Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-09-30
Conduct of schIey Told BY Witnesses.

water was deep.
Conduct of schley Told BY Witnesses.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 2s.-The schley
court of inquiry began its session today
with the intention of holding one sitting,
having decided to forego the afternoon
SESSION in order to permit the members OF
the court and counsel to attend the funer-
a Of Judge Wilson.
Counsel for the navy department today
continued their efforts to Show that Ad-
miral Schley had information of the pres
ence of Admiral Cervera and his fleet in
the harbor at Santiago. and introduced
for this purpose additional officers Of the
auxiliary cruisers which were at the time
doing duty as scout boats in West Indian
waters.
Captain Wise, who commanded the scout
ship Yale during the Spanish war, contin-
ued his narration of the retrograde move
ment OF the flying squadron toward Key
West on May a. He first told OF how the
Yale -had-taken the Merrimae in tow un-
der direction Of Admiral SchIey. He said
that the Admiral had signalled on the
starting to ask II there wasl coal enough
to carry him to Key West, to which he
had responded in the affirmative. On the
next day he had reported in response to an
inquiry that he had coal sufficient for two
days Of full steaming and for four days of
moderate steaming. He was then dis
patched to Newport News, reporting to
Admiral Sampson on the way. He had
told Admiral Sampson, he said, that the
flying squadron was about 80 miles west Of
Santiago. In response to a question Of the
admiral he had said he did not know what
Ii was doing there. In detailing the trip
westward to Key West the witness told
of the breaking of the Yales hawser on
the Merrimac. He said this had caused
delay.
Mr. Hanna read the following extract
from Admiral Schleys report of February
Is. beginning:
After having been informed by the
scouts commander by such officers as Sigs-
bee, Jewell and Wise that although they
had all been off Santiago de Cuba for
week they had seen nothing of II (the
Spanish fieeO and knew nothing of its
movements or it's whereabouts, etc."
He then asked Captain Wise If he had
made such communication to the admiral.
IT did not" was the response.
Ibid you give Admiral Schley any in
formation respecting the Spanish squad
ron"
"Only through Captain Sigsbee." was
the response. Il did not go on board the
Brooklyn at all. 1 gave Captain Sigsbee
all the information 1 had.
The witness said that Captain Sigsbee
had taken the dispatch beginning get
in touch with the enemy"
At this point Captain Wise was excused
and Admiral Cotton was recalled TO make
verbal corrections in the testimony given
by him.
Admiral Cotton was questioned concern
ing some points of the Santiago campaign.
He said that on the morning of May 81,
after arriving from Kingston he had gone
aboard the Brooklyn with dispatches for
Admiral Schleya
Mr.. Rayuor read from a report made
on May 80. by Admiral Sampson in which
he stated that Captain Wise had told him
that he believed Santiago harbor to be
strongly fortified.
us that true?' Mr.. Raynor asked.
at is was the response.
Captain Wise said in reply to questions
of Captain Parker that he would at any
time when off Santiago have been able
to signal any information he might have
had in regard to the situation. He had
seen the masts of a vessel and thought
it to be a small military vessel. He had
gone far enough to observe the land bat
l teries. af
In reply to an inquiry from the court
the witness said the land batteries did not
fire upon the Yale while that vessel was
accommodating the harbOr. He also said
that even then he had been the senior
officer while off Santiago prior to the ar
rival of Captain Cotton he had not COM
manded Captain Sigsbee to give to Com
modore Schley the information which he
CWise) had given TO him (Sigsbee).
Asked by Captain Lemley to relate his
conversation with Admiral Schley on the
occasion of that visit he said:
"He informed me that II had been as
certained that some, at least, of the ships
of Admiral Cervera's squadron were with
in the harbor at Santiago. that they had
been seen and were in sight, and as
matter of fact one of them was then in
sight at the entrance to the harbor. Ir
language as nearly as l can remember he
said:
After dinner I am going to hoist my
flag on board the Massachusetts and take
her and the Iowa and go in and have a
pot shot at those fellows"
William c. Gray who was chief ma
chinlst OH the Texas during the battle of
Santiago on July Sd, testified that on that
date he had been on duty at the throttle
of the starboard engine of the battleship.
He said that when he went to the en-
CINE room the vessel was going ahead.
THE next signal" he said. was to
stop and a minute afterwards to reverse.
The engines were then reversed"
The witness said that the reverse was
very brief. the revolutions not exceed
ing one hundred and the time being short.