Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-09-30
DISCREPANCIES ARE TRIVIAL
THE MUCH-DISCUssED DISPATCH
SENT BY .SCHLEY.
Translation of the Department COM
pared With Copy Filed at Kingston
by Harvard's Commanders.

| Lieut. Cassius B. Barnes, a cipher expert
of the Navy Department, continued his
| testimony before the Schley court of inQui-
| ~ Saturday afternoon after The Star S
| report of the proceedings was closed. His
| evidence was devoted to showing that the
| despatch from Commodore Schley to the
Navy Department Of May IS, 1898, saying
| that the orders of the department could
not be obeyed as printed in the official re-
port was a correct translation of the mes
sage as forwarded from the Harvard at
Kingston.
He has the press copybood of the Har-
ward and the cable dispatch confirmed by
| the telegraph company. He was examined
by Mr.. Hanna as follows:
Il will ask you whether in cipher those
words they appear in that press copy
book are identically the same in cipher as
those received by the department. or is
there any variation whatsoever in word or
letter."
They are identically the same In word.
Three words as l recollect 1t have letters
which are indistinct In one place or the
other and might be mistaken. although
there Is no chance of mistaking the word"
Then will ask you whether, according
to that press copybook. that dispatch left
ment in cipher?''
1t did If this was the dispatch that was
sent of which this is a copy
Now, with respect to certain minor va
riations In words here in the translation
you have given and which appear, 1 will
ask you first have you compared the
translation which you have made from ci-
pher with this dispatch in the appendix"
Il have not"
why did you not do so?"
Il was asked by the judge advocate not
to consult any other books whatever than
the secret code, and the book from which
l took the cipher
You are familiar with the cipher code
and handle it freQuently?
II am. do"
is 1t a part of your duty to do so2"
ut is
The Discrepancies.
Mr.. Hanna, holding in his hand a copy of
the appendix containing the official print
of the Schley dispatch. pointed out the dis
crepancies between that print and the
translation made by Lieut.. Barnes from
the Harvard cipher book, which showed
that the principal differences were as fol-
lows: The substitution of the word heavy
for the word helpless in the appendix
translation, and the omission of the word
leaving in the new translation, referring
to the departure from Key West. The COM
partson also showed verbal changes such
as the omission of the word the" and the
witness explained that often in translating
cipher messages the name of a country is
generally added after that of a town or
information full and specific. He also gave
this as the explanation of the addition of
the word leaving" saying that 1t was
zone 70 pring out the sense of the mes
sage. With reference to the use of the
word heavy for helpless" the witness
said:
Heavy and helpless are very close to
each other In the cipher CODE A change of
a single number at the e. 4, which wouId
Indicate change of letter in a word or
mistaken letter in a word, would produce
that sort Of change"
MT. Hanna reminded the witness that
at the end of the message as printed in the
appendix was the following: VERY difficult
10 tow collier to get cable to hold" which
sentence did not appear in the copy Of the
dispatch as preserved by Admiral Schley
In his press copy book. He then asked
whether these words could by any transla-
ton or any legitimate use of the cipher
have been added or whether they could be
due to cipher error. or had they been
simply added
They could not have been simply added
In cipher" replied the witness.
BY MI Rayner-"I do not think there is
any disagreement between u.s. There was
q dispatch sent by Commodore Schley de-
livered to Captain Cotton on the Harvard
That dispatch was translated into cipher on
Kingston. That cipher translation came
here to Washington, and you are making a
translation, which, I have no doubt is per
fectly correct. That translation seems to
oSSOio III liiOSt pdlIlCuldrS, with the eXceD-
ton of some trivial things, with the trans
lation you have In the appendix"
Dispatch Sent to schIey.
Mr.. Rayner then cross-examined the wit
ness, first asking him whether he had any
knowledge that the cipher dispatch in ques-
ton Is correct translation of the dis
patch that Commodore Schley gave to Cap
tain Cotton.
Il have no special knowledge that II
was" the witness replied.
Now. in Admiral Schley's letter book /
want to show you an entry. The word
confirm occurs. Does that not mean that
the Navy Department has confirmed that
dispatch by comparing it with the orig
inal?'
TT does not mean that to me-"
What does 1t mean?"
Il do not know who put that there"
Mr.. Rayner-''T That was there when first
looked at the book, so was also the word
Cancelled In some Of the other dispatches.
Who has that original dispatch, the orig
inal English dispatch, of which this is a
press copyf Can You tell me that?'
Il do not know. 1 suppose the captain of
the Harvard has it among his papers. 1t
cannot be found among the papers he has
turned in at the Navy Department
Mr.. Rayner-'"Then We have here this
case: We have dispatch sent by Ad.
miral Schley, delivered to Captain Cotton,
translated into cipher, and you do not know
whether that cipher Is q correct tranSla-
ton of the original and you cannot tell us
where we can get that original dispatch so
that we can ascertain whether this press
copy does not correspond with the original
dispatch delivered to Captain Cottonr'
Il cannot"
Mr.. Rayner and Captain Parker closed by
stating there was no intention on their part
to cast any imputation on the department.
The witness was excused, and at 8 80 p. m.
the court adjourned until this morning
Enlarge the White House.