The Washington times., 1901-11-08

ii in my conduct OF the case tndI+ .'
record demonstrates. there has
alteration of the Department
that officers on duty. even in the .nu,
abused Bureau of Navigation. have freely
testified in be half Of the applicant; and
am confident that the evidence adduced
fully justified the views of the Depart
ment. set forth in IFS reply of February
6 1899 to the Senate Committee on Naval
Affairs, wher in il is said Of Commodore
ScbIev. ref,, rir icularly to the naval
battle of Jul
...vVbcre So % was achieved in this
c,,lr,inatine and where his ship
WAS such a ,.... Has force in the fight,
his conduct q independent com
nand u1.or thc record of which
has bcsn .. and which. by roa-
son of its u. SIS in purpose and in
,usl, and In o.. "a ~ orders did not
meet the apr. ai Il ,he President and
the Depait.. -. yet not permitted
to stand in the w Of his nomination
for promot r & . -htr grade for the
part he to- . In IA. triumph.
speea .E tne squadron.
Capiain ....... - said thal the vol
luminous ev.l,u.. . s.. been SO fully treat
cd in all its uol.l.= lhat it was not his
purpose L. ..t4r d. .sl detailed discus
sion Of il. "i,h the passage OF
the Flying .. ......I rom Key West to
Cfsnfuogos IA z---, 80 oI the spanish feet
under 4A-iu-..-l -.s.. I'D, hc said that whle
the speed 81. e.. ,ne applicant from
Charleston a. a.. ..,st and Cicntucgos
was but ten I-l.,t-, uuatr the then exist
ing condiIIy-s Il wind and weather
greater speoU .-..sn. have been main
tanned O,h,r de-. ; OF This voyage were
also referTed 10. should. he thought
be Remembered lnat commodore SchIey 5
orders required that the blockade of that
port be established with the least possible
delay.
k,lerence was made TO the interview
with Captain chester of the Cincinnati on
this trip, and Captain Lemiy said:
ALREADY, as appeared from their con
versation, Commodore Schley, though re-
assured by Captain chester, was troubled
in his own mind Over coal conditions, -al'-
the problem Of collins At sea, demonstrat-
ing that at lhc very outset he was hor-
rowing trouble.
Referring to the McCalla signals. he
said it was clear that the Marbiehead had
not arrived at Key West when the Fly
ing Squadron salleG and therefore that
these signals cou5d not have been COM
rnunicated to Commodore Schley there.
There is little doubt. however. he add
cd. that if the commodore had. upon
meeting the Al41bl, head, directed Com
rnander AIcCaIa 10 report, on board the
flagship he wugsd nave been fully inform
ed as to the sisla $. noUwithstandjns the
commanders ,--.ar,d purpose L PIE
serve them with as much secrecy as ptae-
ticabie for the protection Of the instr
gents tho1zr ives. But, independently Of
any signals. was It not incumbent upon
the commodore himself y make efIort2
Was he justified in tins and in othC" sim
liar matters. noJah.y later OF Santiago,
in relying s3iely upon the efforts of
othcrz?'
THE fact. however, is clear" the judge
advocate continued, that the appucdnt
did receive a copy Of the MCCalia memo
randum at CitnlueSos at least by S:l5
o clock on the morning OF May y; and,
although by reason OF Commander bic
Gala : caution, the signals. which he did
not wish to place in writing, were not
embodied in TINS Ut moranGum, such fuii
inform ticn was contained therein as
showed that the insurgents n the vicinity
of CieuIuCgOs were accessible TO com
muT.ication. and that they had perfect
knowledge OF what was going on within
the city lie also said that the evidence
IS fuH IS TO the condition of the weather
and sea off Cicnfuegos, and the loG
books Of the yesst Is WhIle there from the
I'd to The 9th Of May inclusive. 90 not
show bad ccnditioEs in these particulars,
but Indicate. on the contrary that they
were good.
Arrival of the sduIn.
Captain LemIy said that as the arrival
of the Adula was purely accidental. little
stress should be laid upon the misplaced
confidence with which II was assumed
that that vessel. being allowed to go in
vva171J ba raarr-,f-+1d ls,- 4l,. Eps,.f1g,
thorities to return with information as t.
whether Admiral Cervera's squadron was
or was not located within the harbor-thIs
particularly in view Of the fact that
hostile heet was outside. "Thc episode @.
the dove sent out from the ark was not
repeated with sUcctS Ss. he said.
Regarding the voyage from CiCnfuegos
captain Leniiy said: The cOmmodure's
orders directed that he proceed with ali
despatch but CaLEiCusiy TO Santiago. lie
certainly proceeded SLOWLY But eau
tously GId nCt Ngtasen the force OF the
words all despatch. The great military
necessity al Ihls time Was To ind and
check the enemy s fleet Caution was
needed lest II might PASS uud,tEcted 10
Cieniuegos, or lest IL might be stumbled
upon without preparation. il neither car
ried lights tDr th Sc reasons the great
est caution demanded all despatch be
cause the timely reaching of Santiago
limited 10 the utmost such chances Ger
p
with despatch, nor with caution. as
shown particularly by the fact. with re
gard to the latter condition, that she was
using the Ardois systt III of signals for
hours after getting under way. il would
appear that there was little To prevent
It's departure for the eastward frCm being
discovered, and in due course communal
Gated to Santiago.
He admitted mat the weather on the
voyage was bad FOR the smaller vessels
particularly the Eagle. and said that the
speed Of the squadron was slowed IN orccr
that they might kttr up. He continued
however thai il that vessel was TO v,
sent away she should have been so sent
at the time hen sh= was causing the de
lay. and not when the voyage was prac
ticaily COmDlt ted and the weather i'm
proving In this connection he suggested
that all the slower vessels, in view of the
urgency OF reaching Santiago, might have
been dropped With rendezvous, TO b.
toined later by Tho lighting vessels. IF q
drummer boy stubs his toe, he asked.
docs the army halt!
Having brought the squadron TO tho
southward Of Santiago on May 2, the
judge advocate -oIk up the coallng ques
tlon, quoting Lieutenant DysUns figures
on the quts,igu oil coal supply IN some
detail. Then he considered the rotrograd'
movement. his step he said, had been
undertaken without sufficient or decisive
steps being taken TO ascertain whether
the SpaniSn feet Was actually ia The huC-
Dor of Santiago, leaving the mouth If th'
haT Dor unmatched and Ceryera free To
escape. with the possibility ot his making
& descent upon oar coast, tho moral, 20
say nothing of the mgterial. eject Si
which it Is impossible to oF,restimate.'
Lack Of Diligence Charged.
Further In this connection he said: III
matters not what Captain S!gsbee or Fiio.
Nunez told CamTaodore Schiey. If Nuue..
exhibited then no greater acumen than
when before this Court the information