The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-21
SCHLEY INQUIRY ON.
Continued from First Page.)

other Spanish vessel of the Viscaya
class partly visible. He thought both
were in view for three or four days
The witness also said that when Ad-
miral Schley had once aboard the Mas
sachusetts previous to the lombard
ment of the Colon on May 81 he had
heard that officer say to Capt. Higgin-
son:
I'VE are going in, but we will not
go in sufficiently near to endanger the
vessels
He had been told that the distance
was to be 10000 yards.
After the bombardment ceased, Mai.
Woods said, the Spanish shore. bat
teries continued to fire at the Amer
lean ships. At this point he had gone
forward, where he had again seen Com
modore Schley.
Let's Get Out of This.y
did you then hear any orders or
Instructions" he was asked.
Il then heard some one say, and 1
believe from the sound of the voice
it was Commodore Schley, 'Starboard
your helm and let's get out of this"
answered the witness.
This had occurred on the port side of
the coming tower, he said, and the Com
modore had been about eight feet
from him.
Capt. Giles P. HARDER, now naval at
tache at Paris and st. Petersburg, who
was executive officer on board the Tex
as during the Spanish war, was asked,
in the absence of Capt Philip, to give
a detailed account of the operations
of that vessel during the war, and he
did so. The Texas had been a part of
the Flying Squadron, and the witness
said that when they steamed for Glen
fuegos the flagship had signalled 1--WE
go to CienfuegoS to bag the SpaniardS;
wish you good luck"
In reply to questions, he said that
when Cienfuegos was reached earth
works were discovered there, but no
effort was made to destroy them.
Capt. HARDER was questioned as to
orders concerning plans of battle, but
he said that Notwithstanding he would
have taken command in case of the
incapacity of Capt. Philip he received
no directions from the commander-in-
chief. He had heard of no plans in
case the enemy should be engaged
The witness said that while lying off
Cienfuegos, he, with others, had seen
lights from the shore which, from their
nature, they took to be signals, but
that no attention had been paid %
them until the oath, when the Marble
head had arrived and he understood
had responded to the signals and COM
municated with those on shore.
The Question of COal1nS.
He also said that the Texas had been
in no great need of coal while lying off
Cienfuegos, but that 1t could have TAX
en- more and would have been glad to
get it. The Iowa had coaled there, he
said. He said that when the squadron
arrived in sight of the Yale and other
American vessels off Santiago on the
evening of May 26, all the vessels clear
ed for action, thinking they were YES
sells of the enemy. When they discov-
cred their mistake Capt. Philip had
signalled Capt. Wise of the Yale, say
ing:
Have you got them in there?"
To this the reply was: 81 think we
have"
Mr.. Hanna, who conducted the ex-
animation of this witness, asked him
particularly concerning the trip from
Santiago toward Key West when the
squadron started for the latter place
in order to coal.
He said that no effort had been made
or the 26th, the day of the arrival off
Santiago, to coal ship. The sea was
somewhat rough, but the witness ex-
pressed the opinion that the coaling
could have been accomplished. He had
succeeded in that operation at Tortu-
gas when the water was equally rough.
eff you had been instructed to coal
done?" Mr.. Hanna asked.
II would have done it," the witness
responded. II don't think the sea was
any heavier than when we had taken
coal on other occasions"
Relating the particulars of the re-
turn to Santiago, after starting for
Key West, the witness said that coal
had been taken on the night of the
9th. When Capt. Philip had been
asked if the Texas could coal he had
replied:
I'VE can try"
The trial had been made and the eff
fort had proved successful, the witness
said.
Capt. Harder also told of seeing the
Colon inside the harbor at Santiago
on the morning of May 20 and said it
had remained there until June i. The
American fleet, he said. lay seven or
eight miles from the mouth of the har-
Dor at night and further than that in
the daytime
That Brooklyn Loop.
Asked concerning his knowledge CT
the Brooklyn's loop during the battle
off Santiago the witness said he did
not see the loop made. He said in re-
ply to questions that the blockade was
maintained by the vessels steaming in
column back and forth in front of the
mouth of the harbor at a distance of
from seven to ten miles out. the great
er distance being that maintained at
night.
At this distance there was no dif1-
Guilty in seeing the shore during the
day time and on clear nights. but when
the weather was bad it was difficult to
see the shore in the daytime and
sometimes under those circumstances
impossible to see it at night.
Capt. Harder volunteered the state
ment that on May q, before the new
supply of coal was taken on the Texas,
there were about 400 tons of that fuel
on that vessel.
Recurring to the Brooklyn. he said
he had seen that vessel Immediately
after it had executed the loop, when
it was on the port bow of the Texas,
about 800 feet distant.
The Texas was not then moving at
her full speed because the Oregon
was passing her If the Texas at that
time backed or stopped he was not
aware of the circumstance.
At this point the court adjourned,
promptly at 4 o'clock. until II o'clock