Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-10-18
Fourteenth Day.

&
Fourteenth Day.
Mr.. Rayner, chief of counsel for Ad-
miral Schley, asked Judge Advocate Lem
~ to summon Admiral Sampson as a wit
ness in the case. The request grew out
of a difference in the construction of a
sentence in Admiral SIMPSONS letter to
Commodore Schley when the flying
squadron lay off Cienfuegos.
This is known as the Dear Schley"
letter, and in it. MS printed in the Navy
Department documents supplied to the
Senate. the admiral said. after expressing
his opinion that notwithstanding the re-
port that the Spanish squadron was in
Santiago. it We're better to continue to
Blockade Cienfuesos and Havana, I'VE
shall continue to hold Havana and San
tiago until we receive more positive in
formation"
During the examination of Commander
Raymond y. Rodgers this dispatch was
ander consideration. Mr.. Rayner express
I'd the opinion that the word y'Santiago"
had been inadvertently used by the COM
mander in chief, assuming that he meant
to use the word sCienfuegos'' as better
corresponding with the context. AS the
document was printed there was a paren-
thetical note, to which Admiral Schley's
initials We're attached, saying that evil
IDENTIFY the wrong city had been men
toned.
Mi. Rayner asked Judge Advocate
Lemly to make this concession, but tho
latter declined to do so, saving he would
produce the original of Admiral Samp-
sons dispatch to prove he had said San
tiago. Then Mr.. Rayner said:
II cannot take that word Santiago to
mean anything but Cienfuegos. 1t is an
imputation upon Commodore Schley ana
I cannot permit it to rest without sum-
moning the author of that Dispatch" to
which Captain Lemly responded:
| III have told you once before, you can
summon anyone you please"
"Then." rctorted Mr.. Rayner, SUM
1mon Admiral Sampson"
/ Lieut.. Dyson, who was on the stand
tine previous day when the court adjourn
ed, was recalled as the first witness. Mr..
/ ayner brought out the information con-
.ct.rning the time the coal on each of the
vessels OF the flying squadron would have
Id sted on forced draft. in chasing the
ell emy's vessels, taking the amount of
C. al OH each on May ", and leaving suf-
ficient coal to return to key West. Mr..
Rayner read from Mr.. Dyson's tabulated
statement, showing the Iowa would have
y consumed 243 tons of coal a day, the
Texas 100 tons a day and the Marblehead
~ tons. That estimate would, he said,
give the Brooklyn % days chase, the
Iowa a chase of ID days, the Texas a
chase Of thrce-fourths of a day and the
Marblehead n chase OF about one-third
of a day. 1t was also shown that the
Massachusetts could have chased the ene-
my for is days.
Lieutenant Commander Albion G. Hodg-
son, the navigator of the Brooklyn, who
has become more or less famous as the
result of q controversy as to whether or
not Schley said ID the Texas, she
must care for herself" when the loop
was made by the Brooklyn, was on the
stand. lie told a graphic story Of the
incident and the battle itself and swore
under oath that Schley made the remarks
attributed to him.
On cross-examination Hodgson testified
that the Brooklyn would have made u
quicker turn if the vessel had turned
towards the Spaniards, and he also said
he was under the impression that the
opuAiihluS Mouiu u iulllllleu liz DiOOh-
Ign il the latter had turned the other
way.
1t developed that the Brooklyn was
not only in the thick of the battle all
the time, but that the guns of the ship
actually inflicted 50 per cent of the dam
age lone Cervera's fleet. The Brooklyn
was the only vessel in the fleet armed
with tive-inch guns.
A commission was appointed to inspect
the wrecks Of the Spanish vessels to de-
termine what injuries they had susta
ed. Captain Rodgers of the Iowa Was
the president of the commission. 1t was
found that two 12-inch, eleven S-inch,
twelve 5-inch and ten finch shells, a to-
tai Of thirty-five, pierced the hulls of the
Spanish vessels. Aside from these there
were many punctures, but it could not
be determined whether they were made
by four or siN-inch shells. AS the Brook
lyn was the only vessel armed with 5-inch
guns it was clear that the twelve 5-inch
shells which pierced the Spaniards were
fired from the gun of the Brooklyn. Thus
twelve of the t%hirty-five shots were fired
by the Brooklyn. making a total percent
age of nearly 30. The Brooklyn had
:S-inch guns, and as eleven S-inch shells
tOoN eiieSI IL Is uSSulueu luiL SOLllG OIL
them We're fired by the Brooklyn.
Fifteenth Day.
Only one session of the Schley court of
Inquiry was held on this day. Practi-
cally the only witness of the day was
Lieutenant Commander ALBION G. Hodg-
son, who was navigator of the flagship
Brooklyn during the campaign of 1893,
and almost his entire time was taken
up with the reading of correspondence
between himself and Admiral Schley con-
corning the alleged colloquy between them
during the battle of Santiago, which the
witness was reported to have detailed
to q newspaper correspondent.
The correspondence has been publish
ed, and this fact rendered the proceeding
ASKS GOVERNMENT AID.