The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-09-08

OF the American ShlpS, on the morning
of the 31st Schley, on board the Massa-
chusetts, with the Iowa and the New Or
| leans, exchanged shots with her and the
forts at a range of about 1000 yards
| No damage was done at so great dis
lance, and the firing soon ceased and
schley withdrew his ships.
| On this incident is founded the seventh.
another highly important precept, which
| asks the court to decide whether or not
every effort incumbent upon the com
manding officer of a fleet under such cir
cumstances was made to capture or de-
! stroy the Spanish cruiser Colon as she
| lay at anchor in the harbor.
| AS there has been no dispute of the
| fact that the Colon was in plain view of
| Commodore Schley's squadron, nor any
question of the bombardment of that YES
sci at a range so excessive as to have
| sprung the gun mounts of the Iowa.
Schley's enemies say he will find it diff
cult to explain to the satisfac-
! ton of the court his admitted failure
to attack that vessel at closer
quarters They point out that Navy reg
ulations on this point are specific; these
say that when an armed vessel of the
an enemy, the commanding officer must
use his utmost exertions to destroy such
vessel, or suffer such punishment as
courtmartial may inhict.
Schley's friends. on the other hand, ar
que that his conduct was strictly accord
ing to orders; that the general orders un-
der which he was operating positively
forbade him to risk his ships against
shore batteries; that the attack upon the
Colon was merely a reconnaissance, I'M
dertaken for the purpose of developing
the strength and position of the Spanish
ships and land defenses at Santiago. They
declare that it was never meant to be
anything else, and was SO reported; that
as a reconnaissance it was entirely sue
cessful, and that Commodore Schley did
right in refusing to risk his ships against
the land batteries.
The next precept in the count, the
eighth, relates to the blockade which
Schley instituted at
THE BLOCKADE Santiago, and partic-
AT ularly to TIE allega-
SANTIAGO. ton that instead OF
drawing close cor
don of ships around the entrance, such
as was subsequently done, he cruised back
and forth during the daylight hours and
took his squadron far out to sea every
night--twenty- five miles is the distance
named in the pTecept.
This charge, it is understood is posi-
lively denied by Schley, who says that his
ships maintained a close blockade day
and night, never being more than from
four to six miles from the entrance of
the harbor.
His opponents, however, will show that
Sampson, Immediately upon arrival, es-
tablshed a blockade of a different sort,
placing battlcships and cruisers in a
semi-circle around the harbor entrance,
with line of smaller vessels inside the
battle line, and still another line of small
boats inside of that.
The ninth and zenith precepts deal with
the battle, having for its essence the
now famous Brooklyn
THE FAMOUS loop" but most
BROOKLYN deXterously avoiding
LOOP" the question as to
who was in command
during the fight and to whom the honor
of that splendid W tory belongs.
Loop is phrase used to describe the
manoeuvre the Brooklyn made in early
part of the battle off Santiago. Schley,
has been assailed for making this turn,
some of his critics openly charging that
the turning of the Brooklyn's stern to
the enemy was in consequence of panic
on the part OF Schley.
1t is now known that this is untrue,
and it is not believed that the charge
will ho IN, hO
ry, had the loop not been made at the
moment it was the Brooklyn would, have
been rammed and sunk by the Viscaya,
or escaping that, would have placed her
self scuarely between the Spanish ships
and the other American vessels, thereby
making it impossible for the latter TO fire
at the enemy, while the Spanards could
have pummeled the Brooklyn into scrap
iron.
The last (tcnth) precept concerns this
same, Brooklyn loop" manoeuvre, and
seems to be equally
THE TEXAS unfounded in fact
AND THE The precept directs
BROOKLYN the court to inquire
into colloquy which
is alleged to have taken place between
Admiral Schley ana the BTOOkiyn'S nlVa-
gator. Lieutenant Commander A. C.
Hodgson.
This charge was formulated by a New
York newspaper, which has asserted that
Schley gave the order Port your helm,
and that Hodgson said, you mean star
board?" mo, I mean port" Schley is
said to have replied. eve are getting
too near to ther1" (the Spaniards). But
we will ru- down the Texas is the re-
monstance accredited to the navigator.
Damn the Texas is Schleys alleged an
swer. Let the Texas look out for her
self" The newspaper claims that Schley,
TO influence public opinion on this point,
used certain letter of Hodgson's when
he had in his possession another letter
showing that the first, if taken separately,
would have given a directly opposite i'm
preston.
1t is claimed by Schleys friends, in re-
buttal of this charge, that the Brooklyn
and the Texas were not nearer to each
other than half mile, during the battle,
and that there was never any danger of a
collision.