The San Francisco call., 1901-10-23
sIGsBEE's REPLY
TO SCHLEY'S QUERY
Witness Tells Of an In
cident Prior to Bat
tie Off Santiago.
Newspaper Man Gives Testi-
mony About the Santiago
Fight.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-The Schley
court of inquiry opened to-day with Lieu
tenant 3. ". Wells Jr., who was Connao-
dore Schley's flag lieutenant during the
Spanish war, still on the stand, but ne
was soon displaced to allow Yeoman AL
bert V. Mason, who had written the
Brooklyn's log for the period covering the
Santiago campaign, TO testify.
Mason explained the erasures in the log
entry referring to the Brooklyn's turn on
the day Of the battle of Santiago. He
was followed by George E. Graham, who
as correspondent was with Commodore
Schley during the entire campaign.
Graham testimony covered all the
principal events OF the campaign and dis
'cussed especially the bombardment of the
Spanish ship Colon on May 81, and TIE
battle OF Santiago on July 3. Graham tes-
titled to hearing a conversation between
Commodore Schley and Captain Sigspee
when the latter came aboard the flagship
Brooklyn OF Santiago, May 26. He said
he had distinctly heard Captain Slgsoee
ten the commodore that the spanish meet
was not inside the harbor Of Santiago
Graham also stated that Admiral
Schley hao told him that the obJect OF the
bombardment on May 81 was to develop
the Spanish land batteries, and he sald
that the range was fixed at 4OeO- or a9Ou
Iher said, with reference to the events OF
this engagement, that he had heard no
conversation in which Commodore Schley
had said that the officers in their white
uniforms were conspicuous objects
The Conversation With Evans.
Graham detailed a conversation between
Commodore Schley and Captain Robley
Il. Evans which took place after the San
'tiago engagement. There was some dis
icussion over the admissibility of this
statement but the court decided that any
converse ticn between the commodore and
any one else bearing upon the case was
The witnesses for the afternoon were
Dennis ]. CrOnin, who was Admiral
al- =
along the same lines as Graham to the
conversation with Captain Sigsbee; Lieu
tenant Commander William K. Rush, who
said he thought the Nlscaya had planned
ID ram the Brooklyn; Lieutenant Edward
Simpson, who gave a very graphic pic
tire Of the battle Of July 3, and LieUten-
ant Edward T. Fitzgerald, an assistant
engineer. who was on duty In the lire
room on July 3, and who testified that an
order had been given early in the action
ID stand by for a ram.
Graham was then questioned particu-
larry concerning the conversation between
Commodore Schley and Captain Sigsbee
the Brooklyn on May 26, as follows:
Did you see Captain sigsbee on board the
brooklyn On Nay 262"
yes sir After ne had reached the quar-
t'9rdeck from the gangway he stopped and
'erl Sigsbee? The captain said: No they are
not here. have been here for a week and
is that the whole Of the conversation as you
No sir. We went aft, farther back on the
Quarterback, and he continued the conversa-
ton Commodore Schlev said: Are You sure
they are not in there% He said I have been
very close TO the har5or entrance two or three
times. Captain Cotton Sas been in and cut
cable and Jhey are not there.
You heard Slgsoee say that?'
Yes. sir 1 took some part in the cOnver-
DID you record that conversation and did
Captain Sigsbee know you recorded it?'
Dispatch Sigsbee Took.
E0e I r1evV
man ard was there looking for information and
Captain Sigsbee later took a dispatch written
by me and vised by Commodore Schley. He
took it aboard his ship and he TO deliver
l. 10 one Of the small beats or else take It
over himself.
and Captain sigsbee took that dispatch?"
Yes. sir. Il was open. L detailed the fact
that the fleet was not there"
Continuing. the witness said that by the
time the Brooklyn had completed her
turn (and he thought the turn had been
continuously to the right. the three lead
ing Spanish ships had emerged from the
harbor. The witness thought they had
come out in fan-shape order. The com,
TnOdOre," he said at this point, ''stood all
the time on the side of fire so he could
see what was going on He was abso-
lutely cool, and sent continuous messages
to the men TO cheer them up. When Ellis
head was shot of he wiped some of the
blood from his own person, and when the
men picked the body up to throw II over,
while the rest Of US stood Mortified he
calmly said: Don't throw that body over
Take II below and We'll give it a Chris
Iian burial
The court adjourned until tomorrow.
---
Z - D