Connecticut western news., 1901-10-03
THE SCHLEY INQUIRY
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TESTi-
 moNY BEFORE THE COURT.

Rear Admiral Cotton and Captains Wise and McCnlIa Explain Their Part In the Naval Demonstration on Cuba During the Spanish War.
 On Wednesday the business of the court was promptly resumed.
 The first witness called was Mir. A.. R. Claxton. first class machinist, who had charge of the port engine of the Texas on the day of the battle. He had been on duty In the engine room of the Texas. The engine indicator had called for full speed ahead early in the morning which had. within an hour after the beginning of the action, been changed to full speed astern."
 Rear Admiral Cotton, now command ant of the Norfolk navy yard, who commanded the auxiliary cruiser Har- yard during the Spanish war, was the next witness.
 He told of meeting the flying squad ron, under Commodore Schley. off san tiago on May P, 1898. and said that on that date he had delivered dispatches to the then commodore from Admiral
 
 Schley questioned him relative to the practicability of coaling ships at St. Nicholas mole and Gonaives channel As to St. Nicholas mole he said "There Is no question the small ships can coal there. As to Gonaives channel. know of no reason why you should not be able to coal there. But you can't coal your big ships there"
 But one session of the court was held on Thursday so that the members of the court might attend the funeral of Judge Jere Wilson.
 Captain Wise testified that he in- formed Admiral Sampson that the har. Dor of Santiago was strongly fortified. On Friday Judge Advocate Lemly read letter from Admiral Sampson, dated at Lake Sunapee, N. H., Sept. 2, asking that Messrs. ftayton and Campbell be allowed to represent him in the case.
 The court decided that they could not appear.
 Captain Bowman II. McCa1la, who wns in command of the Marblehead during the Spanish war. was called and gave in detail his part iE arranging a code of signals with the Cuban insur gents and his communications with them near Cienfuegos on May 24. 1898 when it was learned definitely that Ger vera's fleet was not in the harbor there
 Captain McCalla expressed the opin ion that coaling was feasible of San tiago at the time Schley began his re trograde movement.
 On Saturday Lieutenant Commander Southerland explained the condition during the campaign of the Eagle. oi which he was in command, and tolt of the part that vessel played. He saiC the slow progress made in the cruise tC | Santiago was due to the fact that tn, vessel WAS one-thlrd full of water. Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans. wh, as captain commanded the battleshiI Iowa during the battle on Santiago was called Monday.
 He said that he had first joined tn, flying squadron of Cienfuegos on Ma, | 22 at 1 D. m., when he took dispatches from Admiral Sampson to Commodor' Schley.
 These dispatches he had sent to Com | hiOtiOiS k,Nhitg bg HIS tASNubift OhiSOi Commander Rogers, he not seeing thu commodore himself. As the dispatches were sealed he did not know their con Il tents
 | Admiral Evans said that he had coal ed the Iowa from the Merrimac oI May 23 while off Cienfuegos and tha he had no difficulty in doing so.
 Captain Charles D. Sigsbee, whC commanded the scoutship St. Pau during the Spanish war. was called a, a witness before the Schley court ol inquiry on Tuesday. He said thai in obedience to orders from Captain Wise, who was his commanding off cer, he had proceeded to the vicinity of Santiago, arriving there on the Fist
 His instructions were to report {, Commodore Schley that the Spanisl squadron probably was in Santiago harbor. He fell in with the hyini squadron on the evening of May 26 the squadron then being twenty o twenty-five miles south of Santiago He had reported to Commodore Schle, that he knew nothing positively abou the Spanish fleet.
 Admiral Evans was then recalled He said that when Captain Chadwick communicated the secret code to hin he did not instruct him to give the in formation to Commodore Schley. I