Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-10-30

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Washington, Oct. 26.-In the Schlev
court of inquiry Friday Admiral
Schley continued the recital of his
narrative regarding his conduct in the
Spanish war, which he had begun
Thursday. When the court adjourned
Thursday he had covered most of the
points of the campaign previous to
the beginning of the Santiago block
ade, leaving that blockade, the recon-
nols@nce of May 81, the battle of San
tIago and the famous loop of the
brooklyn yet to be told of.
Concerning the rctrograde move
ment of May 27. Schley said il was
made because the sea was too rough
for the ships TO coal. He said he was
better judge of that than any other
officer of the fleet because he was
more Interested.
Admiral Schley explained that Cape
Cruz was an exposed place 100 miles
from Santiago and he did not regard
IT as an available place for coaling.
Some of the smaller ships might have
been sent there, but with n squadron
size as the Spanish fleet. he had never
considered the question of separating
ships from his fleet. He regarded it as
OF prime Importance that the feet
be kept together.
Admiral Schley took occasion to
speak of the instructions to him to
examine Guatanamo as n coaling base
To do this was, he said, not practi-
cable as at least 1000 marines would
have been necessary to guard the
point and these could not be spared.
IF we had gone there we should have
invited attack" he said. These" he
added, were among the matters |
had to consider" This brought Ad-
miral SchleN to the time of the ar
rival of Admiral Sampson, command
er-in-chief of the North Atlantic
squadron. Coming TO this point the
witness said: "On June / Admiral
Sampson arrived He brought with
him the New York. the Oregon and
the Mavfower. and stearnrd down the
westward a little inside of the line
of blockade. He found us AT that time
Just in making the turn and | was
on board. He was very cordial, very
glad to see me, and explained to him
the situation and the fact of the re-
connoisance. He seemed to be very
glad to find out the situation there.
and / pointed out to him the Colon
lying i'm the entrance"
Continuing Admiral Schlcy said: II
handed him n number of dispatches.
eNnlD mod a him, cit
told him the form of blockade that |
had maintained. and | heard no word
Of complaint from him. In fact in
view of the telegram of congratula-
tion ! supposed naturally everything
was approved. Admiral SIMPSONS re-
latiOns and mine were always cordial.
| never had any difference with him
The admiral also referred to the
extreme heat, saying it was so great
that the men were exhausted and the
doctors had recommended that on this
account cOaling operations be suspend
ed. Here Admiral Schley brought his
narrative up to Santiago and he said
in that connection that he had regard
ed the orders of the department con
cerning the probable presence of the
Spanish fleet at Santiago as more of
suggestion than mandatory order.
lie considered that it would take only
Il little while to get back in anv event.
Also he repeated that the proper mil
itary maneuver would be to proceed
westward toward the bases at Havana
and Key West He had arrived with
the squadron off Santiago at about
seven O'Clock p. m, May Is. he said.
and had then taken up his position
five or six miles out, afterwards hold
ing the fleet in formation day and
night.
The next day he had discovered the
presence of the Colon in the harbor as
he had also that of other of the enc
my's war vessels. He said that when
he had thus secured irrefutable proof
of the fact that the vessels were there
and told Capt. Sigsbee of the fact. that
officer expressed surprise that such
was really the fact. 1t was at this
period that he sent his dispatch to the
department giving absolute informa-
tion of the presence of the Spaniards
and Sigsbee had carried this message
To Mole st. Nicholas. Admiral Schley
''HAN hiANl ApNsiiiliS tue meet
Santiago he testified that he formed
the blockade in the only way he be-
lieved such small squadron could be
utilized for such duty. The ships were
in column broadside on to the en-
trance of the harbor so that a simple
turn of the wheel would bring them
in line it the enemy appeared. He
called the captains of the ships aboard
and explained his idea of the blockade
to them and also his general plan of
attack. His plan was to attack the
head of the column first and confuse
and cripple each in turn. The ships
were to maintain steam so as to be
capable of IL knots. The fleet steamed
back and forth before the entrance to
the harbor. MORO castle, he thought,
was at no time more than five miles
away. The admiral explained how the
fleet steamed back and forth using the
bold headlands at night TO determine
their position with the picket boats al
ways inside. Every night, except
when rain squalls occurred and they
were usually brief, the admiral testi-
fed that he could see the pickets