The San Francisco call., 1901-10-31

have paper and pencil at hand while battle
is in progress and as consequence there Is
failure to record many occurrences that
should be recorded"
Here followed an examination of the various
signals from the Massachusetts on the day OF
the bombardment which the admiral verified.
At the same time he remarked that he thought
there were other signals unrecorded.
Admiral Schey said he had ordered the
supposed the Colon so far up the
harbor.
''of course" he said. IT left the measure
ment of the range to the executive officer.
Does your letter to the Senate. dated Feb.
ruary Is. 1899, plead the precautionary order OF OF
the department for not destroying the Colon?'
II should rather think that is the infer
ence''
The admiral then, at the request of the judge
advocate, read what he wrote to the Senate.
The letter contained the precautionary order
of the department at the opening of the war.
He again explained, as he had done before,
that when he wrote his communication to the
Senate he did not have. all the records before
him. He omitted to mention in that COM
munication, he said, Admiral SIMPSONS eau
tion at Key West. He had prepared 1t largely
from memory In further support of his po-
stion the admiral read the departments IN
struction of May Is, specifically warning the
commander in chief against risking his vessels
to the fire of the land batteries. He was cross
questioned closely as to all the orders bearing
upon this subject. He said he had never seen,
until he saw them in the report the orders OF
April Is and April 2S, modifying to some ex-
tent the original order. But he had been ad-
In your report of June 1 to the department
concerning the reconnaissance you did not
mention any purpose to sink or destroy the
Colon?'
Il did not
But in your telegraphic report you did say
that your purpose was to destroy the Colon!
Incidentally yes F.
The Judge advocate then asked the admiral to
tell what his purpose was on that day and what
had testified fully on this subject before, he
said the signals made indicated the purpose.
The signals instructed the ships to use their
big guns against the Colon. The New Orleans,
with her lighter battery. directed to fire at
the shore batteries The instruction was to go
in 1000 yards and he thought for several days
afterward that ships had gone in to that dis
tance.
II directed the ships to follow the flag to
operate against the Colon and to fire against
the forts to develop them and think the recon
noissance. so far as it went, was eminently
successful. The batteries were developed and
the fact was demonstrated that the enemy was
in port With a squadron of only five or six ships
l believed that only the strongest military ne
cessity would have justified me in risking the
loss of a vessel that might have reduced the
squadron to numerical force inferior to that
of the enemy. If two of our ships
had been crippled the enemy might have come
out and engaged us with disastrous results.
The developments of the facts to the batter
les and ships was. in my opinion. sufficient.
The enemy's ships: could not get away and they
did not get away.
The admiral was then asked whether he had
informed Ensign Macy, Captain Cook and Cor
respondent Graham that the affair of May 81
in a general way and he thought he could be
fairly said to have informed the captains in
the signals hoisted.
did you signal to the commanding officers
that it was to be reconnaissance"
No, think not. 1 think 1 signaIed that
we should go in and fire our large guns
did the affair develop without question the
presence of the enemy in the harbor?
II thought SO. because of the large shells
fred at us and also because a number of yes
sells seem.