The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-05

For the reason / have stated. After
the coal supply was equalized, as we
were not far away we would not lose
much time in going back and determine
ang DEFINITELY whether the enemy was
in port"
Old o worry about their coal SUPPLY"
As senior officer when they joined
me. / was Of course responsible"
Why did the Brooklyn leave Key
West short Of coal?'
Because of the order Of the COM
mander-in-chief."
Was there any shortage OF coal at
Key West?"
Not to my knowledge"
AS you were ordered TO Cienfuegos
was ii not your duty to communicate
direct with the senior officer. leaving
there?"
IF he had important information I
think 1T was his duty to communicate
ii to me-"
Did h flying squadron ever steam
IN at Cienfuegos betWeen S o'clock D.
m. and 4 o'clock a. m? ?"
We tried to keep farther in at night
than in the day"
What effort did you make at or near
Cienfuegos before the arrival of the
Adula TO discover whether or not Ger
vera's squadron was in that port?"
I did not make any because I was
led to infer that the coast was occupied.
McCalla. in his cable cutting expedi-
ton. had lost quite a number of men
n l supposed that the coast was oc-
cupied."
Did any of your light vessels scout
between the flying squadron the
south coast of Cuba with a view OF dis
covering the Spanish squadron in the
event of its having left Santiago for
Cienfuegos?"
No"
Did you consider Captain Sigsbee-s
report that he had not seen the Span
1sh squadron n the pilot Nunez's
statement that the Spanish ships were
TOO large to enter the harbor of Santa
go proof that the information given to
you by Captain McCalla, on May oath,
that the Spanish force under Cervera
mad been reported authoritatively in
Santiago on May 18th and that they
were still reported there on the after
noon of May 21st, was e~rroneous?"
Il do not recollect that he gave that
information"
If you We're governed in making the
~retrograde movement by the motives
you have stated, why did you send to
the department the dispatch of May
p, 1898, you gave to Captain Cotton to
send in cipher from Kingston"
That is a very difficult question to
answer"
Admiral Ramsey: You gave four
motives for the retrograde movement.
These motives do not appear clear to
me-"
Il telegraphed mainly regarding the
coal supply because l imagined that
would be the most important motive.
/ do not know that l ave my reasons
for it, but 1 did in a subsequent dis
patch to the department, stating hi
the movement to the westward had
been for a certain object"
IF 1t was your intention or May 31st
to develop the Spanish shore batteries.
why did you signal that you were going
in with the three ships. the Massachu-
sets, the Iowa and the New Orleans
only to fire on the Colon?"
Il intended to use the large guns for
that purpose, expecting to make anoth-
er signal after boarding the Massachu-
sets, which 1 did to the New Orleans to
fire at the batteries with her small
guns"
In reply to another question, Admiral
Schley said he thought that his CONVEX
sation with Captain Cool concerning
the coupling of the Brooklyn's engines
had taken place July End.
Responding to other questions, Ad-
miral Schley aid he thought that some
of the projectiles fired at the American
| fleet May 31st came from the Socapa
battery. He was satisfied that some Of
them from the forts were from S-inch
mortars: that the Merrimac had been
required to use her own machinery as
soon as it was repaired md that the
chief engineer of the squadron and eX-
planned to him the extent Of the damage
to the collier.
The last question of the court was:
where could the Spanish squadron
have taken refuge if it had come out OF
the harbor at Santiago, and had steered
to the SOuthWard?'
at could have gone to Jamaica, but I
should imagine that after having gone
sufficiently far to evade me the Spanish
fleet would have Skirted around to the
westward, knowing that Admiral Samp-
son had left Havana for the east"
Then at $3.50 o'clock p. m, Admiral
Schley was finally excused and at 3:1o
O'Clock p. m, there being no other wit
nesses present in the court room, thu
court adjourned until tomorrow.
SCHLEY'S UNPUBLISHED REPORT.
1t is learned tonight that the original
and unpublished report or Admlra
Schley of the battle of Santiago to Ad-
miral Sampson referred to in the pro
~ceedings before the court of inquiry to-
day was of a preliminary character and
differed from that subsequently made in
that it omitted mention altogether or
the cruiser New York and hat it also
requested that Admiral Sampson have
the commanding officers or captains of
the vessels engaged transmit to Com
modore Schley their detailed accounts
of the action in order that he might
write a full and complete official report
of the battle.
The suppressed preliminary report
made by Admiral Schley is dated OF
Santiago July 3rd and is addressed to
Admiral Sampson, the communicable
chief, of the North Atlantic station.
The report in substance describes the
coming out of the Spanish fleet from
the harbor of Santiago and calls atten-
ton to the fact that signals were made
to the vessels Of the American meet
which were obeyed by all the ships. 1T
her proceeds to describe the tight and
gives briefly the part played in 1t by
each one of the ships, showing that the
Brooklyn, the oregon, the Texas and
the lowe remained in action until the
Viscaya went ashore; n the Colon
surrendered to the Brooklyn and the
Oregon. The admiral commends the
bravery of all the American officers and
C-h% o-l -aonrn-