Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-25
S|)H|EY'S GOAL SUPPLY
testimony at the Inquiry Today
Mainly About Coal Shortase
Il Santiaso.
SchleyS Was Very Apprehensive
That the Supply Would
Run Short.
he Evidence I Little More
Favorable to the Admiral
Today.

sept. IAhs
of the schlcy court of irqciry was re-
+ rumed today at the usual hour. Charts
on large scale adorned the walls Ct the
{ court today. showing the site Of the bat
q rs on Santiago. also indicating the
points where the Spanish ships went
dewns cr ashore. They were prepared
I SIith . View to expeditiug the work Of
SSshs court. schley today stated that
d xilnce the death OF Judge Wilson. Attor-
sney Rayner would be leading counsel in
J HIS case, assisted by Captain Parker, Of
New Jersey. and NJ. A. league, of Bal
1inaore. Machinist Claxton, Of the Tex
aaSI who was testifying yesterday when.
5 sthe court adjourned on account Of the
death of Judge Wilson. resumed the
!; stand. I.
8; Claxton said on July Sd he was on
duty In the engine room Of the Texas
The engine indicator had called for full
speed ahead early in the morning,
which had within an hour after the be-
\ ginning OF action, been charged to "ful!
s6poed astern." To his knowledge there
shA6 been no signal for reversal OF the
1nSinee. He said he had been excused
4 Sxrom service in the engine room, but
Gtill ne knew the engines we're reversed
Tor about two minutes.
Rear Admiral Cotton, who command
"a ths auxiliary cruiser Harvard during
S&hA 6pSnieh war, was the next witness.
i ne told Of meeting the flying squadron
xnnder Schiey on Santiago May "a and
/ aald on that date he delivered Dispatch
- TO Schiey from Sampson and the
navy department. The weather was
then moderate and he mad no difficulty
In going aboard the Brooklyn from his
&pat. Detailing the conversation ne had,
tth schley, after delivery Of the dis
patches In relation to coaling Of ships,
cotton saId schley told him It had been
I almost imposdble to get coal board on
;account cf the weather. Questioning
the witness as to the practicability of
eEoalfng ships at st. Nicholas Mole and
Eouaiyes channel, Cotton told Schley
tnasi ehipr could coal at the Mole but
not large ones He knew no reason why
they couldn't coal at Gonaives. schley
had related the difficulty he had in get
Hing coal aboard at Cienfuegos and said
Ehe could see only one resort, that was
10 return to Key West. Schley ap-
peared very apprehenstve, especially re-
l Garding the Texas. saying he did not
know at the moment whether she had
snfncient coal to enable her to return to
Key West. During Cotton's visit Schley
,signalled the ships to report whether
they had a supply Of coal to reach Key
West and received an affirmative reply
from ak schley appeared greatly re-
g3ieved at the information and soon af-
ferward eienaled the ships to prepare to
return TO Key West.
# Continuing Cotton said: had In
formed Schley that II was utterly inn
possible for the Harvard to get any
ssvhefe except to Kingston. had not
seoal aumcjentsto get to Key West and he
Observation-Disclosures me to proceed at
0ncA TO livingston and receive such
aMonnt ,of coal as I could get there. suf-
sAcient to enable me to return to the
nearest United States port. left the
G3rooRlyn about noon. Immediately
efter my departure the Brooklyn COM
z1seuced steaming ahead, and I noticed
many ships at the moment under,
Hchley's command in motion, presuma-
bly, preparatory to taking their stations
s1i steaming order to return to Key
West.
sspid you state in specific terms that
I SSou agreed with schley as to the diff
zGulty In coaling q
4, The question was not discussed. I
s3xpressed no opinion. !"
The dispatch to Cotton from Secretary
Long to inform schley and senior Off
Ger that the departments Information
Indicated the Spanish division was at
eanttag0: that the department looks to
you to aecertatn II the enemy is there
and doesn't leave without decisive ac-
( sticn, was read. Rayner called attention
\ "a re fact that there were some ma
tefial changes in the dispatches as
slnrinted in the official reports by the
navy department and schley's reply to
the dispatches dated May 20, in which
he said he could not obey the orders of
the department because he could not
coal vessels. owing to bofsterous wealth
err Rayner pointed out various changes
! In the language Of the dispatch as
printed in the official report He said
Schley had spoken OF the weather as
.hoisterousn and the word had been
omitted from the printed copy of the
dispAtch. He also stated that Where
IL the admiral had said that $500 tons
siof coal would be necessary, the printed
COPY; made 1t 10000 tons. He also stated
e, original the Harvard was going to
Port Royal. whereas Kingston had been
inserted in the printed copy Also other
1 changes. Cotton then related conver-.
ssltion he had with Schley concerning
i the proposition Of Lieut.. Beall, Ct the
Harvard to go ashore and put himself in
4 communication with the Cuban insur-
gents. He could notrecall the exact
words, but at all events Beall was not
ordered ashore. In reply to questions
byLemIy. Cotton said he had no knowl-
4 edge Of any efforts made by schley to
locate Cervera's fleet: or any action on
schley's part to obey the order Of the
navy department.
Le1nly then started to read the dis
catches received by Cotton from Schley,
delivered by the Scorpion. Rayner OBJ
aacted to the reading OF these dispatches
unless sanpson's dispatch No. ta
schley should also be read. as schley's
orders were based upon that. At this
point Captain Parker remarked that
this dispatch could not be found. Lem