Connecticut western news., 1901-10-31
THE SCHLEY INQUIRY
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TESTl-
 MoNY BEFORE THE COURT.
Admiral schIey Witness Tn Ills Own BebnIf-He Maintained mn Ef- fective Blockade and Did All the CoaIfnp That Was Possible.


 fective Blockade and Did All the
 CoaIinn That Was Possible.
 Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday testimony of little import was given at the Sehley inquiry.
 Winfield Scott Schley, garbed In the uniform of rear admiral of the United States navy, went on the stand Thursday afternoon to tell his story of the events of the Spanish-American war. He spoke deliberately, pronounc- ing his words distinctly.
 He related the details of the cruise to Key West and his meeting there with Admiral Sampson.
 "The admiral was very much worn," he said, and necessarily so. because his responsibilities had been great. He showed me a number of orders, one of which was for a division of the two squadrons. one to take the north and the other the south coast of Cuba and he to have the preference.
 ''I asked which he preferred, and he expressed preference for the Havana command. He told me confidentially that whichever command l should take l must remember not to attack heavily fortified places on the shore until the Spanish ships were disposed of; that we must not risk the ships until the Spanish fleet was out of the way.
 ''I asked the admiral if there had been established any means of communicat- ing with the insurgents, whether there were pilots or whether any locality was known where they were to be found. He told me that he did not know, but that when he got the situation better in hand he would communicate with me and that he thought 1t would be better for me to proceed to the blockade of Cienfuegos as soon as possible. I said, Very we'll l was very glad. of course to go anywhere. That terminated our conversation except so far as 1t related to complimentary anusions of such a visit"
 The admiral denied that he ever dis obeyed orders.
 ''I did everything that was possible to maintain a blockade as contemplat. ed. did all the coaling that was prac- ticable or possible. There was always at Cienfuegos q coaling swell, and yes sells with projecting sponsons or pro jecting guns were always in danger"
 On Friday Admiral Schley described the battle of Santiago.
 Judge Advocate Lemly cross exam ined the admiral Monday and sought to make him admit that he had been guilty of disobedicnce of orders.
 The admiral met every challenge with ready answer. stating that in all instances excepting one he had act ed honestly, as he interpreted the rules of the navy department. In that single instance he acted according to his dis cretion.
 Admiral Schley was vigorous In speech In defending his course in the Cuban campaign before the naval court Tuesday. ..r
 The admiral said he kept a close watch at day and at night while awake while on Cienfuegos. He said he had seen no auxiliary cruiser or gunboat near the entrance to the har- Dor, as testified to by Lieutenant Grif- fin.
 Had Cervera's fleet appeared dur ing the nights you were at Cienfuegos, either coming out or coming in from seaward, what. under your instruc- tions. would your fleet have doneT'
 Knocked them out" A stir In the court.I
 What were your instructionsT'
 ITO follow the fiag-instructions given at Hampton Roads"
 Reminded by Captain Lemly that Ad. miral Sampson had thought that when Commodore Schley left Cienfuegos the enemy would leave Santiago, the admi. ral replied:
 "Of course If I had gone to the east ward and exposed the westward there might have been serious consequences"
 He again spoke of the dispatch of the department indicating that the Spanish fleet was still at Santiago as ambigu. ous and said that the information that there were Cubans five or six miles west of Santiago was erroneous, for the Cuban pilot Nunez had informed him to the contrary. He claimed that the dispatch also was ambiguous in the matter of coaling the Harvard from the Merrimac.