Evening journal., 1901-10-25


Eagle that the enemy was not in Glen
fuegos, he having obtained that infor-
nation from the natives on shore.
Preliminary to going to Santiago
there were to be dispatches written,
and Il took an hour or two TO pre-
pare these things, and I think Il was
between z and o'clock before we got
under way The orders were com.
municated to the squadron, and | did
not care whether the enemy saw them
or not, but ] am quite sure that we
were so far off shore that they could
not read them.
when was captain OF the New
York. under Admiral Bunce we settled
pretty clearly the distance az which
signals could be read. We found that
In the daytime signals could be read
at a distance Of four and a half miles
only when all conditions were favora-
BILE At night the ardois lights were
found at six and one-half miles to run
together 50 they could not be read.
and at seven OF eight miles we're al
most invisible.
1.-THE breeze freshened up; the night
was a nasty one, and the spray struck
the tops 20 feet from the deck. II
was not so bad for large ships, but
was hard on the smaller ones.
1--WE formed so that should the en-
envy appear we could protect the col
Tier or at least sink her. while the
smaller boats were to act as torpedo
boat destroyers. think It would have
been foolish for us 20 advance except
as unit. To abandon supplies is JUS
tilted only as an extreme military
measure The sea continued rough
to the smaller boats. A man on the
Vixen was thrown down and, | be-
lieve. very severely bruised, If not
more seriously injured.
"The Eagle filed one of her for
ward compartments. These ships
were constantly dropping astern. On
the night of the 25th we overhauled
bark in ballast. A searchlight was
turned upon her, and / thought until
evidence was given here a few days
ago that she had been boarded and the
fact so reported to me. AT any rate, /
did not think that in these days any
body would attempt to run a blockade
in a sloop.
Meantime I was considering the
question OF replenishing the coal sup
ply Of the vessels. / felt that II the
weather moderated we might be able
to coal at sea, and that as to the condi.
lions l must be the judge.
"On the 26th the sea was still rough
in the morning, moderating towards
night In the afternoon Lieutenant
Sutherland, OF the Eagle, signaled
that he was dangerously short of coal.
He did not protest against leaving
the squadron he regretted IL, Of
course. but did not insist on coaling.
was very loath to part with any Of
these very helpful auxlllaries. AS my
orders were to proceed cautiously, l
believed that the enemy would leave
Santiago. and laid my course on the
supposition that the spaniards would
come to the south.
Il sighted smoke to the north, and
was about to go that direction any
way was not in daily communities
ton with the department. / did not
know that we had secret agents in
Havana. Sometimes / guessed right
and sometimes / guessed wrong.
did the best l could.
After steaming threefourths of an
hour I recognized these vessels as the
Minneapolis. Yale and st. Paul Cap
tain sigsbee came on board recol
lect distinctly that he had on rubber
boots and an old cap such as we all
wore. The first thing | asked him as
he came over the side, and | want to
say / am positive that he would under
TO circumstances misstate anything
| " his recollection differs from that OF
others il is no reelection upon his We
racity-I asked him, Have you got
] the Dons In here?
No. not in here. have been in
very close, and IL they were here
would know it,
With reference to the arrival Of the
Harvard on the 9th, and his confer
ence with Captain (now AdmiraD Cot
ton, Admiral schley said that he hat
never received the dispatch reporting
IN positive terms the presence of the
enemy at Santiago.
q never saw it." he said, with in
tense earnestness. 81 never saw II
and ! am sure that Cotton never de
| livered it to me. II he had done s,
It would be among my papers, and 4
would have burnt itself into my mem
DRY so that / never could have for
gotten it."
Admiral Schley also referred agail
TO his conversation with Captain Nc
Gala, saying that McCalla Old no
testify to the whole conversation. ant
then discussed his dispatch to tn
navy department regarding the dis
obedience of orders. lie said that a
| translated this message was esser
TALLY different from the dispatch a
he had framed it. He contended tina
there had been no disohedience; tina
he had complied with orders in r'
turning to Santiago, and held that tn