Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-10-10
Witness Says the Shore Line
Gould Not be Distin-
guished at Santiago.
DIDN'T MOVE In AT NIGHT
Lieutenant Edward F. Leiper, an OFF.
Ger on the New Orleans Gives Tes.
timony in the schIey Court of In
quiry-Differs From Others.

Washington Oct. 1O.-The Schley
court of inquiry began business today
with recall of yesterdays witnesses
for the correction of testimony. They
were followed by Lieutenant Edward
F. Leiper, who begun his testimony
yesterday.
Leiper was an officer of the New
Orleans and participated in the bonn
bardment and reconnaissance of the
Colon May 81, the day before the ar
rival at Santiago of Sampson. He
was also on the New Orleans when
the vessel bombarded the Spanish
shore batteries at Santiago. His tes-
timony today dealt with those events.
The witness said when the New Or
leans joined the blockade the vessels
We're lying in column from six to
eight miles off shore They were SO
far out it was impossible to distin-
guish points on the shore or deter
mine where the shore line met the wa
tier line. On cross-eXamination Ray
to the statement of Captain Folger,
who commanded the New Orleans,
that the fleet was rearer the shore at
night than in the daytime and asked
whether he agreed with the command
ing officer. The witness replied:
! ''As a feet or squadron l do not
Iagree that they moved closer to the
shore at night"
L Leiper said his estimate of the dis
itance out was entirely due to visual
observation. When asked whether he
lagreed with Folger in stating the re-
lconnaisance May 81 when the Colon
was bombarded, was a success in de-
tveloping the strength and number of
the shore batteries, the witness re-
piled he thought it success to that
extent, but could not agree with Fol-
ger in all he had said.
"As compared with the strength. of
the ships of the squadron or as COM
pared with the strength of the guns
of any ship in the squadron the bat
teries were weak" he said.
Leiper was excused.
loWa's Navigator on Stand.
Lieut.. Commander Schuetze, navi-
gator of the Iowa during the war, was
the next witness. He was member
of the board of navigation which pre-
pared the official chart and fixed ther-
on the positions of the vessels engaged
on both sides in the battle of July 8.
Charts Are Inaccurate.
/ ho
| fed with the report as being accurate
but was finally persuaded to concur in
it by a senior member of the board
Commander Wainwright thought
that was the best we could do even if
we stayed there unul doom's day, and
II signed it under protest" said the
witness
| On cross-examination Rayner ask
]. ed, why did not you state, this chart
! is wrong and | won't sign?"
, Il did,"
t Then why did you sign?''
Because was persuaded by the
other members of the board that it
was the best we could do, and they
wanted to come to an agreement That
, was compromise"
would it not have been better to
+ have made no chart at all than to have
, made chart that appears to be as
; radically wrong as this chart appears
a to be?"
SNo, it would not have been better
in my mind" said the Witness
Then you think it better to make a
chart that is incorrect and wrong than
|. to make no chart at all?
q did not say that; said this is a
Fcompromise- chart and it was the best
= we could do so long after the battle
How did you determine the dis.
! tance of the Iowa from the shore
while blockading Cienfeugos"
We did not determine the distance
at all, except simply by bearings oc
casionally. There was not any regu
!, lar effort made 10 maintain any partic
: ular position"
Were the vessels nearer or farther
" from the shore at night at Santiago?'
e "About the same distance day and
/ nisht-about eight miles"
- Saw No Move to Ram Vessels.
Schuetze said the bombardment OF
May 81 had developed the fact that
the Spanish shore batteries were, eX
i. tremely weak. He has seen no evi
dence of disposition on the part o.
any of Cervera's ships to ram any q
the American vessels.
g g Admits Position Sharpened Sight.
Ell "Was your position during the hat
tie of July 3 such as to enable you tt
observe clearly the relative position
4 and movements of the differen
ships?"
Is l{"No SIR"
Schuetze was excused.
j. Massachusetts Officer Called.
d, Lieutenant Commander w. Grant
81 senior watch officer on the Massach,,