The Forrest City times., 1901-09-27
The Schley Court of Inquiry Re sumes Its Sessions at the
 Washington Navy Yard.
SYNOPSIS 0f THE TESTIMONY TAKEN.
The Movements of the Battieship Texas and the Coaitng Problem Furnished the Major Portion of the Testimony EIicited at Wednes- days Session.


 The first witness called to-day was Mr. A. E. Claxton, the maehinist on board the Texas, who had begun his testimony when the sittings of the court were so abruptly terminated Tuesday morning by the death of Judge Wilson.
 Before Mr. Claxton took the stand Commander lieilner was recalled to make verbal corrections in the otii- eial copy of his testimony. made var ious changes. but they were not ma terial.
 Mr. Claxton said on July 3. 1898, he had been on duty in the engine room of the Texas. The engine indicator had called for full speed ahead early in the morning, which had, within an hour after the beginning of the ac- tion, been changed to full speed astern." To his knowledge there had been no signal for the reversal of the engines He said that he had been excused from service in the engine room, but still he knew that the en- zines were reversed for about two minutes within the first hour of the engagement
 Rear-Adnliral Cotton, now com mandant of the Norfolk navy yard, who commanded the auxiliary cruiser Harvard during the Spanish war, was the next witness. He told of meeting the flying squadron under Commo- dore Schley off Santiago on May 27, 1898, and said that on that date he had delivered dispatches to the then commodore from Admiral Sampson and the navy department. He had, he said boarded the Brooklyn about 10:30 o'clock. The weather was then moderate and he had had no difficulty in going aboard the Brooklyn from his boat. He had worn his sword. He said:
 'I delivered to Commodore Schley the original cipher ill which the dis patches had been received by me at St. Nicholas Mole. together with trans lation of those dispatches made by Lieut.. Beall, of the Harvard. handed them personally to him in his ca bin In the order of their date. He received them, read them, and commented in a general way upon their purport spoke of the difficulty he had had in getting coal on board his ships while at Cienfuegos, and subsequently, to the date of which l am speaking, May 27, and said 1t had been an almost impossibility to get coal on board on account of the weather. He ques- toned me relative to the practica bill ity of coaling ships at St. Nicholas Mole and Gonaiyes channel As to St Nicholas Mole, said: There is no question the small ships can coal there. As to Gonaives channel. 1 know of no reason why you should | not be able to coal there The com modore made some remarks upon my do not recall. but he asked me: How about the large ships at St. Nicholas MoleY l said: You can't coal your big ships there l had special refer ence in my reply to the battleships and protected cruisers. of the Brook
 
 ing of the fact that my ship had been | there and was of some l2 ,000 tons dis i placement and nearly 600 feet in 1 length: Possibly, under favorable conditions, you might be able to coal the large ships there. one at time But the area of deep water for the an chorage of large ships is so little there it was not practicable to coal at the very utmost more than one l large ship at time there. and in case 1 the weather became bad. she would | immediately have to go to sea. l was anxious while l was there with the | Harvard, on account of her size. and would have left at once in case bad weather had come on. As l remem- Der, recollect no qualification as tc Gonaives channel"
 Was anything said at this time about going to Key West for coal?'
 Returning to what I said with ref erence to the difficulty which Com modore Schley stated to me he haC in getting coal on board of any ot the ships at Cienfuegos. he said Int was very anxious. The coal supply was getting short, the weather wa, bad and it had been bad almost con tinuously. It was very seriou. | problem as to how or whether h, could possibly get coal on board ship. of Santiago. He said if he foun( l II impraetieable to coal there he could only see one resort and that was he would be compelled to return To Key West in order to supply hi. ships with coal. Having that question in view, he was apprehensive espe cially as to one ship. the Texas. II, did not even know at that moment whether she had on board sufficient coal to enable her to return to Ke, West. During my visit he gave ar order to make signal, general sigma as l remember it, not limited to the flying squadron alone. to report whether the ships had sufficient coa to reach Key West. The signal wa, made, or at least, assume it wa. made. At all events. during my pres