The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-18
SEEN FROM
The OREGON.
Lieut.. Commander Nicholson
Describes the Battle
Of July 3 as He Saw 1t From
Capt. Clark's Ship.
STILL IN THE WATER.
Passed the Texas When She
Was at a StandstilI.
Eight Witnesses in All Called
For the Day.
STILL IN THE WATER.

washington, Oct 1S.-The list of yes
terday's witnesses called before the
Schley court of inquiry at the beginning
of today's session, for the purpose of
correcting testimony, was exceptional
ly long, comprising eight persons. There
were, however, not many new questions
asked of any of them, and as the tes-
timony was comparatively brief in each
case the time consumed in hearing
them was not great.
The list of witnesses called for today
included Lieut.. Commander Reginald
r. Nicholson, who was navigator of the
Oregon during the campaign of 1898;
DR.. Charles NJ Devalin. passed assist
ant surgeon; Capt. J. L. Hannum, re-
tired, who was chief engineer on the
Brooklyn during the war with Spain;
Lieut.. T. F. Carter Ensign w. P. Gro
nan, Carpenter j. H Warford, all Of
whom We're on the Brooklyn; Mr.. Hun
ley, who was chief machinist on the
Texas, and Lieut. B. W. Wells, jr., who
was Admiral Sch1ey's flag lieutenant
1t is expected that Capt. Clark of the
Oregon will be among the witnesses to
be heard early next week.
While Ensign Marble was on the
stand for the purpose of correcting his
former testimony he was further inter-
cerning the conversation between Capt
Sigsbee of the ST. Paul and Commodore
Schley, overheard by him (the witness)
when Capt. Sigsbee came aboard the
I4emly asked:
May not Capt. Sigsbee have said T
have been here about a week. and have
not seen anything of Them or words
to that effect, meaning the Spanish
f1eet2''
mo, sir; as / remember it he said
They could not be here unless 1 knew
it,"
ITO whom We're these remarks ad-
dressed, solely Were they addressed to
you at alp"
mo, SIR
"Under the circumstances, may you
not have failed to hear all that Capt.
Sigsbee said?"
"After hearing the conversation
which I have given Capt. Sigsbee and
the commodore walked aft, so I could
not hear what was said, and I went
below"
Lieut.. Commander Nicholson, of the
Oregon, was then called and began his
recital of the story of the battle of
July which he had observed as navi-
gator of the Oregon. He was, he said,
on the deck of his vessel and added:
Occupying the position I did during
the day of the engagement I necessarily
saw considerable of it. The incidents
of that day commenced about $3.50, or
five minutes before, when the first call
to quarters had been sounded Then
the Spanish ships were seen coming out
of the harbor-were seen, in fact, by
practically the whole crew at the same
time. When the first ship started to
go around, the cry went up There they
CO. I looked toward the harbor, and
saw the first ship. Her bow was max
ing turn into the last reach of the
harbor on her way out She was fol-
lowed in succession by the others. l
went to my station, first on the bridge,
then down to the coming tower, and
saw the proper connections were made
In the meantime the signal had been
sounded for general quarters, and by
this time steam was coming up, all the
boiler blowers were going full tilt, and
a few minutes afterward Capt. Clark
came up. We turned the ship, going
slowly at first, the speed increasing all
the time; turned ship at Starboard helm
and started in toward the enemy. They
came out at full speed, apparently
much faster than we were at this time.
BY the time we were Strengthened out
we'll to the westward they were all
ahead of us. The Iowa started in, she
being to the westward of US; apparently
got in closer to the enemy than we did,
because we passed under her stern. A
few minutes after that on our course
to the westward we passed under the
stern of the Texas, apparently still in
the water I called Capt. Clark's at
tention to this. OF course firing COM
nenced on both sides at the time the
first ship cleared the mouth of the har-
bor We returned the fire at long
range, probably three and one-half to
four miles off at that point