The age-herald., 1901-10-12

When we were at the western end of the line the ships could have come out and stood to the eastward without our being any the wiser unless they showed lights" How about the reverse Of that propo- sition?
 T think it would have been the same in either case"
 The Picket Line.
 Lieutenant Francis Boughter. who was watch and division officer on board the Marblehead during Commodore Schley's blockade of Santiago, was then called. He said that during that time the Marble head and Vixen were on picket duty be- tween the shore line and the line ox the blockade, the Marblehead being stationed three miles from the shore and to the westward. six miles from Moro. He would not attempt to say how far outside the squadron was, but he could not see the ships after nightfall
 The court asked: Was the Marble head in such position at night while on picket duty off Santiago with the enemy's vessels that they could be seen had they attempted to leave the harbor?''
 That would depend on a great many circumstances, the state of the weather, the course they took and their success in Keeping their ships dark and quiet.'
 Admiral Dewey: ''The Marblehead was
 
 enemy coming?"
 If the enemy kept close to shore and we were three miles off during most of the time, We could not have seen them; if the enemy had stood south from the en- trance which would have placed them about four miles off, we could not have seen them, providing they kept reasona- ply dark and quiet"
 MT. Rayner: What was the purpose of the picket boats being there if they could not see the enemy?'
 They were supposed to be there, pre- sume, for that purpose"
 Then If they were there for that pur- pose, what was It that would prevent them from accomplishing this object?"
 The fact that they could not see a ves- sel If it ran at a distance of from two to two and one-half miles off at night"
 How far was the Vixen from the shore?'
 'I do not know"
 What was the distance between your vessel and the Vixen?"
 ''I cannot say"
 Lieutenant Boughter was still on the stand when the court took It's noon re- cess.
 The Afternoon Session.
 When the afternoon session of the court began, MT. Rayner continued his cross- examination of Lieutenant Boughter The lieutenant said that in his opinion the distance his ship was out from the Morro or from the land at Santiago was based on an estimate and not on measurement He said he had not informed Captain Mc- Calla, his commanding officer, of any fear that the Spaniards might escape for the reason that he considered Captain McCalla as we'll informed on that point as himself. He had received no general orders as to the distance out of the Mar blehead, the captain of the vessel fixing the distance from time to time.
 When Lieutenant Boughter was excused Lieutenant Ernest Bennett, who was flag lieutenant on the New York in 1898, was called to the stand.
 He said that when the North Atlantic squadron arrived off Santiago they found the living squadron there. They stopped about seven miles directly south of the harbor, and the witness said he had seen the Colon in the harbor He said also that almost immediately afterward the vessel moved to the westward back of Cay Smith. This last statement was stricken from the record, because such testimony previously had been excluded. The witness said the flying squadron was at that time in irregular formation.
 Captain Lemley said he had called Lieutenant Bennett not only for his direct examination, but for full cross-examina-
 
 MT. Rayner stated, however, that he had no questions to ask, and the witness was excused, being succeeded by Lieu tenant Chas. c. Marsh, who was flag secretary to Admiral Sampson during the Spanish war.
 Orders Were Press Copied.
 Lieutenant Marsh testified concerning the forwarding of dispatches by the Du- pont and Iowa from Key West on May zO These messages were from Admiral sampson to Commodore Schley and one or them was the memorandum by Captain McCalla concerning the insurgents at Cienfuegos. Every letter was, he said. press copied as soon as written, and he therefore considered the order in which the letters were copied as a certain rec ord of what had transpired in the way of letter writing. Other records are pro- duced which, he said, were corroboratiye of this.
 From these records he found that the Dear Schley" letter had been sent on the Dupont May 20. He also found from this record dispatch on May 21 saying the Spanish squadron were probably at San tiago, had been forwarded by the Marble head. This dispatch Is dated at Key West in which Admiral Sampson said to Commodore Schley If you are satisfied the enemy are at Cienfuegos proceed to Santiago" etc. He also identified a dis patch of May N dated at Havana, and urging the Commodore to get away from Cienfuegos before daylight of May 23 as the Spanish would probaly be still at Santiago The latter, he said, had been written after the dispatch from Key West of the same date.
 MT. Hanna asked would it have been possible that the Dear Schley letter could have been sent on an earlier date than this letter of May 19 transmitting the McCalla memorandum
 sI should say not, the McCa1la memo randum being press copied in the book on a prior page"
 The Last Witness.
 Lieutenant Marsh was then excused. The last witness of the day was Capt. F. F. Chadwick. He was questioned by MT. Hanna concerning the code of sig nals arranged by Captain McCalla of the Marblehead with the insurgent Cubans near Cienfuegos. He replied:
 Captain McCalla arrived off the reefs at Key West at noon on the 18th of May. He came on board and spent some little time with Admiral Sampson and myself. He later told me he had made an ar-