New-York tribune., 1901-09-26
SEEMS TO HIT SCHLEf
Contfnu.d from first page.


,xines 10 reverse
There was TO my knowledge -
you were duty in the port engine foO''
shroughout that day. were you not?
.sOr and on. sir"
where else were you on duty. IL anywhere at
the tirne?" .. ,,e
II was excused for time on account oi '''e
beat" z u,,.o-sed -.
"As q matter Of fact were the engines reNeiSeu'
.sTbev were for about minutes
Mr.. Claxton was not questioned by Rayner
MODERATE WEATHER, SAYS COTTON.
Rear Admiral Cotton, now commandaht i,,.-'. % tn
Norfolk Navy Yard. who commanded the auNiiiaty ,
cruiser Harvard during the Spanish war was the
- ,Jt,ess He told # meeting the frying
,r,,aaron under Commodore Schley, of Sahuaso
on May r. 1898 and said on that GATE ne i -
evered dispatches 10 the then cohliHouoie -.
Roar Admiral Sampson and the Navy Depai''
+ ue mad he said boarded the Brooklyn
about 1920 a m The weather was then modera'e
and he had had no difficulty in going anoaro lIie
Brooklyn from his boat lie hao worn i a,'.a1f
.eyVtat conversation took place between yourSeH
and Admiral SchIey?" asked Captain LenIy'
.Jt Will be impossible for me TO state the ehure
conversation" the witness replied. Il was on
board generally speaking from ABOUT I"" -
about noon. The conversation naturally covered
very wide range the most important part oI Mi,iOi
was of course. relative TO the dispatches Id"
; delivered
What was said about the dispatches
II delivered TO Commodore schley the original
~fUhpr in which the dlSpdtcTfS idu pNSt'
,,y me at St Nicholas Mole, together with uai'
1ation of those DISPATCHES made by Lieutenant
Beall of the Harvard handed them per M
20 him in his cabin. in the order Of their date ne
received them. read them and commented III III d "a 7
oral wsv upon their purport spoke or the dlllCuil!
he had had in getting board his ships whie
AT Cienfuegos and subsequent 10 the date OF Which
am speaking May y, and said IL hao peeii ''
an impossibity to get coal on board on aCoouii'
of the weather He questioned me relative 10 lne
shin afG
and f,onaives Channel. AS St. Nicholas Mole'
said There is question the srnaIl SHIPS can
coal there. AS Gonaives Channel kho" OF Ho
reason why you should not he able 10 coal there'
..Ihe commodore made some remarks upon my
statements the language of which do not recall
hut he asked me: How about the large ships al
ST Nicholas Mole?' ] said: You can't coal your
big ships there I had special reference IN my
reply TO the batteships and protected cruisers Oh
,he BROOKLYN and NeN-York class. ] said, think
,np or the fact that my own ship had been there
and WAS of some 12009 tons displacement. anu
nearly 600 feet length possibly, under faVoraDie
conditions. you might be able to coal the ihiE7
sbips there one at a time But the area OF deep
water for the anchorage of large ships Is so niue
there that II was not practicable TO coal at the very
utmost more than one large ship at a time ana III
case the weather became bad she Would lHliheU'
ately have 10 go to sea was anxious WINE
was there with the Harvard, on account OF her
size and I would have left at once in case pad
weather had come on AS / remember, recoIect
no qualification as 10 Gonaives Channel
Rear-Admiral Cotton said, in response to a
question from Captain Lernly that vessels ot the
feet could have cosled where they were on the
9th lat some time during that day AS lndlca-
tive Of the condition of the sea, he said he mao
.slsed cocklesheu boat in going from the Harvard
lso the Brooklyn and had worn a white uniform
P, WAS anything said this time about going to
yaKey West for coal?"
scHLEY'S ANXIETY ABOUT COAL.
..Returniug TO what I said with reference TO the
ldificulty which Commodore Schley stated 10 me
lhe had had IN getting coal on board any of the
,xhips at Cienfuegos, he said he was very anxious
lThe coal supply getting short, the weather
4 was bad and it had been bad almost continuously.
/ it was a very serious problem as 10 how or
whether he could possibly get coal on board ships
off Santiago. He said if he found the weather did
not improve and he found it mpracticable 10 coal
A1here, he could only one resort, and that was
he would be compelled return to Key West in
Hnrder TO supply his ships with coal. Having that
question in view, he was apprehensive. and espe-
sislly as ship. the Texas. He did not even
know at that moment whether she had board
sufficient coal enable her to return 10 Key West
During my visit he gave order TO make a sig
nal-a general signal, as I remember it. not lin
sted the Flying Squadron alone-to report
whether the ships had sufficient coal to reach Key
West. The signal was made. or, at least, assume
# made. At all events, during my presence
with Commodore Schley he received report to
the effect that ali the ships, including the Texas
had sufficient coal TO return TO Key West. think
rhe commodore was very much relieved when he
received this information Shortly afterward-I
should say within a few minutes-he directed a
signal be made preparatory for the ships TO
surn TO Key West. The order given in
general way / cannot give the words of the order,
but what have stated their purport-
While I still there he received a report
the effect that the signals ready. Before
left the ship he ordered signals 10 be made for the
ships 10 form preparatory for steamng TO Key
West. To go back a bit I had informed Com
rnodore Schley that il was utterly impossible for
the Harvard TO get anywhere except TO Kingston
. had not sufficient coal TO get To Key West and
he verbally authorized me 10 proceed at once TO
Kingston TO receive such amount of coal as
could get there sufficient TO enable me TO return
10 the nearest United States port I left the
Brooklyn about noon possibly few minutes he
fore, Immediately after my departure the Brook
,yn began steaming ahead. and 1 noted that many
Of the ships at that moment under Commodore
Echley's command Were in motion, presumably pre-
psratory taking their stations in steaming order
10 return 10 Key West. AS soon as l returned 10
my ship, after my boat was hoisted, steered
70 the southwest, for Kingston
Did you state in specific terms that you agreed
with Commodore Schley 10 the difficulty of
coaling?".
THE question was not discussed. and I expressed
20 opinion"
did this conversation occur before after the
dispatches which you took aboard had been read
by the commander-in-chef2'
After"
THE FAMOUS INSTRUCTIONS.
In response TO further questions Rear-AdmiraI
Cotton said that he had the original translations
the cipher dispatches addressed 10 the Harvard.
The dispatch of May % was then read 10 him. as
follows
Washington, May 25 1898.
Harvard, ST Nicholas Mole. Hayti: Proceed at
once and inform Schley. and also the senior officer
present of Santiago. follows: All department
3nforrnation indicates Spanish division is stin at
Tena u1eF7rl lonlxs