The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-06

Specification was next considered.
This requires an inquiry as to whether
proper effort was made to capture the
Colon as that vessel lay in the harbor
at Santiago and referring to it Mr..
Hanna said:
with respect to this specification it
seems sufficient to say that when the
| flying squadron arrived off Santiago on
May 20 the Colon was discovered in
plain sight lying about 1000 or 1900
yards inside of the MORO, moored stem
land stern, apparently with awnings up,
and that she so remained during the
2yth, 90th and 31st of May and until
noon June l. Mr. Hanna referred to
the reconnaissance of May 81, during
which the Colon was bombarded, and
said that during this action not one
of our ships had the Colon under fire
over five minutes and the Colon was
not struck.
Certain cautionary ORDERS some of
them confidential in their character is
sued by the department to Rear Ad-
miral Sampson and printed in the rec
ord of proceedings and also in the ap-
.pendix of the board of navigation, have
been cited as forbidding the exposure of
vessels to the fire of batteries and as
Itustifying Commodore Schley's conduct
of the so-called reconnaissance of May
81. Assuming that the substance of
these orders was communicated to
Commodore Schley by Admiral Samp-
son at Key West on the 18th of May,
1898, it is clear that they have no appli-
cation to the conditions existing at
Santiago on the 31st of May"
Mr.. Hanna then referred to the
eighth specification of the precept con-
corning the withdrawal of the ships of
the flying squadron from the vicinity
of the harbor at Santiago at night. Of
this he said:
1T does not appear from the testi-
mony adduced before this court that
the vessels of the flying squadron were
withdrawn from the entrance to San
tiago Harbor to a distance at sea, and
therefore the extent and character of
such withdrawal need not be dis
cussed."
Taking up the blockade of Santiago
Mr.. Hanna said he did not feel COM
lpetent to discuss it and therefore he
would content himself with outlining it.
! After recess Mr.. Hanna continued
his remarks concerning the Brooklyn
loop, contending that it was not made
to prevent the Brooklyn's being
rammed as there was no such effort at
! that time. He quoted Commander
| Wainwright's testimony to the effect
that the Brooklyn's turn left a gap for
the escape of the enemy.
Mr.. Hanna also discussed the re-
ported colloquy between Commo-
dore Schley and Lieutenant HodgsoI
| which forms the tenth count in the
precept in which Schley was reported
| to have said during the turn: damn
| the Texas" This remark Mr.. Hanna
said, showed a lack Of interest in an.
other ship of the fleet. He expressed
the opinion that there was much t.
sustain Mr.. Hodgson's recollection o.
| this incident. He also discussed the
question of the correspondence between
Admiral Schley and Lieutenant Com.
mander Hodgson on this subject. Thai
correspondence had been initiated by
the admiral, said Mr.. Hanna, and hi
made the point that in his letters Mr.
Hodgson had maintained the correct
ness of his original position.
With his remarks upon this cores
pondence, Mr.. Hanna, concluded hi:
speech at 2.35 O'Clock p. m, having
spoken about four and a half hours
Captain Parker then began his ad.
dress in support of Admiral Schley.
Il doubt" said Captain Parker, "I1
the naval history Of the world presents
or has ever presented a case of the i'm.
portance and character of that II
which we have so long been engaged
| I doubt if a tribunal more exalted il
the character Of the persons who com.
pose it has ever sat in judgment upoI
a brother officer. I doubt If an officer
| with life long character and standing
and conduct that Admiral Schley has
| always displayed, was ever called upor
before to ask an investigation Of his
conduct as a victorious commander OF
| a feet"
Continuing Captain Parker compared
this case with the charges made after
| the battle Of Lake Erie. In that case
there might have been some foundation
but in this there was no foundation
/ whatever. He said that the court had
in its wisdom prevented comparisons
with other officers engaged in the San
| tiago campaign
There is no accuser here" he said;