The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-16

of our ship was eased one way or the
other to keep our ram pointing toward
the Teresa The Teresa shortly turn
ed squarely toward the westward. 1t
was my observation that the Brooklyn
was then held up to meet the second
ship approaching. OF course we ported
helm.
THE second ship passed in the wake
of the first one, and said to the COM
modore that 1t looked ias If the second
one was going to try and ram us. He,
I think, assented. At any rate the
Brooklyn was held toward her and she
appeared to me to be uncertain in her
course The Brooklyn turned after
she had passed to the southwark of
the Teresa's wake and followed her,
and then it was generally remarked on
the lower bridge they were all going to
try and escape to the westward.
Nearness to the Viscaya.
"Just about the time the Viscaya
turned, Yeoman Ellis, who was a
trained observer with the stadmeter,
came to me on the platform and said
that his stadimeter showed 900 yards
to the Viscaya. I Immediately took an
especial look at the Viscaya with that
in mind and my judgment confirmed
the stadimeter. said to the commo-
dore, I think we are about our tacti-
cal diameter from that ship now,' and
he said, think 50, too, or, We are
Then the order was Hard aport. l
am not positive who gave that order.
l think the commodore said, Hard
aport,' and Capt. Cook said, 1T is hard
aport' The helm was kept hard aport
and the ship swung rapidly in her
| turning circle When the order was
given, Hard aport,' 1 looked at the
next vessel in our fleet, the Texas, and
| in my judgment we were. completely
clear of her, and as we turned we
passed we'll clear of her. After the
| turn was completed we found ourselves
abreast or perhaps a little abaft the
beam of the leading Spanish ship, with
| a slowly converging course toward
the leading ship. l saw the torpedo
| boats and l sent one of the commo-
dore's orderlies to the after guns to
notify them that they might look out
| Holly Engaged With Three.
"It is my impression we held a very
| straight course. The navigator was
| trying to maintain this course to keep
our guns to bear to the best range.
After about ten to twenty minutes we
were very hotly engaged with those
| three vessels. The Oregon was astern
of us and the Texas astern of her. The
Viscaya began to blaze UP, flames
would rise and subside and she turned
| in toward shore. Shortly, previous to
| this, she had made what appeared to
us a change in her helm so as to bring
her out toward the Brooklyn. 1t was
taken by us to mean an attempt to
ram u.s. The Brooklyns helm was
handled to give the ship a sheer to-
ward her This she did. think, twice.
The Viscaya then resumed her course
and we did also.
SchIey Knew Capt. Philip.
"The commodore spoke of the advis-
ability of signalling through the Ore
gon to the Texas to stay by the Wis
caya when she turned in and insure
her surrender, but after a moments
thought, he said: Philip will know
enough to look for that and then We
proceeded. While we were engaged on
the beam of the viscaya the Colon had
passed inside of the Niscaya, firing, but
| gradually rawing away. We were in
creasing our speed as rapidly as the
fires could be forced and after the
Viscaya had gone in we continued the
chase after the Colon
The COIon's Dying Struggle.
After we began to gain upon the
Colon the commodore directed the Ore
gon to try her guns at her. Then the
Oregon and the Brooklyn fired delib-
erately at the Colon. After our fire
| began
shore. Her course was unsettled and
the commodore said he thought she
had enough of 1t and was looking for
a soft spot to lie upon, which proved
to be the case. She fired occasionally
at us, rather rapidly at first and then
IL became weaker. She was close in to
shore at that time and at 1:15 hauled
down her flag. Capt Cook and Lieut..
Wells were sent on board the Colon to
receive the surrender"
When Mr.. Sears had concluded his
description of the battle, Mr.. Rayner
asked him If Commodore Schley had
| given him a dispatch to be sent to
the Navy Department making report
of the battle. The witness replied in
the affirmative. The court decided that
as the dispatch had not reached the
department it could not appear.
Mr. Rayner then asked as to the dis
tance between the Brooklyn and the
Texas when the former made her turn.
The witness replied that he had only
given sufficient attention to see that
there was no danger of a collision he
tween the two vessels. He was sure
there was a wide gap of water, pos
sibly about 600 yards.
schIey's Bearing Under Fire.
In reply to a question. Commander
| Sears said he had been with Conlino-
dore Schley in five engagements, all
told He was then asked as to the
| bearing of the Commodore under fire
and replied:
His bearing to me was a model for
anybody, worthy of emulation at all
times. Under fire his faculties, if it
was possible seemed to be clearer and
more in possession of them than at
any other time"
"Was he in any state OF excite
ment?"
mot the slightest"
WAS he cool and calm?"
Absolutely"
How about points Of danger, would
he get away from them or did he ex-
pose himself to them?"
"He was always putting himself in
exposed positions. ] requested him
many times to not expose himself, as
it was useless to do So"
Judge Advocate Lemly cross exam
ined the witness, who said that be-
yond the standing in of the American
| feet and the sending in of the Adula
no effort had been made before Capt.
| McCalla's arrival to discover whether
the Spaniards were in the harbor there.
The Coal Situation.
Commander Sears said that Commo-
dore Schley had discussed the coal. sit
uation freely with him and that when
| the retrograde movement was begun
the Texas had only little more than
enough coal to carry her to the nearest
coaling station. He said he had been
| ayerse to the westward movement. He