)


resumed the witness stand soon after
the schley court Of inquiry was called
to order at II o'clock today, and con-
tinued his narration Of the events of
the Cuban campaign of 1898.
A. Cimsons, log writer of the Brooklyn.
who wrote the logs on that vessel dur
ing the Cuban campaign, and MIR. G. T..
Graham. the correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press. who was on board the
Brooklyn with Admiral Schley during
the entire campaign, were also on the
list of todays Witnesses.
Captain Lemly began his examina-
tion Of Lieutenant Wells by asking him
whether there was kept a book of records
showing letters received on the Brook
lyn. as Lieutenant Commander Sears
had testified there was.
Contradicts Commander Sears.
The witness replied that there was no
such book kept, but that there was a
record Of letters sent to and received
from vessels Of the squadron.
Lieutenant Wells was also questioned
concerning the department orders con-
cerning the risking of American ships to
bombardment from the shore batteries.
the orders under consideration being
those Of April 6. April 26 and two Of
May 6.
Two orders of this character stated
that department does not wish the ves-
sells Of your squadron to be exposed to
the fire Of the batteries of Havana, San
tiago, or strongly fortified places in
Cuba" and the orders were regarded as
notifications Of these. In the last of
these, dated May 8, the department says:
1.-THE department is perfectly willing that
you should expose your ships to the
heaviest guns Of land batteries If, in
your opinion. there are Spanish vessels of
sufficient military Importance protected
by these guns to make an attack advis-
able, your chief aim for the present be-
ing the destruction of the enemy's prin-
c!pal vessels"
Conversation With Schley.
After having read these different dis
patches the witness was asked by Cap
tain Lemly: "Can you separate your
knowledge in regard to the conversation
with Commodore Schley so as to distin-
guish between either of the two orders
or both of these orders and as to whe her
or not anything was said with regard to
the receipt of information in these letters
before you, with regard TO the interview
of May 8, in Key West?"
mo, do not distinguish between any
Of them. I have given my general re-
membrance, which is that the order was
not to risk the ships"
In reply to questions by Mr.. Lemly,
witness said there had been no written
or printed order Of battle; that on the
day before Cienfuegos was reached some
special restrictions were sent to the ships
~ ~ y, ic a ~
der number nine relating to signals in
Ease the enemy should be sighted. THIS
order was then read.
No Written Orders Prepared.
Questioned further on this point the
witness said: II prepared no written
orders and did not know Of the existence
of any. I remember, however, that the
commanding officers were called on
board"
Lieutenant Wells then excused and
Mr. Albert v. Mason called.
He was questioned by Captain Parker
and said that he had been a yeoman OF
the second class on board the Brooklyn
during the Santiago campaign and had
been the writer of that ships log. He
had made the entry concerning the battle
off Santiago, and he produced copy Of
the rough log which he had made for mis-
own use.
Witness said that as the log giving an
account Of the Brooklyn's turn had been
at first prepared it read: I'VE engaged
with port battery at first, but just as
soon as the enemy stood to westward We
put our helm starboard at first and the
hard arort so as to bring our starboasd
battery to bear and swinging clear os
the Texas fire, we stood parallel with
and to the enemy
Log Entry Changed.
This entry, he said, had been changed
later at the instance of Lieutenant Hodg-
SON, so as to make it read as it does in
the permanent copy as follows: "As soon
as the enemy stood to the westward we
put our helm aport, swinging clear Of
the Texas" etc.
Mr. Mason then retired, and Mr.. George
Edward Graham. the Associated Press
correspondent was called. He was ques-
toned by Mr.. Raynor and said he had
been on the Brooklyn from March 20 to
August 80. 1898.
schley and Sigsbee.
Mr.. Graham was then questioned con-
cernng the conversation between Com
modore Schley and Captain Sigsbee on
the occasion of the captains visit to the
Brooklyn on May 26 as follows: Did
you see Captain Sigsbee on board the
Brooklyn on May Goth"
'Yes, sir.'
Did you hear him in conversation with
Commodore Schley?"
"Yes, sir.'
"Can you give us what the conversa-
tion WASP"
after he had reached the quarter
deck from the gangway he stopped. and
Commodore Schley said to him: Have
we got 'em, Sigsbee?' The captain said:
They are not here. I have been here
for a week, and they are not here"
rs that the whole of the conversation
as you recollect?"
"No, sir: we went further aft, further
back on the quarter deck, and he con-
linued the conversation. Commodore
~.