The age-herald., 1901-09-28
Dispatches to the Admiral Were Changed and SchIsy
 Was Kept in Dark
CAPTAIN M'CALLA TESTIAES
Expresses Opinion That coaling of Santiago Was Feasible at the Time Admiral SchIey Made the
 Retroeradng Movement.

Washington, September 27.-In the Schley court of inquiry today letter was presented from Rear Admiral Sampson asking to be allowed to be represented in the court by counsel, but the court refused to grant the re- quest on the ground that the "court does not at this time regard you as party to the case"
 The principal witnesses of the day were Lieut.. John Hood, who com- manded the dispatch boat Hawke dur ina the Spanish war, and Capt. Bow man H. MccalIa, who was in command of the MarbIehead. The testimony of both these officers dealt with the de- livery of dispatches from Admiral Sampson to Commodore Schley, and both related to conversations with the latter Captain McCalla gave, in de- tail, his part in arranging code of signals with the Cuban insurgents and his communications with them near Cienfuegos on May 26, when it was learned definitely that cervera's fleet was not in the harbor there. He said that Captain Chadwick, who was Ad- mral Sampson's chief of staff, was the only person at Key West to whom he had committed the signal code.
 Captain MccaIIa expressed the opin- lon that coaing was feasible at San tiago at the time schIey began his retrograde movement.
 session Begins.
 Today's session began with the recall of Captain ', ise to make verbal changes in the official copy of his testimony. He altered his previous statement concern ang the order of -the Navy Department of May 20 1898, in which he was directed to inform every vessel off Santiago that .he flying squadron is off Cienfuegos, saying that he desired to correct his re- sronse to the courts question as to why this order was not carried out by stating that it had been carried out.
 'The flying squadron was ordered to proceed with all possible dispatch" he said, and added:
 q did not desire to inform the Com modore of the flying squadron of his own movements. The order was to inform commanders of the movements of the flying squadron"
 The court then asked:
 .'Did you direct Captain Sigsbee to give e Commodore Schley the information con- tained in the dispatch from the Navy De- partment regarding the whereabouts of the Spanish squadron?
 "I did not.
 Lieutenant Spencer Wood. who com manded the dispatch boat Dupont during the Spanish war was then called and continued his testimony begun yester- day Mr. Rayner resumed his cross examination. The witness said that w..e off Cienfuegos he had been on picket duty two miles from shore on the night of May 22, and had been instructed to signal the squadron with TWO red lights in case the enemys torpedo boats came out of the harbor.
 About the Picket Boats.
 MT. Rayner then read from the testi- mony of Captain Harber of the Texas, saving there had been no picket vessels within the line of the fleet of Cienfuegos. The witness said that the statement was wrong.
 Captain Lemley said Captain Harber had testified that there were no picketS ''so fs.' as he could recall" to which MT. Rayner responded. we are not impeach- ing Captain Harber's veracity. We are impeaching his recollection, not his in tegrity."
 MT. Rayner-Captain Harber has stated that there were no picket boats at Glen H,1ePOs He was wrong was he not ?'
 "He was," replied the witness, 'as I have seen since the commander-in-chief also reported that the Dupont was not there. I have written the department that I was there. Some other people for got about it. too."
 You are trying now to justify Captain Harbers want of recollection by stating that the commander-in-chief wrote a let ter that there were no picket boats there"
 "He did not mention their presence and I corrected It."
 Do you recollect any statement made by the commander -in-chief when he had a picket boat within the picket line that he had arranged a signal from the picket boat to the flagship?'
 ''He did not mention any, and have letter on file in my department calling attention to the omission in that report. I call your attention to the report of the commander-in-chief,i in which he states: The line of blockade etc.
 ''I wish to bring 1t out that the Dupont was inside the line, and that is the re- port I made to the department. still stand on the point that he Is not bring ing out where the torpedo boat was."
 You are perfectly right about that, but you are not asked in reference to any criticism you may have upon the com mander-in-chief. The question Is this: Captain Harber has definitely stated that there was no picket boat inside the line at Cienfuegos. You say there was, and that the Dupont was one of those boats."
 T was inside the line, inside the Cas- tine"
 Could Not See the Texas.
 By the court: Could you see the Texas