The San Francisco call., 1901-10-03
COURT OF INQUIRY DISCOVERS
CHANGES WERE MADE IN A LOG
Vixen Not Tally in All Particulars With
Notes Written During the Santiago Battle.

fetal report of July 3 copy of the notes of
| said action?
Yes, sir
Where did you obtain this copy?"
From the executive officer, Lieutenant Har-
low
'Did you at that time know whether there
were any differences between this copy at
tached to your official report and the copy as
1t appears in your log book?"
Yes. sir / knew there were some slight
From whom did you learn that there were
these differences and was any explanation
made of this fact to you?'
When was writing my report of the action
sire copy of your notes taken during the
action to accompany my report to the admiral
! Those notes were taken for the representative
| of a newspaper on board the Brooklyn and
said: Very WELL wish the notes to go with
my report He afterward submitted to me the
notes written in script, which 1 read over and
Mention has been made Of the copy of the
notes sent to the Brooklyn which were printed
on board that vessel. Do you recognize that
paper?' Handing him printed pamphlet)
4 have seen copy of this before. If
Vixen, Viz I' mistaken several were sent 'nrousn the
What does it purport to be?'
an An account of the engagement with the
States ship Vixen July g. 1898, United States
ship Brooklyn. flagship"
At this point Judge Advocate Lemly had the
witness compare the original copy of the Har-
low notes with the copy printed on board the
notes had been changed before being printed,
so as to make the account say that at 1906
on the Brooklyn's starboard quarter instead
of on her ''starboard bow and that at 1:45
stead of lone point on starboard bow
When the court reconvened after luncheon
Commander Cn Sharp concerning the @ Changes in
the notes made by Lieutenant Harlow, as fol-
lows:
Judge Advocate-In the entry made in your
log, hour 1918. the two leading ships of the
@ t are given as @ Te thav on not the bow
Commander Sharp Geading)-The two leading
enemy's ships were well on her starboard bow,
yes SsI sir. ~ 49,. oonv nr,n+aa on the Rroo-,,,,
what is the bearing of those ships?'
Commander Sharp (reading)-The two leading
ships were well on her starboard quarter. 1t
says quarter here and bow in the notes
Then the Brooklyn is placed further ahead
by the printed copy of the log, is she not?'
Either ahead or the ships of the Spanish
fleet further astern, yes, sir.
In the entry made at 11:45 a. m. it appears
from your log that It'll the RFooklyn S H;na bore one
noti?' not?' OH '"s p0'' ~" u the ''A'" U0eS It
Commander Sharp (reading)-"The Brooklyn
miles uG In un the ie notes BrooSyn one
point the starboard bow, distant about
three miles,
What was the effect of the differences be-
tween the copy of the log book and the notes?''
would put the Broon farher inshore eoteS eT
the Vixen farther out, sir, as the case might
be-
Cross-examining the witness Captain Parker
elieited from him the statement that the
lyn print of the notes, corresponded with the
official print as given in the appendix, that
ognay n the OF
Captain Parker also called the attention of
the witness to the entry in Lieutenant Har-
lows notes wherein he said: '11:15, the Iowa
is gaining on the Massachusetts," and asked If
att 70 ha hat he Mas oh
then at Guantanamo. Commander Sharp
replied that he did read the notes. but thought
he must have overlooked this notation.
Captain Parker then asked whether 1t
not true that the changes from the. original
made by Lieutenant Harlow himself before he
delivered the transcript to him Sharp for
Commodore Schley The witness replied that
he did not think
Captain Parker-You hardly remember at
this time whether the Brooklyn the
starboard or port bow, can your
Yes, sir; my impression is she was on the
Captain Parker-Now. knowing that fact
may it not be R possible that before os6 you % sent
board may have been changed into port or
vice versa? If you read the notes over before
you took them to the commodore, and saw any
changed them, would You not?
II am afraid did not look them over as
carefully as | should have done. That is an
! error undoubtedly about the Brooklyn being
on the starboard bow. 1t the port
| Mr.. Raynor-Do you remember when you
Famed to Commodore Schley the typewriter
| transcript of the Harlow notes from which the
! pamphlet was printed. that you said: 'Commo-
dore Schley. these are the true notes of the
| fight which will stand?' -
| II have no recollection of using such Ian
| guag2."
| II want to see If you recollect this incident:
10 You remember that on the afternoon of the
! first second of July you were called along
side the Brooklyn and by megaphone message
from Lieutenant Sears, speaking for CommO-
dore Schley. directed to go to the New
York and report to Admiral Sampson that Com
modore Schley had observed suspicious move
! merits of smoke in the harbor indicating that
vessels moving toward the entrance and
! that Commodore Schley thought the enemy was
/ preparing to come out? That you did go to the
New York and report to Admiral Sampson as
directed and that by Admiral Sampson you
blockade and repeat Commodore Schley's mes
sage, with additional order from Admiral
Sampson directing the ships to close In and
keep q sharp lookout; that you performed this
duty and reported later in the same Cav
that you had done as directcd?''
II have no remembrance of the
am sCrrv to say: I wish 1 could remember
us 1t possible that this could have occurred?
The Vixen was constantly On erran1s of this
sort?"