The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-11-07
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
THE CASE "a
OF SCHLEY 1 'A
Comprehensive Review of the W$SSIxgsNH>
Naval Inquiry. "k@IM>W,

reports to me she has on'y coal enough to
r.ach Jamaica, and she will proceed I, Port
hoyai; also reports only small vessels could
coal at Gonaives or Mole Haiti. Minneapolis
mas only coal enough 10 reach Key Wes.. AMI
>'.ne me OF la!c; which will tow Merrimac
IL Is 10 be regretted that the depart
meat orders cannot he obryed. earnestly
rs we have all strlven to that end. ! am
lSrced TO return TO Key West. via Yucatan
channel, for coal. Can ascertain ncthin.
concerning the enemy. Was obliged To send
Eagle to Port Antonio. Jamalcl yesterday.
as she hai only twenty-seven tons of coal on
board. Will leave st. Paul here VIII re
qnire ''no tons of coal nt Key West
We had said Schley in his testimony
on this point, ..ten ships in the squad
ron, seven of which We're short of coal.
These were the auXiliaries and the Tex
as. That it was impossible to coal on
account of the weather on May 26 was
his belief. Sigsbee's statement. together
with the statement of Cuban pilot. Ed
GUARD Nunez. TO the effect that ships as
large as those of Cervera's Aeet could
not get into Santiago harbor and an ap-
parent doubt on the part of the Navy
department as to the correctness of its
Information. had led him to believe the
enemy was not there. However. after
going some miles westward. the weather
moderated. the Texas was coaled and the
fleet returned to Santiago on May -.
where the Spanish cruiser Cristobal
Colon was seen lying outside of the har-
Dor.
Then a blockade was established. the
ships constantly moving. Much testi-
mony was taken in regard to the effec-
~, Il,
varying surprisingly. Capt. Higginson
of the Massachusetts and others declared
that the ships We're closer by night than
by day. and that there were picket boats,
like the Marblehead and the Vixen. near
er to the harbor than the battleships.
Others asserted that the ships We're eight
or nine miles out at night In regard to
the hiring ON the Colon May 81. the testi-
mony showed that this was ineffective
and at very long range. So that it did the
Colon no harm. Some witnesses. like
Capt. Folger of the New Orleans. which
participated in the action. asserted that
it was successful reconnaissance. devel-
oping the strength OF the land batteries.
Others, like Admiral Evans, sneered at
the whole movement. Lieutenant Com
mander Potts of the Massachusetts, TO
which Schley had transferred his flag
temporarily. testified that Schley was
labOring under great excitement aud
seemed to suffer fear, saying: We are
very conspicuous: lets get out of this"
None Of the many other witnesses
heard by the court reflected ON Schley's
personal courage at any time. and many
testified that he displayed on all occa-
sions conspicuous bravery and coolness
under fire.
On July l Admiral Sampson arrived
and took command of the ships before
Santiago. The Investigation leaped from
that date to July ), when the battle oc-
CURED. A very large amount OF testi-
mony was taken on the battle. The loop
Of the Brooklyn and the colloQuy with
Hodgson about the Texas, when Schley
is declared by Hodgson to have said
''D-n the Texas" were the points chief
ly regarded. Schley denies that the
Hodgson colloQuy ever occurred. The
loop was ordered by Capt Cook of the
Brooklyn and heartily approved by
Schley. The purpose of it. according TO
Cook and Schley. was to get the Brook
Spanish ships while avoiding blanketing
the iire of the American ships and ram
ming or torpedoing of the Brooklyn by
the approaching Spaniards. Admiral
Evans of the Iowa and various officers
on the Texas, particularly Lieutenant
Commander l.. c. Hellner, navigator OF
the latter ship, testified that the turn of
the Brooklyn was extremely perilous TO
the Texas. That ship. according TO He'll
ner, was within $50 yards of the Brook
lyn and was saved by the promptness OF
Capt. Philip in stopping her and revers-
ing her engines. This caused the Texas,
says Heilner, TO lose three miles in the
chase after the Spaniards. Capt. Cook
and others testified that the Texas was
not in the slightest danger from the
Many witnesses on the Brooklyn testi-
fled to the courage and alertneSs of
Schley during the battle and to the high
of the Brooklyn in the fight.
Capt Clark of the Oregon and other Off
GERS of that vessel testified to the mag
nificent work of the Brooklyn. which re-
ceived more shots OF the enemy than all
the other ships combined and which in
ficted 35 per cent of the hits on the
Spanish ships. Indeed. one of the strik-
ing results of the inquiry has been to
bring out clearly that the Brooklyn and
the Oregon were the ships that did most
of the work of destroying the enemy's
fieet.-Chicago Daily News.