The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-24
Never Stopped Firing.

| casion permission had been asked and l received for the ship to go to Guatanamo for coal.
 Never Stopped Firing. In the course of his description of the battle of July 3, the witness said: T heard Commodore Schley say Port and ship started to swing to starboard. The helm was put over hard aport, and ! she swung around on her heel. The fire from our batteries never ceased from tn | time we started to turn until the end of | the battle, when the Colon went ashore. The Texas was on our starboard hand, and she was fully third of a mile from us. There was never any question in my mind about striking her. We did not cross her bow. We were slightly ahead | of her. After swinging around we lined | up parallel with the Spanish fleet. In a | few minutes the Teresa went ashore on fire. Soon after the Oquendo followed, 1 and we sided up with the Viscaya and | kept with her for ten or twelve miles. At this time there was not a ship to be seen l except the Oregon, and she was about a | half a mile from us. On this run with | the Viscaya Ellis was killed. There were | fourteen or fifteen of us standing | together"
 schley Never Dodged. Continuing. the witness said: The Commodore asked in a matter of | fact tone, What is the range? Ellis l aised the stadmeter to his eye and as
 he did so a shell took his head of. As
 he fell to the deck. dead. young McCauley said Let's throw it overboard.' The ! Commodore said, No, don't throw that
 body overheard. He died like a brave
 man and I am going to bury him like
 one He directed me to look out for the
 body. I had it wrapped in blankets, laid | in the shade and that evening 1t was got | ten ready for burial. The Viscaya was | putting up the best fight of any of the ships there. She fought we'll and the big
 shells were going over us and a great
 many of us ducked. These shells sounded like half dozen railroad trains under way. As they were heard going through the air down would go heads, but Con- modore Schley's head never bent" Audience Shouts Applause.
 There was a great outburst of applause | in the court room as, in a dramatic way, the witness recited this incident
 Admiral Dewey. for the first time dur 1 ing the sessions of the court, found it | necessary to pound his gavei on the table l and admonish the audience against such demonstrations. Continuing. he said: He was as calm, cool and collected as he is at this moment His only thought | was for his men. He was constantly. as the different events occurred, saying: Do | the bulles know this; do they know that | ship is gone ashore and that ship has l gone ashore? His whole idea seemed to | be that he wanted the people below to know as much about 1t as those of us on deck"
 Continuing his account of the battle, Mir. Hill said that before the Viscaya went ashore she had made turn to ram the Brooklyn. He was proceeding to say that he knew this to be the case because an officer of the Spanish ship had told him So. but this testimony was ruled out. The witness then said that he himself knew that to be her purpose. Speaking of the Oregon. he said that during the chase of the Spanish vessels, that vessel could always be seen and was the only American vessel that could be. She was, he said. from one quarter to one-half mile in shore
 Later in the chase of the Colon. he said Captain Cook had put his head out of the coming tower and said to the. Commo- dore, Don't you think we'd better close in a little?"
 And" said the witness, parenthetically. 'I though so myself But he went on; the Commodore replied: No. Don't you see that point ahead? Just as soon as that fellow starts to come out I'm going to head him of. I'll get him yet Damn him, I'll follow him to Spain if have to-"
 Another Burst of Applause.
 This testimony was. like a previous statement received with a burst of ap- plause, but the demonstration was quick ly suppressed by Admiral Dewey.
 Admiral Dewey rose and said:
 Stop! Stop! Let's have none of that!"
 Give us the facts, simply" said Mir. Raynor.
 "These are the facts" replied the wit ness.
 Taking the witness. Captain Lemly cross-examined him about all the parts covered by his testimony. In response to one of his questions, MT. Hill said that he had not heard any conversation be- tween Commodore Schley and Lieutenant Commander Hodgson about the Brook Iyn's helm or the Texas during the en- gagement of July g.
 Hill was then excused and Lieutenant A A Alderman called
 Lieutenant Alderman.
 Lieutenant Alderman was in command of the aft 13-inch turret and after S-inch turrets of the oregon on the day of the battle off Santiago and gave a running account of that engagement He said that the firing was begun by the marines on the upper deck. He could see one af- ter another of the Spanish ships coming out of the harbor and he estimated their distance from the Oregon to be about three and a half miles. As the ships came out, signal was made through the telephone in the coming tower to fire at them.
 .'The range indicators" the witness said gradually fell until I think my first shot was fired at range of 3,200 or $500 yards.
 He fired five shots from the 13-inch | guns. but soon afterward the Spanish ships drew so far ahead he could no longer train his guns upon them. He said the oregon was held right on her course, | evidently toward the head of the enemys | column. and he described her passage | between the Texas and the Iowa.
 "I had very good opportunity, said | the witness, flor seeing both of those | ships. We were very close to the Iowa on our starboard and the Texas was little off on port hand. l did not see the 1 Brooklyn. but I knew she was farther on ahead of the Texas; that a whole ships length was between my position and the | Rrooklyn. wherever she was. As We | passed between the Iowa and Texas these ships seemed to be practically at anchor. We were going very fast. and the fire of | the enemy and of our own ships were very heavy
 The Exciting Time.
 ''The water was whipped up in all di- rections, and shots flew over head. think it was the most exciting time Of the whole engagement At that time it was reported that the torpedo boats were corning ont. I saw two of them coming ont of the entrance to the harbor and steau, close along the shore. One would | seem to run a little ahead of the other