The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-10-21
To-day's Scope of Inquiry in
the Schley Court.
LONGS INSTRUCTIONS
Trying to Settle How Dispatches
Were Delivered.
WERE SIGNALS MIsUNDERsTooD2
Intellectual Effort of Capt. LemIy to
Corner the Mechinist of
the Texas.

Washington, Oct. 21.-After two days
rest the Schley court of inquiry resumed
its session at II o'clock to-day. Lieut..
w. B. Wells, Jr., secretary to Commodore
Schley during the Cuban campaign, re-
sumed his testimony. Other witnesses
were Edward Graham, the Associated
Press correspondent, who was with Com
modore Schley on the Brooklyn, Lieut..
Edward Simpson, who served on the
Brooklyn, and Dennis J. Cronin.
Captain Francis A. Cook, who command
ed the Brooklyn, returned to the stand
to explain his former testimony regard
ing the boilers Of the Oregon. Captain
Cook made the following statement:
In my testimony l stated that the Oregon
on the morning of July 3 was under all boil
ers. This was from hearsay and l presumed
it correct. / find that she had not shifted
boilers that morning, but hae steamed all
her boilers at all times while in the Santiago
blockade.
Did He Misunderstand Signals:
J. L. Hunley, the chief machinist on the
Texas, who last week testified that on July
he was at the throttle Of the port engine
of the Texas, was asked by Judge Advocate
Lemly as to what other machinist as
sisted in the port engine room on the day
OF the battle. Witness replied that as soon
as general quarters sounded he relieved
Machinist HILL He stated that Claxton,
who had testified that he was at the port
engine on that day and that the engine
was reversed, was stationed at the air
pumps, back of the engine. Hunley said
he kept his hand on the throttle most Of
the time and did not think it possible that
the signal to stop or back could have been
given without his knowledge.
Captain Lemly asked witness if he had
been on the Texas when that vessel ran
Captain Lemly stated that he desired to
show that the witness had misunderstood
I signals then and it was possible he might
have been mistaken on the day of the bat
tie. The court held the question not ad-
missible.
Lieutenant B. W. Wells, Jr., was re-
called. A number of dispatches were
shown and he was asked as to their re-
! ceipt by Commodore Schley. One was
| from Secretary Long to the American con-
sui at Kingston, dated Washington, May
%, saying it must be delivered to Schley
at once and informing him (Schley) that
unless unsafe for his squadron the de-
partment wished him to remain off San
tiago and asking him If he could not take
possession of Guantanamo as a coaIing
| station; also a dispatch from Secretary
Long to Captain Cotton of the Harvard
dated Washington. May 29, enclosing a
! dispatch to Commodore Schley telling him
to hold on at all hazards, that the New
York, Oregon and New Orleans were on
| the way; also two dispatches from Sec
retary Long to the dispatch boat Harvard,
dated Washington, May 80, one informing
him that the commander in chief had
started to join him, and the other telling
him that Sagua, twenty-five miles east OF
Santiago, had been reported~as a good
place to land from which it would be easy
to reach the rear Of Santiago.
Discovery of the Colon.
! Regarding the cablegram from Washing
ton May 26 to the cable Office at Mole
| st. Nicholas, which was ordered delivered
to the first American warship approaching
and which said to the admiral that the
most important information at present de-
sired was the position of the Spanish fleet,
witness said it had been received on the
morning of May 81 The Colon had been
discovered in the harbor of Santiago by