The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-01
|DET TAILS OF BATTLE
OF SANTIAGO BAY
Rear Admiral Evans Before
the Naval Court.
BATTLE AS SEEN BY HIM
He Testifies as to the Bombardment of
the Colon.
JEWELL AND MILLER ALSO TESTIFY
Jewell flaty Contradicts SchIey's Dispatch in
Reference to the Scouts Having Informed
Him they Had Seen Nothing of
Cerera's Fleet.
BATTLE AS SEEN BY HIM
He Testifies as to the Bombardment of
the Colon.
JEWELL AND MILLER ALSO TESTIFY
(By the Associated Press.)

Washington, d. c., Sept. 3O-Rear Ad-
miral Evans, who as Captain, commanded
the battleship Iowa, during the Santiago
campaign, was witness before the
Schley Naval Court of Inquiry today. His
testimony covered the entire period from
the time the Iowa left the port of Key
West on the Goth of May, 1898, until the
5th of July, when Admiral Evans testi-
fled he had a conversation with Admiral
Schley concerning the battle of the third.
He described in detail the principal bat
tie off Santiago, and also gave particulars
concerning the combardment of the Colon
on the 31st of May.
Other witnesses of the day were Cap
tain Theodore F. Jewell who was COM
mander of the cruiser Minneapolis during
the Spanish War and Commander James
NJ Miller, who was in command of the
collier Merrimac until that vessel was
turned over to Lieutenant Hobson to be
sunk in the mouth of the harbor at San
tiago. Admiral Evans had not concluded
his testimony when the court adjourned
for the day.
Commander Miller read from the col
lier's log, to show that the Iowa. the
Massachusetts, and the Castne had been
coaled on the 23rd and 24th The sea on
the 10Th he said was nasty. On the 26th
the collier was making from six to eleven
knots and sea was smoother. Vessels
could have coaled that day. He had
objected to having two battleships coal
at once, as they had a peculiar rolling
motion and might have crushed the col
lier between them In response to the
court Commander Miller said he could
have coaled any of the ships on the 25th
though not comfortably.
A DENIAL BY JEWELL.
Captain Theodore f. Jewell said that
he had first fallen in with the Flying
Squadron on the evening of May 26th
Captain Lemly quoted from Admiral
Schley's letter to the Senate Committee
on Naval Affairs, dated February Is, 1890,
saying, After having been informed by
the scouts commanded by such officers
as Sigsbee, Jewell and Wise, that, al
though they had been off Santiago for a
week they had seen nothing of Cervera,s s
fleet since it left Curacao" and asked
whether he had given to Admiral Schley
this information or any. information con-
corning the Spanish fleet.
The witness replied: 81 gave him no
information with reference to that sub
ject whatever"
The Judge Advocate: cat the time you
were within signalling distance of the
flagship of the Flying Squadron off Sans
tlago were you at any time asked 4 ny
question by Commodore Schley as to the
presence of the Spanish squadron in San
tiago?'
mot to my recollection"
The witness said in reply to a question
from Mr.. Rayner that he had no knowl-
edge that Captain Sigsbee, speaking for
himself and Captains Jewell and WISE
stated to Commodore Schley on the 26th
at Santiago that neither he (the wit
ness) nor Wise nor himself (Sigsbee)
had seen anything or knew anything or
the movements or whereabouts of the
Spanish fleet, nor did he know whether
captain Slgsbee wrote a letter to Commo-
dorc Schley stating that that was a fact.
ADMIRAL EVANS TESTIFIES.
Read Admiral Robley d. Evans was
called to the witness stand. He stated
that he had first joined the flying squad
ron on Cienfuegos on May 22nd at / p.
M, When he took dispatches from Ad
miral Sampson to Commodore Sch!ey
AAANSo Ni9PoI0iieS lie ndu sent TO COIll-
modore Schley by his executive Off
Ger, Commander Rogers, he not seeing
the Commodore, himself. AS the dis
patches were sealed he did not know
their contents.
Piease state what if anything was
done while the squadron was off Glen
fuegos toward developing the fact as
to whether the Spanish squadron under
Admiral Cervera was or was not in the
harpor OF Cienfuegos," said Captain
Lemly.
There was nothing done so far as I
know
What. If anything, in your knowl
edge, was done toward destroying or
preventing the further completion Of the
enemys batteries in the vicinity of
Cienfuegos?'
"On Sunday afternoon, 1 am quite
sure 1t was. Commodore Schley formed
MS squadron in columns and stood in to
range OF about a mile and a half
from shore, made a turn and stood out
again. That is the only think / KNOW"
Were you then within range of the
batteries in the vicinity of Cienfuegos
with the heavier guns of your ship"
L did not see any batteries. There
was work they We're completing
there"
Were you within range of this?'
quite easy range, yes
Did the Iowa coal ship While in