The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-26

o'clock The weather was then moderate and he had no difficulty in going aboard
 the Brooklyn from his boat He had What conversation took place between yourself and Admiral Schiey?" asked Captain Lemley.
 1t will be impossible for me to state the entire conversation" the witness re- piled. "I was on board. generally speak ing. from about half past ten to about
 ered s a very T eUnSsrra %iGe ranSe. the most im- portant part of which was. or course.
 relative to the dispatches had deliv-
 What was said about the dispatchesr' T delivered to Commodore Schley the original cipher in which the dispatches had been received by me at St. Nicholas dispatches made by Lieutenant Bealle of the Harvard. handed them personally to him in his cabin in the order of their date. He received them, read them and commented in a general way upon their purport; spoke of the dificulty he had had in getting coal on board his ships whfle ak Cienfuegos and subsequently, to z7, and said 1t had been an almost impos- sihility to get coal aboard on account of the weather. He questioned me relative
 to the prscticability of eoaling ships at As to St. Nicholas Mole. I said: There is no question but what the small ships can coal there. As to Gonivas channel know ot no Iesson why Sou shouio Aoe De ~oie Work of Coaling the Ships.
 "The Commodore made some remarks upon my statements, the language of which do not recall, but he asked me:
 How about the large ships at St; your big ships there. I had special reference in my reply to the battleehips and protected cruisers of the Brooklyn and New York class. l said, thinking there and was of some 12.000 tons dis placement and nearly 600 feet in length: Possibly under favorable conditions you 1S Ss able t to % SSa iss sSt tSs sss area snO deep water for the anchorage Of large ships is so little there. it was not practt- cable to coal at the very utmost mere case the weather became bed, she would immediately have to go to sea- was anxious while I was there with the liar have left at once in case bad weather had come on As l remember. recollect no qualification as to Gonivas channeL
 Was anything said at this time about going to Key West for coalT'
 Returning to what said. as to the dif- fculty which Commodore Schiey would have in getting coal aboard any ship at Cienfuegos, he said he was very anx- the weather was bad, and 1t was bad almost continuously.
 Tt was a very serious problem ne said as to whether he could possibly get coal on board his ships on Cisnfuegos. He said If he found the weather did nof improve, and he found 1t impracticable to coal there, he could see but one resort, and that was we would be compelled to return to Key West in order to supply his ship with coal. Having that question in view, he was apprehensive, especially as to one ship, the Texas. He did not even know at that moment whether she had on board sufficient coal to enable her to return to Key West.
 During my visit he gave an order to make signal, a general signal. as l re- member 1t. not limited to the flying squadron alone, to report whether the ships had sufficient coal to reach Key I assume 1t was made. At all events. during my presence with Commodore Schiey he received a report to the enect had sufficient coal to return to Key West.
 To Return to Key West.
 "I think the Commodore was very much relieved when he received this inforrna- ton. Shortly afterward. should say within a few minutes, he directed a sig nal to be made hs for oTaer rss given in a general way. I cannot glve tne words of the order, but what have stat ed was their purport. report to the effect that signals were read. Before I left the ship he ordered signals to be made for ships to IoFm preparatory for steamlng to hey % W%eSI modore Schley that 1t was utterly im- possible for the Harvard to set anywhere except to Kingston. l had not enough coal to go to Key West and he verbally authorized me to proceed at once to Kingston to receive such amount or coal as I could get there. sufficient to enable me to return to the nearest United States port. sibly a few minutes before. Immediately after my departure the Brooklyn com that many ships at the moment under Commodore Schley's command were in motion, presumably preparatory to talk ing their stations in steaming order to turned to my own ship after my boat was hoisted I steered to the southwest for Kingston"
 Did you state in specific terms that you agseed with CommodOre Schley as to the difficulty in coaling."
 "The question was not discussed and I expressed no opinion.
 Did this conversation occur before or after the dispatches which you took aboard had been read by the command er-in-chief?"
 After"
 The Dispatches Were Read.
 In response to further questions Ad- miral Cotton said that he had the original translations of the cipher dispatches ad- dressed to the Harvard. The dispatch of May 25 was then read to him as fol- lows: -,
 Washington. May 26. 1898. Harvard. St. Nicholas Mole, Hayti:
 Proceed at once and inform Schley | and also the senior officer present of | as follows:
 "An departments information indicates that the Spanish division is at Santiago. The Department looks to you to ascertain facts and that if the enemy is therein, does not leave without a decisive action Cubans familiar with Santiago say there are landing places i've or six nautical miles west from the mouth of the harbor 'ound and not the Spanish. From the heights can be seen every ves- gel in port. As soon as ascertained notify he department whether the enemy is here. Could not squadron and also the Harvard coal from the Merrimac leeward Iayu? The Department will send coal to Mole. Report without de- ay situation at Santiago, Cuba.
 (SigneG.i Long"
 MT. Raynor called attention to the fact hat there were some material changes n the dispatches as printed in the official reports by the Navy Department.
 Admiral Schley's reply to these dis patches, dated May 29th, in which he said he could not obey the orders of the De- oartment was then read and Mir. Raynor pointed out various changes In the lan- printed in the official report. He address ed the court briefly concerning these changes.
 He said that Admiral Schley had spoken of the weather as "boisterous' md that word had been omitted from also stated that $500 tons of coal would oe necessary the printed copy made 1t 1