The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-08
SAYS SAMPSON NEVER
APPROVED THE BOOK

New York, Oct. 7.-Col, Robert M.
Thompson, of this city, president of
the United States Naval Academy
Alumni Association, makes the follow
ing statement to the Associated Press
in connection with the Schley inquiry:
There is one story which 1 am very
anxious should be tIuthfully presented
to the public After Maclay's book was
published Mr.. NJ LAY stated that his
proofs had been ATer1itted to the COM
manding officers, including Admiral
Sampson, and that tkNy approved his
statements. A reporter calling upon
Admiral Sampson when he was Ill in
his bed, obtained from the admiral
what appeared to be a confirmation of
this statement The admiral was asked
If he had seen and read the proofs Of
Maclay's book, and he said yes But
unfortunately he was too i'll to go into
the matter at any length and explain
everything, and so the public was in
formed, and today believe, that Adj
miral Sampson entirely approved the
statement that Schley was a coward
and a caitiff, which was the gist of
Maclay's charge against Schley.
Il am in position to state the true
facts, and you may absolutely rely
upon them as the truth. The proofs
were sent by Mr.. Maclay to Admiral
Sampson, with request that they should
be read and corrected. The admiral
at the time was not in good health and
did not wish to undertake the labor,
but his secretary pointed out that the
Maclay history was a standard one
and used at the naval academy as a
text book. This volume brought the
history down through the period of the
Spanish war; and it was desirable that
there should be no inaccuracies in it.
The admiral therefore consented to
read them, and he did correct certain
part of them, but as soon as he arrived
at the part which contained the state
meft that Schley was a coward and a
caitiff. he was very much angered, and
said the statement was one the author
had no right to make, that it was I'M
just and unfair to speak of any naval
officer in such terms, and declined to
have anything further to do with the
proofs.
Ills secretary impressed with the
great desirability of having the state
ments of facts accurate, and not be-
/ lieving that he was in any way re-
+ sponsible for the statements Of opin-
| ions did, on his own account compare
/
i on the margins a number of correc-
tons. AS these were in the same
/ handwriting as those made when Adj
miral Sampson was giving his personal
attention to the corrections, Mr.. Mac
/ lay was perfectly justified in his state
ment. The order of the secretary of
the navy forbidding naval officers to
make any statement for publication re-
garding this controversy, issued imme-
] Il folr nft to j
the above correction being officially
made.
There is one othe.S matter that has
been brought up, in which accusations
of carelessness, to say the least, have
been made against the gallant Vain
wright in connection with the chart
of the battle of Santiago. prepared
and printed in the so-called appendix,
yet anyone reading the report accom-
panying the chart sees that there was
no Misrepresentation as to what is
was. 1t did not claim to be. and in the
nature of things could not be abso-
lutely correct In the first half hour
of the fight, while the smoke of battle
obscured all landmarks and the excite
ment incident to the battle was affect
ing every mind. how could man deter
mine accurately where they were at
each particular moment?
"At the best there could only be, as
there was a general discussion be-
tween the navigators, each one putting
down his ship where he thought it
ought to be, and where there were diff
ferences of opinion, the majority had
to decide as to which position was to
be accepted. and so the board report
ed. The chart in question, which
shows in a general way the positions
of the ships, is as accurate as in the
nature of things we can make it, and
in any event is an approximation of
the truth. The description stands true
today and all the criticism of VAIN
wright and the others is entirely I'M
just.
Il was at the recent yacht races,
and | have learned how exceedingly
difficult it Is to determine the position
Of a ship on the water from one point
of view Time and time again, people
on the yacht with me were convinced
that one or the other boat was gain
ing. when the apparent gain or loss
was due to our own motion. With no
fixed standard to guide one, it is very
difficult to even approximate the truth
With this in mind 1 readily under
stand the difference of opinion Of the
several officers, who during the battle
observed the Brooklyn from varying
positions. There is not the least doubt
but that each one reported the truth
as he saw it, The exact truth can be
arrived at only by combining all the
points of view. or perhaps the exact
truth can now never be determined.
HOUSEKEEPING FOR
AN AMI ADC DAAHFnDn