The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-26
THE SALT LAKE HERALD, SATURDAY, OCTOBER zs 1901

this witness is here for the purpose of
making an argument and 1 do not
think. this character of testimony from
a witness. even on the stand in his own
behalf, is a matter of testimony.
Mr.. Rayncr contended that Admiral
Schley was not giving opinions; that
he was simply testifying TO facts with
in his knowledge.
After some further sparring the mem
bers of the court held a consultation
without leaving the room and Admiral
Dewey announced its decision as fol-
lows:
Facts Only Wanted.
'"rhe court is of the opinion that it
is eminently proper for the witness to
make the statement that the dispatch
until June 10, then drop it, just give
the facts"
To this Admiral Schley responded
that this was all he had intended TO do.
Thirteen days had elapsed before he
received the dispatch.
Proceeding, Admiral Schley testified
that he believed that Captain Cotton's
statement regarding the offer of Lieu
tenant Fielu to go ashore at Santiago
to learn positively whether the Spanish
feet was in Santiago was somewhat
faulty and he detailed some facts re-
lating to Fields offer which fixed his
own impression of it in his own mind.
On May 81, after the bOmbardment
of the Colon and after Captain Cotton
| had gone for Mole ST Nicholas with a
report to the department upon that
subject. Admiral Schley testified that
| he sent NuneZ. the pilot, westward to
communicate with the insurgents.
NuneZ landed near Asceredores. fif-
teen or sixteen miles west of Santiago,
and, Joining some of the Cuban insur-
gents, went into the interior. He re-
turned June 1 or 2 with detailed in
formation of the location of the Span
ish ships in the harbor.
I sent him." added Admiral Schley.
to the commander-in-chief with that
| Information"
The Retrograde Movement.
The witness then returned to the ret
rograde movement, saying: Touching
the question of the retrograde move
ment after the Merrimac had broken
down, the movement was not made 70
the westward until toward o'clock, the
Yale having had considerable difficult
! ty in getting a hawser to her. That
hawser parted about IL o'clock that
night. 1 was signaled by Captain
/ Wise of the Yale that it would take
about four hours to break out a steel
| hawser.
The ship at that time was absolute
/ ~ unmanageable. She was not capa-
/ bic. of turning a propeller. 1 do not
/ think we got under way again untfl
I o'clock of the afternoon of the 9th
/ and not long afterward she was taken
IN tow, steaming to the westward. We
went little further than 1 had in
! tended on account of the difficulty in
getting the Yale to hear our signals
! We were Obliged to go four or five
miles further on that account.
AS soon as the sea Gained down and
! In my judgment it was not possible to
have coaled Gas I said yesterday that
was one Of the conditions which
| watched especially, and was a better
| judge of that than any other officer
OF the fleet, because 1 was more inter
ested in it,, 1 signaled to Captain
Philip, asking him if he could coal. and
think his signal indicates precisely
that ne was uneasy about it for he sig
! naied back to me, L can try The i'm
preston left upon my mind was that
! at that time even he was uncertain"
continuing, he said that even as late
as the following morning Philip had
signaied that both the Texas and the
I Merrimac had sprung a leak.
Men Exhausted From Heat.
The admiral also referred to the ex
IRENE heat, saying it was so great that
the men were exhausted and the doc
tors had recommended that on this ac-
count coaling operations be suspended.
Here Admiral Schley brought his
narrative up to Santiago, and he said
in that connection that he had regarded
the orders of the department concern
/ ing the probable presence of the Span
ISM fleet at Santiago as more of q sug-
gest1on than a mandatory order. He
considered that it would take only a
| little while to get back in any event
Also he repeated that the proper mill
tary maneuver would be to proceed
westward toward the bases at Havana
and Key West.
He had arrived with the squadron
off Santiago at about o'clock %. M,
May 26, he said. and had then taken
up his position five or six miles out
afterwards holding the fleet in forma-
ton day and night. He had on that
| first night sent the Marblehead closer
in with instructions to keep close watch
on the mouth of the harbor. That
night he had. ne said, noticed the sig
mails on the shore known as drinkers"
and he had also observed at that time
lights on a lower plane. which he had
since become convinced were from the
Colon lying IN the harbor.
Discovered Spanish Ships.
The next day he had discovered the
presence of that Spanish vessel, as he
/ had also that of the other enemy's war
vessels. He said that when he had
thus secured irrefutable proof of the
! fact that the vessels were there, and
told Captain Siss5ee of the fact, that
/ officer expressed surprise. 1t was at
this period that he sent his dispatch to
L
nation of the presence of the Span
iards, and Sigsbee had carried this
message to Mole St. Nicholas.
! Mr.. Rayner-After sending this dis
/ patch what did you do?
Admiral Schley-After sending that
| dispatch the squadron maintained its
position in blockade of the harbor and
/ the formation of the fleet was, in my
/ judgment, the only available plan Of
| formation. That was &c keep the
| squadron constantly beyond the bat
| teries and to that end 1 called the cap
! tains on board and explained to them
not only the method of blockade, but
/ the method of attack in case the en-
/ envy should appear. The squadron was
/ to be brOadside on the channel, simply
/ wheel in either direction. In that
/ case, If the enemy should come out one
way or the other the fleet would sim
ply go to the right or left, to the east
/ or west, accordingly. The general plan
/ adopted was to attack the head of the
! calumn, a few guns of course being
/ boats were to be employed as torpedo
/ boat destroyers, to be protected under
/ the lee of the larger ships and to follow
! the fleet.
Squadron Takes Position.
THE squadron then took up its po-
sition and maintained it usually during
/ the day. The order was given to main
tain at all times enough steam to de-
] VelOD a speed of twelve knots and also