The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-23
IT WAS FOR SCHLEY
TESTIMONY ADDUCED AT YESTER-
DAYS COURT OF INQUIRY.
GRAHAM'S CONCISE EVIDENCE.
is OVERWHELMINGLY IN FAVOR OF
SCHLEY'S ACTION.

5AmpSOh EaCn OtneEs
schIey's Bearing During the Bat
tie Cool, Collected and an Inspira-
tiOn to Those Around Him and His
Men, His Nerve Never Left Him.
Washington. Oct. 22.-The Schley
court of inquiry to-day opened with
Lieut.. B. w. Wells, Jr., who was
Commodore Schleys flag lieutenant
during the Spanish war, still on the
stand, but he was soon displaced to
allow Yeoman Albert w. Mason, who
had written the Brooklyn's log, for the
period covering the Santiago campaign,
to testify. Mr.. Mason explained the
erasures in the log entry referring to
the Brooklyn's turn on the day of the
by George E. Graham, who as an AS
sociated Press correspondent, was with
Commodore Schley during the entire
campaign.
Mr.. Graham's testimony covered all
the principal events of the campaign,
and discussed especially the lombard
ment of the Spanish ship Colon on May
81, and the battle of Santiago on July
3. Mr.. Graham testified to hearing a
conversation between Commodore
schley and Capt. Sigsbee, when the
latter came aboard the flagship Brook
lyn off Santiago, May 26. He said that
he had distinctly heard Capt. Sigsbee
tell the commodore that the
Spanish fleet was not inside the harbor
at Santiago. Mr.. Graham also stated
that Admiral SchIey had told him that
the object of the bombardment of May
81 was to develop the Spanish land
batteries, and he said that the range
was fixed at 1000 or 1900 yards in order
to draw their fire.
The Afternoon witnesses.
The witnesses for the afternoon were
Dennie J. Cronin, who was Admiral
Schley's orderly, and who testified
the conversation with Capt. Sigsbee;
Lieutenant Commander VIM. B. Rush,
who said he thought the Viscaya had
planned to ram the Brooklyn; Lieut..
Edward Simpson, who gave very
graphic picture of the battle of July
8, and Lieut.. Edward T. Fitzgerald, an
assistant engineer. who was on duty in
the fire room on July 8, and who tes-
titled that an order had been given
early in the action to stand by for a
ram.
Lieut.. Wells was questioned concern
ing the department orders concerning
the risking of the American ships to
bombardment from shore batteries.
The first of the orders of this char
acter stated that "the department does
not wish the vessels of your squadron
to be exposed to the fire of the batter
les at Havana, Santiago or other
strongly fortified ports in Cuba" and
the others were regarded as modifica-
tions of these. In the last of these,
dated May 6, the department said:
1.-The department is perfectly willing
that you should expose your ships to
the heaviest guns of land batteries, if,
in your opinion, there are Spanish ves-
sells of sufficient military Importance
protected by these guns to make an
attack advisable, your chief aim for
the present being the destruction of the
enemy's principal vessels"
In reply to questions by Capt. Lemly,
the witness said there had been no
written or printed order of battle, but
that on the day before Cienfuegos was
reached some special directions We're
sent to the ships by the Scorpion. This
was. he said, order No. 8, relating to
signals in case the enemy should be
sighted.
Albert w. Mason was questioned by
Capt. Parker and said that he had
been a yeoman of the second class on
writer of that ships log. The witness
said that as the log giving an account
of the Brooklyn's turn had been at
first prepared it read:
1--WE engaged with port battery at
first, but just as soon as the enemy
stood to westward we put our helm
starboard at first, then hard aport so
as to bring our starboard battery to
bear, and, swinging clear of the Texas
fire, we stood parallel with and to the
enemV."
This entry had, he said, been changed
later at the instance of Lieut.. Hodgson
so as to make it read as it does in the
permanent copy, as follows:
"As soon as the enemy stood to the
westward we put our helm aport,
swinging clear of the Texas" etc.
correspondence Testimony.
George z. Graham, the Associated
Press correspondent, was then ques-
toned concerning the conversation be-
tween Commodore Schley and Capt.
Sigsbee on the occasion of Capt. Sigs-
bees visit to the Brooklyn on May 26,
and said:
after Capt. Sigsbee had reached the
quarter deck of the gangway he stop
ped and Commodore Schley said to
him, Have we got 'em, Sigsbee?'
Capt. Sigsbee said, NO, they are not
here. l have been here for a week
and they are not here. We went aft
and he continued the conversation.
Commodore Schley said, Are you sure
they are not in there?' He said, I have
been very close to the harbor entrance
two or three times. Capt. Cotton has
been in and cut cable and they are
not there
capt. sigsbee later took a dispatch
written by me and vised by Commo-
dore Schley. He took II aboard his
shin and he was to deliver IL to one Of
the small boats or else take it over
himself"
"And Capt. slgsbee took that dis
patch?"
"Yes, sir. II was open. It detailed
the fact that the fleet was not there
When Mr.. Graham asked permission
to go aboard the Massachusetts, Com
modore Schley said that they did not
intend to do anything except 70 find out
what the batteries consisted OF.
Now. tell me regarding the conver-
sation between Commodore Schley and
Capt Hgginson."