The age-herald., 1901-09-22
SCHROEDER SAYS THAT SCRLEY DID NOT MAKE ALL POSSIBLE
 HASTE IN CRUISE AT SANTIAGO

about half an hour. He said that the instructions had been to put the range at 5000 yards and told of seeing the first shot fall. He said 1t had been fine line shot but had fallen short. There had been two passages across the Colon.
 What was the effect of that lombard ment?" asked Captain Lemley.
 There was no effect of it, so far as l could see,' the witness replied.
 Captain Lemley asked for statement of what was left undone on that date for the destruction of the Colon.
 '"One thing" Commander Schroeder re- piled, that might have been done and left undone was to have gone to closer range. Furthermore we might have passed the mouth of the harbor more slowly so as to have given time to cor rect the range"
 Was there anything to prevent going in nearer?"
 Nothing"
 Asked to state in more detail any con- yersation on the part of commodore Schley turing the engagement, the wit ness said that at the end of the run to the eastward he had gone to the con- ming tower and found Commodore Schley talking with Captain Hgginson. The captain had then directed him to port helm and he Commander Schroed- er) had suggested that in case this or der should be observed the Iowa would blank the fire of the Massachusetts. He was proceeding with the statement when counsel for Admiral Schey raised an objection because the witness could not say whether the commodore lad overheard the conversation.
 Court sustains schley's Council.
 The court withdrew to discuss the point at issue, and on returning an- fha oh hoA tained.
 The witness then stated that the commander-in-chief had addressed him later telling him to starboard the helm, adding, "and let us get out of this" But he found when he started to give the order that 1t was already being exc cuted. From wha. he had inferred, the order had already been given to the captain of the ship. The witness also said that when Commodore Schley first came aboard he had said it was his in- tention to take the bombarding ships by slowly and have them fire deliberately, ''so as to sink the Colon at her moor ings."
 This intention had not been carried out, he said as the ships had passed the mouth of the harbor at the rate of ten knots per hour, and the fire was as rapid as possible to get good pointings.
 Judge Wilson cross-examined the wit ness. Said he had seen what to him ap- peared to be signal lights from the shore at Cienfuegos, but that he had no idea of what they meant, and so far as he was informed, no one knew about them until Captain McCalla arrived on the Marblehead.
 The witness recalled that the fleet did not leave Cienfuegos until nightfall, the object being to prevent the enemy get ting the direction of it's course. The weather on the trip, he said, was some what boist erous for one night, so much so that 1t was necessary to haul down for the small vessels, butsso far as the battleships were concerned, 1t was all smooth weather. Commander Schroeder said that during the blockade of San tfago, and while the larger vessels were six or seven miles out, there were small ships inside of the line. and one of them, the Vixen. fired upon a railroad train one night
 Sampson's Name Mentioned.
 At this point the name of Admiral Sampson was mentioned for the first time since the opening of the inquiry. and 1t was here that Judge Wilson of counsel for Admiral Schley, indicated a purpose to compare the records of the two naval commanders Addressing the witness, he asked him if the character of the block ade of Santiago had not been changed after Admiral Sampson arrived. Com mander Schroeder replied that it had been, and that then the blockade became stationary, Sampson having more ships than Schley had had.
 Now, about how far out was the Sampson blockade from the entrance to the harbor?"
 The reply was:
 My recollection was that at first we were about four miles in the day time and closer little at night. Later on we were all close In day and night and there was a battleship stationed about a mile from the entrance all night with searchlight. The Iowa, the Massachu- setts and the Oregon took two hours on and four off searchlight watch at the entrance all through the night"
 Mir. Hanna: If the court please, I should like to ask the purpose of these inquiries as to the conduct of tho blockade
 Judge Wilson: ''Well I want to show, as matter of course, that when you are complaining of the blockade that was made day or two after. when Sampson came up and brought additional ships the distance out was just about the same as these others were that were cruising back and forth.
 MT. Hanna: "If that is the purpose may it please the court, we desire to object to any comparative statements of this blockade with any other blockade in- stituted at any other time and place. We have avoided introducing comparisons"
 Judge Wilson: Well for the present, I withdraw the question. Hereafter 1t will become very material question and I don't want to take the time of the court now in discussing it.
 Commander Schroeder said that during the Schley blockade his vessel did not get off twenty-five miles from shore at night.
 Judge Wilson questioned the witness ott,or nrda for hoft
 Heard No Orders.
 Commander Schroeder said he had heard nothing concerning an order not to expose the ships to the fire of land bat teries. He made the same reply to an inquiry concerning the orders to the should be done if they found the Spanish fleet in port He then read the order of Admiral Sampson of May 2, beginning Spanish squadron probably at Sam tiago de Cuba-four ships and three tor pedo boat destroyers. If you are satis- fled that they are not at Cienfuegos pro- ceed with all dispatch, but cautiously. to Santiago de Cuba, and If the enemy is there blockade him in port" The witness declared he knew nothing at all about this order at the time, or until he saw it in the official report of the campaign.
 "There would be no way of knowing" he said, there was no communication with the flagship"
 MT. Wilson then returned to Com mander Schroeder's statement concern ing the bombardment of the Colon and secured from him the statement that only suggestion to make in connection with the event that vessels should have