Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-19
THE EVIDENCE BEFORE
THE SCHLtY COURT
Continued From First Page.

Continued From First Page.
to be covered with smoke, and we con-
cluded that sac also was on fi.e,
which proved TO be a fact. Just about
this time the Niscaya, which star
boarded her helm. seemed to head off
to the southwark aud west toward the
Brooklyn and fell out of line. 1t then
become eviaent that the Colon was
pulling out of battle and running along
the shore. but il was developed that
she was running away and had more
speed than ail the other ships. The
Niscaya headed toward the Brooklyn.
She ran that course for some time and
then Strengthened out again; then turn
ed in shore aud a few minutes after
that ran ashore also. There is no
question about the Viscaya pulling ont
of the general Spanish line to the
southwark, because a short time after
this Captain Clark turned around and
called my attention to some objects in
the water lha4 looked like floating
buoys apparently three or four feet
above the water We thought they
were nets with torpedoes between them,
probably thrown out to iniure the ship.
ported the helm and before ] could do
anything we passed over the spot and
found that we were in the wake of the
Viseaya."
DR. Charles NJ DeValin followed Com
mander Nicholson. He said that he
had been medical officer on board the
Brooklyn and had observed the battle
of July Sd from the forecastle. He gave
a brief description of the battle, saying
he had been present when Woman FL
lis was killed, and that he had observed
Commodore 6chley during the entire
engagement His conduct and bear
ing. said the witness. was all they
could be expected. He seemed to know
what he was about and to be doing all
that he wished to do. He was in per-
feet control of the situation"
Captain John j.. HaDnum was next
called. He was the chief engineer on
board the Brooklyn and of the flying
squadron Outing the Cuban campaign.
Capt Hannum's testimony, aside from
replies to questions by the court, related
entirely to the condition of the collier
Merrimac May q and 25. lie said that
on the forenoon ef the former date
Commodore Schley had ordered him to
go aboard the collier; that having done
SO, he found her intermediate valve
gear entirely disabled. He said that
he dlad taken the whole of this part
OF the machinery OF the vessel aboard
the Brooklyn and that he had not been
able to complete the repairs until the
evening Of the next day. the 2sth. He
also said HAat while the Merrimac was
not entirely helpless. her horse power
was reduced one-third, and that she
was able to hobble a.ong only at the rate
Of four or five knots an hour.
Capt. Hannum was then excused and
Lieut.. Thomas f. Carter, passed as
sistant engineer, who was in charge of
the machinery of the main engines of
the Brooklyn during the Santiago cam
paign, was called. In reply to a, re-
quest from Mr. Rayner he gave a state
ment concerning the condition OF the
engines OF the Brooklyn on the morn
ing of the battle of July 3d.s
w. p. Cronan, an ensign, who served
as signal officer on the Brooklyn dur
ing the Cuban campaign. was called.
Mr.. Rayner asked him whether he re-
membered a message from the Scor-
pion to the Brooklyn on May 10 as he
was going from Key West to Cienfu-
egos. The witness replied: Yes sir.
That morning | was on watch on the
after bridge of the Brooklyn. We
sighted three ships bound for Key
" est, one of which was converted
yacht. The Scorpion left the column
and went over toward this yacht and
communicated with her. The Scorpion
came back and communicated mega
phone message to the Brooklyn. The
substance of this message was that the
Nashville was returning to Key West
broken down, that the Cincinnati and
Vesuvius were patrolling YucataA
channel, and that Captain McCalla re-
ported that he had seen othing of the
Spaniards at Cienfuegos."
"Who received that message?" asked
Mr. Rayner.
10 the best of my remembrance the
Commodore and flag lieutenant were
on the bridge besides myself
Mr. Cronan continued his testimony
at the afternoon session, relating the
details of the battle OF July Sd. He
described the turn OF the Brooklyn,
saying that after it began he observed
that the first ship appeared to be head
ing directly toward the Brooklyn, ere
ating the impression that either she
meant to ram the Brooklyn or the
Brooklyn to ram her. This conting-
eacy. however, was ayerted by both the
Brooklyn and the Spanish ships put
ting the helm to port. He said that
the Socana land battery also fired at
the Brooklyn at that time. He also
stated that just before starting in shore
the viscaya had made sudden turn
toward the Brooklyn. The witness
l. ..Dt tl.a