The age-herald., 1901-10-02
flying squadron doing at the time you wrote that letter?'

! At that time the flying squadron was off Santiago with the intention, as far as know, of staying; and I also believed it was the intention of Commodore Schley to coal his ships of that port I left Santiago on the morning of the day on which that letter was written. At the | time the weather was very fine, and I had twice urged on Commodore Sohley the importance of taking advantage of that particular weather, saying 1t was better than any we had had during my stay off the port"
 Captain Sigsbee also said that when he boarded the Brooklyn on May 26 Commo- dore Schley told him that he was bound | for Key West for coal
 "Did he ask you if you believed the
 Spanish fleet was in the harbor at Sam tiago?"
 'I don't remember his putting a ques- | ton in such terms"
 The witness recalled a signal from the flagship at that time, asking him to 'in- form Sampson that half of the squadron | is out of coal"
 Sent to Locate. Mir. Rayner then questioned the wit ness bringing out the statement, that the ! purpose of his ship being sent to the | vicinity of Santiago was to. if possible, | locate the Spanish neet. He said he had |
 Dor at Santiago, but that when he re- ported the fact he found the squadron had already made the discovery. MT. Rayner read an extract from re- port made by Captain Sigsbee, saying: Tn this report, off Santiago de Cuba, made at 10 a. m., May 29, you say: We were then steaming at full speed from Mole St. Nicholas Haytii.' and well in toward the coast after chasing some ves- sels I saw the smoke of a number of vessels to the westward and at once made for the Santiago entrance, believing 1t possible that the strangers were the | Spanish squadron approaching that port. | When you saw the smoke alter chasing a number of vessels to the westward. and when you made for the Santiago en- trance on the morning of May 20 you thought that this was Spanish squadron
 approaching the port?'
 'No; thought it might be the Spanish | squadron. I did not say they were ap- | preaching the port
 "Did you ever megaphone the press boat Summers that the Spanish fleet was not in the harbor at Santiago?" Never. One Of the press boats hailed me saying that Schley had the Spaniards bottled Up ct Cienfuegos. I replied that we had had them bottled up at Santiago | for a week."
 |
 The court asked Did Captain Wise communicate to you a dispatch from the navy department, stating that the Span ish squadron was at Santiago?" T remember no dispatch or communica- tion from Captain Wise to that effect ex l cepting that which I received from the navy department through him as senior officer at Port Haytien on Way 20, the dispatch on which proceeded ultimately l to Santiago" F
 By the court: "r-id you make any ef- fort to ascertain if the Spanish squadron | was at Santiago prior to May PSF" "Only by extreme watchfulness-that is all" @
 Dy the court: What information had you communicated to Commodore Schley on May 26 regarding the whereabouts of the Spanish squadron?" 'The departments order to me directed me to state that the Spanish squadron was there or had been reporte ed there, and again the circumstantial evidence afford | ed by the capture of the Restromel after her very peculiar cruise.'' By the court: Did you receive a dis patch from Secretary Long dated May 20. stating the Spanish fleet arrived at | Santiago on May 19?'
 "I am not certain, but my recollection | Is that it stated it arrived on the 18th or Fist. I received the communication just
 as I have stated. It came from the Sec
 retary of the Navy It was signed Long,
 but whether got a copy of it from
 Captain Wise or got the original cannot | now recall. I think I got the original
 By the court: "Did you show this dis
 patch to Commodore schley on May 2e?' T already said 1 cannot recollect the act of showing 1t to him. I presume I | did but that I informed him, I remem- | ber."
 Memory Again Defective. By the court: Did you see the dis patch signed Long May 20 addressed to | the St. Louis, care American consul Mole l St. Nicholas, prior to meeting with Com | modore Schley on May 26?' "I have no recollection of anything ad- dressed to the St. Louis; mo-" 1 By the court: "Dld you see the dis patch referred to addressed to either the | Minneapolis St. Paul or Harvard?"
 Not to my recollection. There were | two meetings of commanding officers off | Santiago while I was blockading there | At one time the commanding officers of | the Harvard, St. Paul and Minneapolis | met. think the next time the comm and | ing officers of the Yale, Minneapolis and | St. Paul. The only occasion, therefore, on
 which I might have seen these orders was
 on one of those two visits, and have no
 recollection of having been shown any
 telegram or dispatch
 Sampson's Clerk Testifies. l Captain Sigsbee was then excused and l Chief Yeoman Gustave E. Becker, who | served as a clerk to Admiral Sampson on
 board the flagship New York during the spanish war, was called He identified the memorandum from Captain McCalla saying there was a good landing place near Cienfuegos, which Admiral Sampson sent to Commodore Schley under date of May 19 and said that this memorandum had been carried in duplicate by the 1 Iowa and the Dupont.
 | Mir. Rayner questioned the witness very closely, bringing out the fact that Becker had no records to show that neither of these vessels had carried the memoran- dunn and that he was dependent upon his memory in making the statement MT. Hanna said in this connection that the department expected to be able to show that four copies of this memoran- dunn had been forwarded to Commodore Schley.
 MT. Rayner responded that he would admit only one copy. and that was the copy delivered by the Hawk on May 23 1898.
 The court adjourned for the day at p. m., with MT. Becker still on the stand | CUNNINGHAM SPEAKS.
 Putting In Lieks for Ratification of |