The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-08
BROOKLYN IN BATTLE
HoDGsoN DESCRIBES HER WORN
AT SANTIAGO BAY.
A GOOD DAY FOR scHLEY.
GOT INTO THE FIGHT EARLY AND
KEPT AT II TO THE END.

4 Clear ana Interesting Description
by SchIey's Navigator-BrookIyn
was Nearest to Enemy When
Fight Begun and When 1t Ended.
Loop Was Only 600 Yards in Diam
eter, and Did Not Remove Her
over 2,4O0 Yards From the Ene-
my-Dewey Repeats That What the
Court Wants Is Facts--Capt. Fol-
ger Testifies That the RecOnnOi-
sance of May 81 Was EminentIy
Successful.
Washington. Oct. Lieut. Comman-
der Hodgson to-day again occupied the
greater part of the time of the Schley
court of inquiry as a witness. He was
followed on the stand by Capt. w. w.
Folger, formerly chief of the bureau of
ordnance of the Navy Department, but
commander of the New Orleans during
the Spanish war. Lieut.. Dyson was
also recalled to add some details to his
former testimony concerning the coal
supply of the American fleet during
the Santiago blockade.
The reading of the Schley- Hodgson
correspondence was concluded when
court opened.
Mr.. Rayner began his cross -eXamina-
ton by asking Mr.. Hodgson whether
the Marblehead had hailed the Brook
lyn when the two vessels passed each
other as the Brooklyn was on her way
to Cienfuegos. The witness replied in
the negative. The examination then
turned upon events about Cienfuegos.
Commander Hodgson said that he
had seen the lights on the shore at
Cienfuegos which were afterward de-
termined to be signals, but he had sup
posed they were signals between diff
ferent branches of the Spanish forces
on shore. He added that when Capt.
McCalla arrived with information as to
the meaning of the signals, he was i'm
mediately dispatched to the shore to
communicate with the insurgents.
Mr.. Rayner asked, How far were
you off during this blockade of San
tiago, from the MORO during the day
and night of May 2S 30, 30, 31?"
In response Commander Hodgson
said:
The Santiago Blockade.
early in the day time our habitual
position was about six miles. In the
night / think we steamed up and down
in front of the harbor, a distance of
about six miles,
He stated that the picket boats Mar
blehead and Vixen, were inside the line
of the fleet, about midway between
that line and the shore line.
The witness then in response to a
T. fsw1f..1 hi
description of the naval battle of July
8.
In this connection Commander Hodg-
son said:
THE Brooklyn did all she could. She
got into action just as quick as steam
could carry her there. We commenced
firing as soon as the first gun on the
port bow would bear, and we kept the
port battery firing until she turned
with port helm through the arc, using
the aft guns until we got all the star
board guns to bear. We got around as
quickly as we could with port helm un-
til we almost paralleled the course of
the leading Spanish vessel. When the
helm was eased the ship steered a
course parallel with the Viscaya. The
three Spanish vessels we were then
engaged with were the Viscaya, the
Colon and the Oquendo. We continued
in that direction, when 1 remarked to
Capt. Cook that it seemed rather lone
ly for us out there. He was in the
coming tower. He asked 'Why?'
Were Almost Alone.
1 said that we were all alone with
the three Spanish ships, and it SEEM
ed that it depended upon us to knock
them out. He stepped out of the con-
ming tower and exclaimed to me,
What's that off our starboard quar-
ter?' 1 looked in that direction and
saw the heavy bow of a ship, and said
1t must be the Oregons, and he re-
marked. God bless the Oregon The
Oregon was at that time about,
should say four or five hundred yards
off our starboard, quarter, and at full
speed.
After passing the Viscaya we steam
ed ahead and ceased firing. The men
were allowed to come out of the tur-
rets, one at a time, to get a breath
ing spell, although of course all guns
were manned and everything ready,
but the gaining upon the Colon was
very slow, in fact she gained apparent
ly on US. This was about 11:15 o'clock
when the Viscaya stood in for Acer-
readeros.
The Chase of the Colon.
"The chase was continued then after
the Colon. l knew it must be six or
seven miles away until we gradually
began to gain. / remember at one time
telling Commodore Schley that II was
within about 1000 yards, and my rec
objection is he told some one to signal
the Oregon to try one of her railroad
trains At any rate, shortly after.
ward the Oregon fired one of her 49,
inch shells, which fell short. Then we
tried with S-inch shell and they fell
short. The Oregon was signalling to
us the fall of our shot and we signalled
TO her the fall of her shot. We con-
tinued occasionally to fire, the Oregon
her 13- and S-inch guns, and we our
S-inch guns. remember seeing one
of the 13-inch shells Of the Oregon
fall we'll ahead of the Colon and one
OF our S-inch shells apparently fell in
shore of the Colon. At that time the
Colon ported her helm hard aport.
Previously to this she had ported her
helm once or twice apparently seek
ing a soft spot on shore. She fired her
Ice gun and hauled down her flag. l
nulled out my watch. It was exactly
i,15 o'clock. We then ceased firing and
slowed down and orders were given TO
get out a boat. The captain was or
dared TO go on board to make terms
with or tell the terms 10 the COM
manding officer of the Colon. On ac-
count of steam having been cut on
"a tbere being some trouble with the
laot v,a were some little time getting