Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-10-16


brought ont that Admiral Schley himself
fought his skip and that be was standing
on the temporary platform erected around
the coming tower during the battle and
that Sehley was in plain view of the
enemy during the entire engagement.
During the battle the admirafs manner,
said Hodgson, was in keeping with the
conduct of a commanding officer under
the circumstances. In fact, it was shown
that Admiral SchIey was self-possessed
and in excellent spirits, as after the
Brooklyn and Oregon had left the other
ships of the fleet in the rear the admiral
signaled to Captain Clark the Oregon
to .tFire one Of your raiirlad trains at
the Color" meaning a 13-inch shell.
Lieutenant Commander Hodgson's
story of the chase Of the Colon contained
much of interest in regard to that part
Of the battle that has never before been
printed.
Seventeenth Day.
Admiral Schley's attorneys managed to
esta blish the fact during the progress of
the inquiry that the carefully prepared
chart purporting to be the unanimous
declaration of several nayigators of the
correct positions of the vessels engaged
in the Santiago sea fight during various
intervals Of the battle was in reality
tumble of compromises, satisfactory TO
none of va men engaged in preparing it.
This fence was brought out by At
torney Rayner while examining Com
mander Richard Wainwright, who was
chairman of the board that prepared the
oh y-fo nd rbu ylul 4ha fo
little Gloucester during the battle. Com
mander Wainwright's testimony was Civ
en- without hesitation and was very posi-
tive in character He concluded his state
ment by saying that not one of the nav
eating officers who signed the report
adopting the chart believed that it was
correct.
The days proceedings brought out a
great deal of technical matter, but the
members Of the court never lost thu ir
deep interest in all that was said.
Lieut.. c. w. Dyson of the bureau Of
steam engineering of the Navy Depart
ment was recalled early in the proceed
ings aad continued his evidence concern
ing the steaming condition of the Brook
lyn and her engines on the day of the en-
gagement.
Lieut.. NJ. L. Bristol. who, as ensign.
was watch and division officer on the Tex
as during the Spanish war. talked of the
Santiago and Cienfuegos blockades in an
entertaining manner, going into all the
details of the watch kept and the patrol
ing methods employed. He contradicted
the evidence of Lieutenant Commander
Hodgson concerning the distance of the
brooklyn from the nearest Spanish ships
at the time the "loop' was made, and
cast doubts on the accuracy of the stadi
meter with which the commander had
made his measurements.
Lieut. Bristols testimony was emily
ened by a tilt between the attorneys, Mr..
Rayner and Mr.. Hanna finding occasion
to begin an Interchange Of sarcastic re-
marks which lasted most of the afternoon
Captain W. NJ. Folger, who was re-
called for the purpose of correcting his
testimony of the previous day. was asked
further questions concerning the block
ade of Santiago. In reply TO a question
By Captain Lemly whether he had had
any conversation with Commodore Sehley
during the blockade he said:
Toward evening of one of the days.
the Both, there was an extended, very Sc
we're ranstorm, so severe thar / feared
Cervera had gotten out, as it was sufli-
GENTLY long to have permitted him 10 do
SO. | went on board the flagship the
next day, thinking it my duty to tell the
commodore what | had seen as to the
blockade as kept by the Japanese off the
port of Wei Hai-Wei, where similarly an
enemy's fleet was within fortified har-
bor said to the commodore that the
adoption of the tactics of the japanese,
forming circle directly in front of the
harbor, would, in my opinion, be prefera-
bic. as then II would be difficult for any
thing to get out"
The jud advocate then asked him;
Was there any reply by the commo-
dore?"
Il cannot testify exactly as to his re-
ply" said the witness. II would prefer
not to do so. He did not agree with me
as TO the necessity for IT.
Captain Folger also said that he had
no recollection of picket line on the in
side of the American fleet.
At the request Of Captain Parker of
counsel for Admiral Schley, the witness
examined the log of the New Orleans for
May 80 and 81, 1898. for the purpose of
determining accurately the state of the
weather on those days, but be declined to
modify his statement of the previous day
that the weather on those days was bad.
Lieut.. Dyson, who appeared next. tes-
tilted, in answer to questions by Captain
LeElly, concerning the steaning condi-
ton of the Brooklyn on July g. The wit
ness stated that on the morning of that
day fires were only banked under three
of the vessels seven boilers, the other
boilers having no steam in them. He
added that on the day of the fight it took
twenty-five minutes to start the fires.
Mr.. Rayner asked if il was not neees-
sary to stop the ship to couple the un-
coupled engines. and the witness replied
that the ship could have been kept going
with one engine. while the other was
coupled. The engines were designed, he
said. to be kept coupled during the war.
Lieutenant Commander Hodgs0n. who
was recalled for the purpose Of correct
ing errors in his testimony as printed i'm |
the official record, said that when he had |
called the editor Of New York paper
a 'liar and blaekguar5" he did not mceE |
to convex the idea that he used this lam /
qua ge on account Of any inaccuracies in |
the report OF the famous controversy on |
the Brooklyn on the morning Of the sea |
fight. but because the paper had attempt |
ID to make it appear thaS Schley had |
done something cowardly and that he baa !
shown fear Of the Spanish ships. /
Commander Wainwright. who followed /