The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1901-10-12
B ON THE RETIRED LIST.
pear.Admiral Schley Retired by the
AGE Limit, Sixty-Two, But
He Doesn't Look It.
me COURT OF INQUIRY DOESN'T HALT.
Mass of Matter Being Gone Into
in which the General Public, Al
.eady Weary over the Entire Az
.sir. Takes Hut Very Little In
tareat,

Washington, Oct. 9.-Notwitn
.,anding Wednesday marked an i'm
nortant turning point in the career
~ Rear-Admiral Schley, being moth
inc less than the date of his transfer
from the active to the retired list
of the navy, he was in his accustomed
.eat within the railing of the Sch!ey
court of inquiry, and gave his usual
attention to the proceedings of the
court. The retirement of Admiral
schley is in accordance with law, he
having reached the age of so years
Il was genrally remarked that he did
not look his age.
The formal proceedings of the day
began with the reintroduction OF
Lieut.. NJ. L. Bristol, formerly watch
officer on the Texas, as witness. lie
was under cross-examination when
The court adjourned Tuesday night
and Mr. Rayner continued his qurs'
tons to-day.
Other witnesses on the list for the
day included Lieut.-Commander Tenn
pln NJ. Potts, who was navigator on
the Massachusetts, during the war
with Spain; Lieut.. A. w. Grant, who
was also on the Massachusetts; Rear
Admiral II. c. Taylor, who, as cap
tain, commanded the battleship In.
diana; Commander VIM. II. Schuetze,
who was navigator on the Iowa, and
Lieut.. Jonas H. Holden, who, as mn
officer on the Scorpion, made the log
record OF the communication of Com.
mander Switzerland to Commodore
Schley concerning the condition of
Santiago.
Mr.. Rayner began his examination
Of Lieut.. Bristol with questions con-
corning the accuracy of the stadime'
Ter for the measurement OF distances
at sea. He asked IL he would rather
trust his own visual observation for
q 1000 yards range than the instru'
ment The witness stated that the
stadimeter was more accurate for dis
tances below 1000 yards than above
that distance. At that distance he
would make several observations for
confirmation OF visual observation,
"The error" he said, "becomes great.
er the greater the distance
"Could you give me-" asked Mr..
Rayner, "a point from which II Is en-
tirely reliableP"
yes" was the reply, "at zero it ia
absolutely accurate"
Lieut. Bristol declined TO modify
Statements made In his testimony,
Tuesday, even when confronted by
official reports, and In venturing nm
opinion, at one point was told by Adj
miral Dewey that opinions were not
wanted.
At the request of Mr., Rayncr, the
witness made measurements from his
chart to show the distance the Brook
Ign was from the Spanish ships dur
Ing the fight Off Santiago. The reply
was
THE distance OF the Oquendo from
the Brooklyn, taken from the chart
Just before the turn, Is 1900 yards, the
Maria Teresa 3,700 yards. Taken from
the chart when the Maria Teresa and
0quendo were about 20 run ashore,
which Is practically the nearest point
the 0quendo was 1880 yards from the
Brooklyn, and the Maria Teresa D.
900 yards"
Quoting Lieut.-Commander Ilodg'
sons statement that the shortest
range OF the Brooklyn's guns In the
pattle was 1,400 yards, and her great
est $500 yards, and referring TO the
iact that number OF the Brooklyn's
nve'inch shells Ind struck the Span
sh ships, Mr.. Rayncr asked u number
OF questions for the purpose OF show
ing that, " the distance was MS great
u the chart shows, and the guns were
set for the range given, II would have
been impossible for the shots TO go
70 the mark, isn't II certain" he
asked, III the shots struck, that the
chart Is incorrectly"
The witness replied that "the Marin
Teresa and the Oqucndo could have
oeen Nit with Avc.lnch guns"
with guns vet ut that range"
Yes, she could do II. have seen
very wild FIRE when n ship has any
motion on
Capt Lemly then took the witness
developing the fact that he had been
Tor six months In the coast survey
where he daily had used the scxtant'
The JeHries-Ruhiin Fight