The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-02

started with starboard helm and headed of in the same direction as the rest of us. She fired first with her port battery and then put her helm to starboard and headed in the same direction with the rest of the ships. I think that is the question l discussed with Commodore Schley. canot be sure of 1t. That I ever intimated that Captain Philip att tempted to run away with the Texas Is perposterous on the face of it.
 Denies e Conversation.
 Did you ever have conversation with him on the same day. the same place and at the same hour or at any other place in which you used substantially the toi- lowing language:
 q shot the bow off Fulton; the stern off Furor, put my helm to starboard and raked the Teresa and knocked out the Viscaya?"
 .aTo the best of my knowledge and be- lief I never used such language"
 Were not the commanding officers Cali signal on the morning of May 18th after the Colon was destroyed?"
 They were"
 "Can you tell me, or do you recollect, what took place at the conference of the commanding officers at that timer?
 Commodore Schley was in the cabin of the Brooklyn when we assembled. and there was a general talk about the Span ish fleet having been located at last at Santiago. I do not recall yet any special conference. do not think 1t was in the nature of a conference. do not recollect now that the officers were called to ex- press any opinion. I recoliect having a conversation with Commodore Schley about the effect of batteries in the fight, and told him of my experience had at San Juan and expressed the opinion to him that it was not worth while to risk ships fighting shore batteries alone; that I did not think anything would be gained by 1t. In the case where the Spanish ships were present in the harbor, the conditions were changed and we would have to take the risk of the batteries in order to get at them. l remember Commodore Schley remarking before We left that the country held him responsible, that the ships should not be risked under the fire of the shore batteries until the Spanish fleet was destroyed.
 Schley Planned Battle.
 'I want to call your attention to the report of Captain McCalla of the Marble head on page 42G of the appendix. which says: Commodore Schley explained to the commanding officer that in case the Spanish ships came out he wished to con- centrate the batteries of all our ships on a portion of those of the enemy. This Was not explained as a tactical concentration of our whole force on a parting enemy, but as a division of our whole lire on several of the enemy's ships. During the time the commanding officers were on board the flagship Captain Evans asked Commodore Schley If it was his intention to steer at the enemy's ships in case they should start to come out. Commodore Schley answered Certainly" and added words indicative of his intention to attack them as they came out of the narrow defile."
 'T recollect 1t perfectly"
 "Is that a correct statementr'
 That is correct" aH
 So there was a plan of battle arranged with Commodore Schley. was there not?'
 There is nothing there to indicate 1t from what you have read
 Was that not the same order that was afterward given by the Commander-in- Chief, substantially, Close in toward .har- Dor entrance and attack them?"
 You have not read anything indicating any plan of battle?" C.. .g-, .>y ,s <
 Mir. Raynor: "And added the words treading) indicative of his intention to at tack them as they came out? want to read you two reports, your report of the engagement of the Spanish squadron and . there is any conflict between them, and If there is, which one of these statements now is correct" (reading)
 Conflict in Statements.
 "'After having passed at 11:35 the Oquendo and Maria Teresa on fire and ashore, this vessel continued to chase and fire upon the Viscaya until 10:36, when the signal to cease firing was sounded on board. it having been discovered that he Viscaya had struck her colors.' That was at 10:36 in your report. Now, I want to read from the commander-in- chief (reading): The Viscaya was still under the fire of the leading vessels, the Christobal Colon had drawn ahead lead ing the chase, and soon passed beyond the range of the guns of the leading American ships. The Viscaya was soon on fire and at 11:15 she turned in slore and was beached at Aseraderos. fif- teen miles from Santiago, burning fierce- ly, etc. ."
 "I have no doubt you read 1t correctly"
 (Which Is the correct one? If there Is a conflict between the Commander-in- Chiefs report as to the time the Viscaya went ashore and your report, yours at 10:S6 and his at Il :15 o'clock, it becomes a material point to us which one of these specifications Is correct"
 "The time given in that report of mine were furnished by the navigator and executive officer of the ship. I. of course. did not take the tilne.'
 MT. Raynor then questioned the wit ness as to the speed the Iowa was making when the Oquendo and the Maria Teresa went ashore.
 The latter replied that he could only say that the ship was going as fast ss they could make her. He thought she must have been going nine and one-half knots an hour.
 Tried to Show Inconsistency.
 In this connection Mir. Raynor asked a number Of questions intended to show that the Admiral's official report and his present statements as to speed were not consistent. Mir. Raynor's point was that me official report showed, according to measurements. that the Iowa had made eight miles in half an hour, but the Ad- miral said that while this might be true, accordlng to the land measurements, 1t must be borne in mind that he was run running course at sea-
 Admlral Evans was also questioned as to his statements concerning the distance the blockading vessels were out at night. He said yesterday the vessels of the blockading squadron were farther out at night than during the day and MT Raynor read a previous statement from him to the effect That at daylight we closed in."
 This the witness said, was the exact fact, that after being out farther at night the vessels came in closer at daylight He said that In steaming back and forth at night the vessel just ahead could be seen but not the vessel at the head of tha column. The Marblehead farther in could be occasionally seen. but the Vixen