Waterbury Democrat., 1901-11-05
HANNA'S TALK.
He Scores the Hero of the Bat
 tie of Santiago.
scHLEY GREATLY IMPROVED.


 Captain Parker WilIsAnswer Hanna
 and Uphold the Course of AdEairal
 Schley.
 Washington. Nov 5.-Mr Hanna con tinued his argument when the Schley court of inquiry convened at II clock this morning. He began Where he le1t off yesterday and after briefly refer ring to the retrograde movement, the discussion of which he lad entered upon yesterday. he took up the qucs- ton of the coal supply of the hylng squadron and from that entered upon a discussion of the blockade of Sanlj- ago. and the reconnaissance of May 31, when the Spanish ship Colon was bonl- barded as she lay in the hari]or of San- fiago As on yesterday. Mir Hanna spoke in calm and dispassIonase tones and generally contenJed himself with outlining his conception of the purport of the testimony The understanding at the beginning Of to-day's proceed ings was that Captain Parker would follow MT Hanna in Admiral Sciley's behalf, and while he gave no definite intimaIion as to how long he might speak. it was generally supposed that he would conclude the day. allowing MT Rayner to proceed tomorrow.
 Admiral Schley reached 4he court room at an early hour. and his friends were gratified to find that the severe cold with which he suffered yesterday had greatly improved.
 Mir Hanna briefly reverted to the cruise Of the flying squadron from CienfuegoS for the purpose of showing that neither the Vixen or the Merit mae had been the cause of the delay on that voyage.
 SIr Hanna continued his discussion Of the retrOgrade movement. saving that but one explanation 1ad been given for it in Admiral Scl1ley's dis patch. namely. the inadequacy Of The coal supply. There is,s' he said. mo suggestion Of any other reason in this dispatch. In his testimony before th:s court Admiral Schley gave four req sons for leaving his station off Santi- ago. but no one of these four reasons appears in his telegraphic report made Rt the time.''
 Mir Hanna then took up specification five Of the precept relating 10 tie cir cumstances attending and the returns Tor the disobedience by Commodore Schley of the orders of the department contained in it's dispatch dated May -. 1898. and the propriety of his COT duct in the premises Tn this connec- lion attention was directed to the fact that the court was. by letter of August ]. 1901. Instructed that it s .'absolute ly free to report if sucn slallfbe found to be the case that Commodore Schley did not wflfully disobey orders. but that he was justified in ,1.sobeying them
 Mir Hanna contended that while Commodore Schley was acting under orders contained in dispatch No $. when the retrograde movement began May 26. that order was superseded by the dispatches delivered on tine Brook 1yn May 27 by Captain Cotton, in com Inand of the Harvard, and in one of which 1t was said that ''all the de- partment'S information indicates tbe Spanish division is still at Santiago de Cuba.' and to which the order was added: The department looks to you to ascertain fact and that the cnculy, if therein. does not leave without de cisive action.''
 Mir Hanna took issue with Admiral Echley that this was a suggestion ard not q mandatory order ''So far from being suggestive. doubtful or uneer- tain. are the terms of this order. that they approach the verge of feproof," said Mir Hanna Their incisive dis iinctiveness is notable. so much SC that l think few subordinate officers. hav- ing turned their backs on a task to which they had been assigned would care to be arrested in such act lly telegraplic order from superior cOuched in such terms"
 Mir Hanna quoted Admiral Schley's dispatch of May 27, in which he ex- pressed regret at not being able to 4Io+ B. written after the Cotton dispatch haf been received, it was an explicit con- feSsfon that the Cotton telegram was an order. Commenting upon this dis patch. he declared that it was 'ttlle most remarkable one to be found in the annals of the American navy He contended that the repairs to the ader- rimac could have been made. as they were. without going to Key West, and that the Texas was not in sevese straits for fuel. As for the vixen. she was not a fighting ship and could have been sent for coal The Brooklyn, he said. was abundantly supplied. He cOntended also that on that date, May 2T, the condition of the sea was not such as to prevent coaling. He as- serted that the weather was cough only on May 9 and that therefore Conn O. dore Scllley's assertion that the weafh- CT had been boisterous and the seas rough ever since leaving Key West was unjustffied by the facts. Refer ring,'' he said, ito the indisputable evI- dence of the squadron logs. it appears that the Brooklyn could have remained on blockade about thirty-two days. the Massachusetts about twenty-four d;iys, the Iowa eighteen days. the Texas f0rty-six days and the MarbleLead six days. retaining still coal enough to reach Gonafves. Hayti, point where, by Admiral Schley's owiI testimony. he could have coaled the smaller yes sels in the ports and the larger ones off the coast''
 The speaker also controv-srted tue statement made in Admiral Schlev's dispatch to the department to the ef- feet that sit is not possible to cruise leeward of Cape Cruz in summer owing fo southwestwinds. quoting several witnesses to show that the wind was not from the southwest.
 WASHINGTON, Nov 5.-The Schley court of inquiry reached the argument gtage at the beginning of the afternoon session yesterday The morning sit ting was devoted to listening to Ad. miral Sch1ey and Captain Sigsbee il'