The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-10-23

~ ere he hgatIlS shlQs ai"eys IN
order fcc batt?e?'
Il s.ways supposed they we're; the
Brooklyn vas always IL excellent Or
6er,"
General Interest was msnifested
throughout the court room when Mr..
Hanna csgan his inquiries about the
battle cf Jaly 3. Cspt. Cook said he
vas il lis caSsn When the Spanish fleet
wss sighted and vent innedistely cS.
deck.
Had you ary intination the night
before that tie feet Was coming cut?
No. turned IL tie night betoSe,
about midnight, feeling rather the 9TH
er way, a:I hope OF 5Eeir coming oat
hsviDg been given up"
When yen cane on deck where were
the Spanish vessels? What were they
dcing?'
When I first arrived o. the fore
osstle there we're swo il sighg. The
third enc Ws5 just outside The e. trance
AID the fourth sppeared immediately
a:terHsrd" "
which way did they head?"
I'VE Eere to the westward. The en-
trsIe, to Us vas about northeast by
rocta. The fact came on. south and
turned IS they left the entrance to four
5oints southwark, 50 that ehsy turned
II our direction. When I first goc On
deck tls he!m had heen starboaraed,
heading little to the northward.
When | saT the feet they we're hsad-
irg southwsst, scd seensd to be coming
s.Ia:glI for the iotervsl between the
T>zas and tie Brooklyn. went IN
tie coming toNer and directed the
helmsman. I told hin what | wanted
&c do vas TO to keep straight for the
fest. They waversd little. Some
times they tur2ed enc way and then
aao.her, We shif:6d helm orce or
taice, hut very little iucced, and
finally wnen ve were gesi!rg up faIriy
close, ssy between 1,5G0 snd 1900
ya1ds, 1t seemed to ne ciesr that they
wau;, & to pass nesTeea the Texss ana
ths Hlook,y2. TIE texas vas we'll On
cur staSaoa1d hand and see Was headed
20 The 1crshHac6 ana westward. All
ships sere Carrying ous the insta as
tlozs cf the comm&nder-in chief, snd
tSsa was to head IL fcr the entrance.
We weze vel! to the westward aod
headed 10 tbs nc7sh4sSt. When I saw
t! ~, lpa-led tie helm perhaps half wsF
over. She TSs swinging starcos1d vegy
rsp.dly. The Spanish fset vas coming
straight for this inter1ai. l s:epp. d
out oi The soEer oa the port siGe 70 get
6 good lcok at Ills Rset, to see jn:t
what they were going to 90 SO to cur
relsrive positions, AID saw they e7l-
deztiy pu. helms hard sport aid were
tur1.cg to the Ees:wsrd. We were
Il en- larciDg very rspialy to starooar6
sith pert helm and We had turned l
t6ink si1ost to the east. The Texas
Was well cr cur s;aGoosrd side. Then
gsre tie order lard aporG' to the
hslmsmap, rsR through the opeDlrg be-
tween the shield sEd 1he coraiDg tower
10 tie 3-1e- side oR purpose TO see cur
csa f.a5 a1d QUE zesative positions.
Qi.ckez t5a2 yoQ cou:G tell i tbs ocn.
noLo5e called to2,e, Cook, had aport,
OF IS ycaC heimn sperg!' I answered,
tie ha!n3 is hsGd apors, turnl-g ss rap
iG!y SIS possible AS I watched the
Texas the biT Of the Brooklyn seemed
6;s. 10 pci-1 &c her port bc9. l never
sag ,he siasbo boT # the Texas, and
charging her hearing very rapidly the
bog Of The Biook'yn pasaed slcDg the
per. sile & tie Gexss until sbsce was
clear cpenrg between US ard the
stem oe the Texss. We made ccn-
pie1e turn, 2 very quick turn, with
he:m hard sport until We csne around
and parallel the feet on the other SIDE.
IS We paralleled the Spanish the gis-
csya-"
Admiral Dewey: MAY I interpet,
lid you pass the Tezss?"
u never thought CT & c,!lIsion. l.
meyer entered my nesd. | never for q
moment hs6 one ides Of vicissltude N
that Sespecs. We passed, l iaoge, about
400 ysras, ! hsd handled the ship u.
der ali circumstances and got so | could
jadge pretty correctly and my impress
sion Ws5 that We were about the dis
esnce We sailed in squadron. But 8
collision l ntver thought Of. She
turned perfectly clear Of the Texas,
came around ard then We had the Wis
osys On our starboard bow and about
abean vas the Oquerdo and then the
Colon. At the time I thought it vas
the Teresa, but l coon discovered this
vessel wsss cropping ou! and hea!lng
fer the besch.
''Ehse was about the hottest time Of
the seton. Il vas critical time.
There Eas rot sny time for indscision
and GO not think there was any. l
lave always felt in ny mind, in study
ing The positions, thss the chances
would have been tcr = disaster had We
6aiieed helm st such time. However,
VIC got around and We had these three
vessels. Hooked and could see noah
i2g b1t smoke astern spd vessels sesmsc
eavaioped in this smoke. l cou!d not
unG ers:a1d it. l could not understand
exactly heW ne got there. Thsy we're
ali thee fr.Ey OF the Brooklyn, when
almost Immediately faster than I could
ISL II, l sa~ large white bone II the
#.ser azd through Ghis sm 2ke l sa' the
pow Ct : vessel. I exclaimed at the
:-Ie, 'wAas Tss thai The navigator,
1hc va, 1@ar :ue, said il Ess tae Nas-
sachusoyis or something 70 that eH2os.
I aaia sic was sway, sna he then said,
',ba: IS ne Oregon She came "
very rapidly. Shs wss making more
s25v2 sia1 We Were at thst tine.
Where w&5 she Oregon with re-
speos to he Brooklyn a. :A=t timer
i estimated GOJ cards. Sc nassea
;a bel9asn Sba Iexas SD sae liza
Sac 90! 4 between inst opS0is e, cane
% the Lossi;:saCa Of re lexis &C
os1oa s-r,: Sf;u ,.u-5S frnrn ~, | mUan