Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-09-26


and the navy departments. He had, he
said, boarded the Brooklyn at $3.50
o'clock.
Conversation With Schley.
The weather was bad and he had diff
Guilty in going aboard the Brooklyn
from his boat. He had worn his sword.
"What conversation took place be-
tween yourself and Admiral Schley?"
asked Captain Lemley.
1T will be impossible for me to state
the entire conversation, the witness
replied, 'I was on board, gen ally
speaking, from about half past 10 o'clock
| to about noon. The conversation nRtu-
rally covered very wide range, the most
| important part of which was, of course,
relative to the dispatches l had deliv-
cred. >"
"What was said about the dispatches?'
ST delivered to Commodore Schley the
original envelope in which the dispach-
es were received by me at st. Nichols
| Mole, together with translations of those
dispatches made by Lieutenant Beal of
| the Harvard. handed them personally
| to him in his cabin in the order Of their
| date He received them, read them and
| commented in a general way upon their
purport; spoke of the difficulty hs had
had in getting coal on board his ships
while at CienfueEos and subsequently
to the date of which / am speaking,
May q, and said it had been almost i'm.
| possible to get coal on board on account
of the weather. He questioned me rel
ative to the practicabillty of COalng
ships at St. Nicholas Mole and Gonaives
channel AS to ST. Nicholas Mole,
said:
"'There is no question the small ships
can coal there. AS to Gonaives chan
mel, I know of no reason why they
should not be able to coal there.
"He made some remarks on nay state
ments, the language of which do not
| recall, but he asked me:
"'How about the large ships at St.
Nicholas Mole?
Il said: You can't coal your big ships
there.
Il had special reference in my reply
to the battleships and protected cruisers
OF the Brooklyn and New York class. I
| said, thinking of the fact that my own
ship had been there and was Of some
$4,000 tons displacement and nearly 900
feet in length:
Possibly under favorable conditions
you might be able to coal the large ships
there, one at a time, but the area Of
deep water for the anchorage OF large
ships is so little there, it was not prac-
t1oable to coal at the very utmost more
than one large ship at a time, and in
case the weather became bad she would
Immediately have to go to sea. was
anxious while was there with the Har-
ward on account of her size, and would
have left at once in case bad weather
had come on. AS remember, recol-
lect no qualification as to Gonaives
Channal
WAS anything said at this time about
going to Key West for coalG'
Returning to what said with refer
ence to the difficulty which Commodore
Schley stated to me he Had had in get.
ting coal on beard Of any of the ships at
Oienfuegos, he said he was very anxious.
The coal supply was getting short, she
weather was bad and it had been bad
almost continuously. 1t was a very SO.
rlOus problem as to how or whether he
could possibly get coal on board ships
on Santiago.
Would Have to Go to Key West.
"He said if he found the weather. did
not improve and he found it impractica-
BILE to coal there, he could only see one
| PEELED to return to Key West in order 20
supply his ships with coal. Having that
question In view he was appreh6nsiys
especially as to one ship, the Texas. he
did not even know at that moment
whether she had on board sufficient
coal to enable her to return to Key
West
During my visit he gave an order to
make signal, a general signal, remem-
Der it was not limited to the flying
squadron alone, to report whether the
ships had sufficient coal to reach Key
West. The signal was made, or at least
l assume it was made. At all events,
during my presence with Commodore
Schley he received a report that all the
ships, including the Texas, had sufA-
cient coal to return to Key West. l
think the commodore was very much
relieved when he received this 'informa-
ton. Shortly afterward. should say
within few minutes, he directed q sig.
nal to be made preparatory fOV the ships
to return to Key West. The order was
given in general way. cannot give
the words Of the order, but what / have
stated was their purport.
Harvard Ordered to Kingston.
"Wh1le was still there he received
report to the effect that the signals were
read. Before left ship he ordered sig
nails to be made for ships to form prepar.
atory to steaming into Key West. To
go back a bit;
II had informed Commodore Schley
that 1t was utterly impossible for the
Harvard to get anywhere except to
Kingston. had not sufficient ceal TO
get to Key West, and he verbally au-
thorized me to proceed at once to
Kingston to receive such amount of coal
as could get there sufficient to enable
me to return to the nearest United
States port.
II left the Brooklyn about neon, pos.
sibly few minutes before. Immedi.
atsly after my departure the Brooklyn
commenced steaming ahead and motto.
ed that many ships at the moment nm
der Commodore Schley were in motion.
presumably preparatory to taking their
stations in steaming order to return to
Key West. AS soon as I returned to my
own ship, after my boat was hoisted,
aSn 70 $L,oz s..