Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-09-30
THE MERRIMAC
COULD HAVE COALED
Commander James M. Miller so Testifies-
"lhe Sea on the 18th Was Nasty,
Quite Nasty"

Mhat time did you break down."
we stopped az $3.50 that afternoon"
ASKED II vessels could have been
coaled while the Merrmac was in tow
OF the Yale, the witness replied that
that was suggestions question and
mat he would not like to say, AS a
matter Oh tact she did not coal any
Vessel while In tow. On an days from
May % TO May 81 except on the days
When en- route from Cienfuegos 10
Santiago and when disabled the Merri-
mac had had vessels alongside fol the
purpose OF coallng aud they had been
coaled from the collier
On cr0ss-eg1rinatiOn, Mr.. Raynor
qu0stlChed Commander Miller CONCERN
irg coa'ng from the Merrlmac on The
24tn.He sail the Massachusetts had bccn
coelcd al 1859 in tue m rning OF that
day. Ae Was then e.ln.lnei concern.
Ing signals as % coming the Texas,
While THESE questions were bCl;. INT.
Capt Miller sai1, lsughlngly. 20
ahead. You've got me there" lie then
proceeded
FEARED BEING CRUSHED.
Il signalled over, I object 10 having
two battleships alongside OF me- and
Capt. Philip, Of the Texas slgnalled. |
mink, to Capt, Higginson, but DO not
know whether II was TO the admiral or
him, X. and NJ. Will Crush c."
MI. Raynor: you were not G. Won
were not X? G was the Massachu-
sets"
Il was G., think. What I object
ed 10 was having two battleships be-
side me. They have peculiar motion
and when two battleships are rolling
they would have a tendency 20 crush
q collier between them. IL was not so
much on account OF the weather as IL
was the presence Of a batteshlp on
each side"
How was the sea at that time?"
Il did not Eel the sea very much be-
cause my ship was peculiarly steady
ship
How was Il as far as the other ships
are concerned"
'Battleships nearly always have mo,
ton that Is my experience. As far as [
am personally concerned, | could have
coaled."
We'll, how about the other vessels?"
That Is not for me 10 Judge"
Then when you spoke OF your ca
pacity TO coal you spoke about your
own shiD?'
Yes; that was ready for delivery
| am giving no opinion regarding other
ships"
Continuing, the witness said that he
always hated 10 20 al1ngsile the bat
tleships THE Merrimac' he went On.
was always steady, but the battleshlps
were continually rolling"
Especially in rough sea. eus.
gefted Mr Ravnor
TN any sen" RESPONDED the witness.
'Is not that especially true when the
warshp has protruding sponsors as had
the Texas2"
They were always nasty" the wit.
ness responded
Mr. Raynor questioned Can't Miller
closely concerning the state OF the
weather and OF the sea on MAY 70.
quoting from Admiral Cervtras state
ment on that subject. but the witness
would only say that HIS log was silent
as 10 the condition Of the sea az that
time,
MILLER's REMOVAL.
In this connection Cant. Miller re-
ferred TO his removal from the COM
mand OF the Merrimac In order 10 turn
the vessel over TO Lieut.. Robson. He
said on that point;
When ! was taken out summarily
from the Merrimac nearly everything |
had was lost and the only thing can
rcmen Der now with the few notes
have here Il In this log"
The court asked:
Was there any point near Cienfuegos
n sala ha
ton from the sea on May 2i2"
The witness replied II do nat think
that unless we had gone up probably
to the Isle Of Pines, thsre was any
place. so Gar a. | can remember now,
there weuld have been found smoother
weather than We found OF Cienfuegps
unless going very far 10 the eastward"
The court also asked Gould you
have cosled any Of the vessels on May
s. had .ou been ordered 20 do So"
To this the r9ply was. Il should
Judge So TO the best of my knowledge
and belief. ] say could coal, yes,
could coal at any time, but then | could
ncl have coaled comfortably For the
other ships II was what we call nasty
sea and s1ualiy, rainy weather. and "
| had my chclce | would not have
coaled on that day"
AS he left the stand Capt Miller
asked that he mtaht be excused II he
had shown any temper
Il feel a little bit touchy about the
Merrimsr,' he said
Admiral Dewey assured him that he
had displayed no temper,
CAPT. Miller was succeeded on the
witness stand by Capt Theodore ].