Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-09-28
SCHLH CRITICISED
BY Capt. McCalla, For His
Conduct, While In Command
of Flying Squadron.
HE DIDN'T HURRY TO SANTIAGO,
From cienfuegos, With All Dispatch,
as ordered-Mccalia Said he Could
Have coaled Marblehead, on Ar
rival OF Santiago.

Have coaIed Marblehead, on Ar
rival OF Santiago.
washington. Sept 2s.--In the
schley court of inquiry a letter was
PRESENTED from Rear Admiral Samp
son. asking to be allowed to be rep
resented in the court by counsel, but
the court refused to grant the request
on the ground that THE court does
not at this time regard you as a party
10 the case /"
Among the Witnesses were Iiueten-
ant John Hood. who commanded the
dispatch boat The Hawk during the
Spanish war, and Captain Bowman
ii. MeCalla, who was i'll command of
tho Marblehead.
Captain Wise was recalled TO make
verbal changes in the official copy of
bis testimony. He altered his pregi-
GUS statement concerning the order
of the navy department of May 20
1898, in which he was directed to in
form every vessel off Santiago that
the flying squadron is of Cienfuegos.
saying that he desired to correct his
why this order was not carried out,
by stating that 1t had been carried
out.
The flying squadron was ordered
to proceed with all possible dispatch"
he said, and added: q did not desire
to inform the commodore of the fly
ing squadron Of his own movements
The order was to inform commanders
,f Il
ron"
The court then asked:
Didn't Order Information Given.
Ibid you direct Captain Sigsbee to
give Commodore Schley the informa-
ton contained in the dispatch from
the navy department regarding the
whereabouts of the Spanish squad
ROM"
Il did not"
Lieutenant Spencer s. Wood, who
commanded. the dispatch boat Dupont.
as then called and continued his tes-
timony. begun Thursday. His testi-
mony was in part as follows
Mr. Rayner resumed his cross-ex-
animation. The witness said that
while off Cienfuegos he had been ON
picket duty TWO miles from shore on
the night of May % and had been
instructed to signal the squadron with
two red lights in case the enemy'S
torpedo boats came out Of the har-
Dor.
Lieutenant John Hood, who during
the war commanded the Hawk, was
the next witness. His testimony was
in part as follows: He said that on
May 20 he had delivered dispatches
from Admiral Sampson to Admiral
Schley when the latter was OF Glen
fuegos.
Commodore Schley read the dis
patches and then turning to me said:
Captain, Admiral Sampson wishes ne
to go to Santiago. | cannot 40 it, |
told Commodore Schiey that the adj
miral certainly expected the squad
ron to leave the instant | arrived.
Commodore Schley then said, in near
ly these Words: I am not at all sat
isted that the Spaniards are not here
in Cienfuegos.' He said that besides
Lis ships wanted coal; that the Massa-
chusetts, Texas and the Brooklyn
wanted so many tons of coal. and that
the day before Captain Sampson had
sent him down the Iowa with only
half her coal supply, SO that he could
not 60 anywhere; that it was useless
10. send ships down there only half
filed with coal.
IT told Commodore Schley that /
bad passed the collier conveyed by
gunboat, only little before daylight
that morning. and it would certainly
be there with at least four or five
thousand tons Of coal within two or
three hours. We referred again to the
belief OF the Spaniards being in Glen
fuegos. and said that he had heard
some OF the firing about 40 miles from
iort, which he took to be a welcome
to the Spanish squadron. He had also
seen some smoke which he conceived
to be the Spanish squadron and he
believed they were there.
i said to Commodore Schley then
that the information which the adj
Iairal had he considered as definite;
be had no doubt but that the Spanish
squadron was at Santiago.
Said Sampson Didn't Understand.
Commodore Schley then said to
me: Captain Sampson doesn't under
stand. He is not. on the spot and
cannot judge | also informed Com.
modore Schley that they certainly ex-
Iected the squadron to leave imme-
fiately, and that | had verbal orders
from the conamander-in-chief which
did not appear in my written orders.
70 remain with the Hawk alone at
Cienfuegos after the squadron had
left, and conduct blockade for a day
or two, or as long as my coal supply
lasted
The witness testified that the
steamer Adula, in passing, had report
ed to the Brooklyn that cable report
had been received at Kingston on
May 10, saying that the Spanish
squadron was in the harbor at San
tiago. Admiral Sci4ley's report os
tnis occurrence was also read, as was
his statement discrediting the infor
nation, because he then believed the
squadron to be in Cienfuegos harbor.
All these reports have heretofore been
published.
Captain Bowman II. McCalla. who
commanded the Marblehead during
the Spanish war was called His testi
mony was In part as follows:
Witness had first come into contact
with the flying squadron on May 10.
1888. When be was proceeding from
tba south fsrsao A ~ rub, -, ~