The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-09-27

mensat the wheel and at the ergir~
room Indicator to slow, 46en stop and
l said: Captain they will get away
from sns.s
He did not answer me, but immedi-
ately stepped back and then I said: Ny
Lord, captain we are out NJ the fight,
he said. Look at the BrookIyn.' I
turned around and right ahead OF US
this big gray ship doomed out OF the
smoke. For a second / thought my
heart was in my mouth. We were
steamfng with a heavy helm and she
steered by US. When / saw her she
was practically ahead OF Us. That Is
the first ! saw. She sheered OF and
went to sea- I should say about 1000
yards and then on to westward AS
soon as the Brooklyn cleared us we
| rang to go ahead and started I'D forced
draft again After that we simply fol-
lowed on as fast as we could on a line
that was just inside the line where the
Oregon was engaging the ships. Just
before this turn Of the Brooklyn the
Iowa n the Oregon were both close
to Us on our starbard helm. We con-
tinued the chase until the Colon haul-
ed down her flag when the Captain
| gave the order TO stop forced draught."
Captain Lemly: How near was the
Brooklyn TO the Texas at the time you
say you saw her loom VI out OF the
smoker
l. OlQ not make any estimate dl ne
| time, but I came to the conclusion later
| that she was between 100 and $50 yards
from US. which was a much longer dis
lance than Captain Philip thought IL
was"
"A what time during h battle OF
Santiago do you consider that the
| Texas was in the greatest danger?
| asked Captain Lemly-
Mr.. Raynor objected, contending that
such opinions were shut out by a pre-
viouS ruling of the court. The court
overruled the objection.
Looking back" responded the wit
ness, Il know that the time of the
| greatest danger of the Texas was when
the Brooklyn doomed up out OF the
smoke right ahead Of u.s." He said IN
response to questions that he had new
er sailed with a man who had quicker
sight or who handled his ship to better
advantage than Captain Philip. He
| added that the captain had on this oc-
| caSion given successive orders and that
| the Texas had backed until it was dead
in the water He said that on ac-
count of this incident two or three
| minutes had been lost and that fully
three miles were lost to the ship. n
| part of his delay had, however, he
| Said been caused on account or the
| fault of the ships blowers, rendering
| the vessel slow in getting up steam.
| Referring to CommodOr Schley s
blockade of Santiago harbor, the W.T.
ness said that during the day the dis
lance was five or six miles out, but that
in steaming across the mouth Of the
harbor at night the distance vas grad
ually increased. On the day when the
enemy's ships were discovered the fleet
had been closer in.
Commander Heilner was then ques-
toned at considerable length concern
ing signals. He had, he said in re-
NJ 500
the Brooklyn make signals to the Tex
as on the day of the battle.
MI. Raynor: What were they?"
Il do not know what they were. First,
I reported a one flag hoist which !
supposed was clear ship for action.
That was Immediately after going on
deck"
How many of those signals do you
~recollect being made to the TexaS?'
Il saw that one. Then shortly after
I saw a second signal which was q
three flag hoist and that is the time
reported to Captain Philip. He said, as
1 stated before, that l was not to look
after the Brooklyn but the Texas"
How many signals did the New
York make to the Texas on the day OF
battle?' Asked Mr.. Raynor.
Il do not know" was the response.
Did she make any signals to the
Texas?'
Il saw signals from the New York, ]
think, out not at 9 o'clock or $780,"
How late?"
THAT I don't know, II o'clock CT
around there. It may nave been 1880
/ saw the signals in the chase of the
Colon"
Objection was made to this line OF
questioning and the question was with
drawn temporarily.
The court then took a recess until
o'clock.
When the court re-convened at {
o'clock Mr.. Raynor continued his cross
examination of Commander Heilner,
He asked him especially concerning
the official chart of the battle off San
tiago, exhibiting the chart. The wit
ness said he had been one of the board
of navigatorS who had prepared the
chart. He had testified that the Brook
Ign was only $50 yards distant when she
crossed the course of the Texas, but ne
stated that according to the chart the
distance was about 1900 feet when the
Brooklyn was making her famous loop.
But" he said, 1--WE are going through
a lot of matter here which is worthless
"Oh! 1t is worthless is it?" ques-
toned Mr.. Raynor. According to the
map the two vessels were never nea Ger
than within z, 400 feet of each other
The witness replied that he consid-
cred the map inaccurate.
Mr.. Hanna interposed to say if the
point intended to be made vas that the
map is inaccurate, the government
would concede at once that this was
true.
The witness was asked by Mr.. Ray
nor concerning the stoppage of the
Texas. when the Brooklyn appeared in
front of her.
1.-The signals" witness answered,
were to SLOW STOP and back one
right on top of the other, before I could
say a word in between"
Does anything appear in our log
about that?" asked Mr.. Raynor.
Nothing" answered the witness. ut
was not on the log. I can tell you why
it was not, because Captain Philip said
he would not put it in his official re-
port"
D you recollect, as you brought up
his statement Of Captain Philip, the
statement he made about the danger OF
collision?"
mo He spoke to me hundreds Of
| times about it."