New-York tribune., 1901-10-31

department order OF May - which you regard
as ambiguous"
Reads)--'All Of the Departments information
indicates Spanish division is still at Santiago"
The following paragraph indicates that there
was doubt of the fact They required me to
ascertain. or suggested that I ascertain. that.
Then again reading) The Cubans who are
familiar with Santiago say that there are land
ing places five six nautical miles west" That
location was at tn; time according to the in
formation I got subsequently. occupied by Span
ards. Again (reading) 'As soon as ascertained,
notify the department whether enemy is there"
Those We're the main things that occurred TO me
as being ambiguous
When operating in squadron has any
authority TO change the OF the flagship
without the direct order of the commander in
chief except to meet some sudden emergency
when there is not time to report TO the COM
mander in chief"
No"
What reason had you for supposng that the
Spanish squadron would south after leav
ing Santiago?"
simply because that would have been the
direction in which they could have hidden them
selves sooner"
why did the Brooklyn and the Massachusetts
leave Key West on May 10, short Of coal?"
! Because of the order OF the commander in
chief. he sent over 10 me on the morning OF
the 18th young oflcer-I do not racall his name
with instructions and the orders under which
acted saying the commander in chief thought it
would be wise TO go once. better to go at
| once
WAS there any shortage of coal at Key West
on May 1872
That. Of course. I do not know. I do not
know that the supply was there
TOOK SOMETHING FOR GRANTED.
LAS you were ordered TO go TO Cienfuegos 10
establish a blockade. was ii not your duty.
der the circumstances to communicate direct.
either by signal or otherwise with the senior
officer Of the vessels returning from Cienfuegos
and obtain from him all information regarding
the situation at or near that port. particularly
as there was no probability that the senior off,
/ Ger had knowledge of the destination of the Fly
ing Squadron"
'McCalla testified that he directed him to
communicate TO me information of the situation,
and / of course, took it for granted that If he
had anything important he would have notified
me of the fact without my inquiry"
Did the Flying Squadron when on blockade
off Cienfuegos ever steam in toward the port
/ between s p. m. and a M"
My general impression now is that the
steaming of the squadron principally in a
direction to the southwark and westward TO
prevent from drifting in We maintained or
/ tried TO maintain. position closer at night
| than in the daytime"
sCHLEY's CONDUCT AT CIENFUEGOs.
! What effort did you make at Glen
fuegos before the arrival of the Adula to dis
cover whether not Admiral Cervera's squad
in that port?"
Il did not make any, because I was led to in
/ fer that the coast was occupied and that 10
/ have sent in a party would have brought dis
aster TO them. l knew Of the cable cutting
pedition. and I knew that Captain McCalla had
lost quite a number Of men and supposed that
the coast was occupied. 1 evidence once or
twice"
! Did any Of your light vessels scout between
the Flying Squadron and the south coast of
Cuba with the view of discovering the Spanish
squadron in the event of it's having left San
tiago for Cienfuegos?'
mo"
: Did you consider Captain Sigsbee's report
that he had not the Spanish squadron
and the pilot Nunez's statement that the
| Spanish ships too large to enter the har-
| bor of Santiago proof that the information given
/ 10 you by Captain McCala May - that the
Spanish force under Cervera had been reported
| authoritativey in Santiago May 10. and that
they were still reported there on the afternoon
| Of May "a, was erroneous?'
II do not recollect that he gave that intorma-
tion do not recoect it at ALL"
HARD QUESTION TO ANSWER
IF you were governed in making the retro
| grade movement by the motives you have stated
here why did you send TO the Department the
dispatch OF May 81 1898, which you gave to
| CAPTAIN Cotton to send in cipher from King
ston%
THAT is a very difficult question to answer"
| Admiral Ramsay-You gave four motives for
! the retrograde movement. Those motives do
not appear clear to me.
.T telegraphed mainly regarding the coal sup
plv because imagined that that would be the
/ most important motive, in view Of the fact that
! the ships might not have = sufficient supply of
! coal / don't know that gave my reasons for
n | did in a subsequent dispatch to the De
/ nartment stating that the movement to the
| westward had been for certain object"
'sWhen you designated the New-Orleans as
one Of the vessels TO take part In the lombard
r,ent of May 81 did you know the range of her
6-inch guns2 Captain Foger has testified that
! the New-Orleans fired at ranges varying from
eight thousand to thousand yards"
| ives / knew that the guns We're of extra
calibre / think of about 30 calibre and that
their range very much longer than the
shorter guns of 80 calibre."
SIGNALS FOR THE RECONNAISSANCE.
IF it was your intention May 81 to open
fire with three vessels, only with view of de-