Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-10-17
II never thought Of q collision. ID
never entered my head, +" was the reply.

Washington, Oct Is. The most In
terssting witness before the Sohley
Court of Inquiry yesterday was Capt
Francis A. Cook, who commanded thu
brooklyn, ana who was called by the
| Judge advocate. He told the whole
story OF tho campaign In simple, di-
rect, ssilorly fashion, and the interest
was intense. He cleared up the ques,
| tion Of the Brouklyn's loop. He snid
that when the Brooklyn was close to
the Spaniards he saw that they were
steering for the orsn space between
the Brooklyn and the Texas. To foil
this manpuvre he gave the famous
order to port the holm. A moment after
ward Schley called out either Cook,
hard aport," or Ills your helm hard
aportt" He replied, 1.-The helm 10
hard aEort, and we are turning aH
rapidly ~ possible.
The turn was very quick, and the
helm was not eased up at all until it
was completed. When 1t was finished
they were apparently alone on the
ocean with the three leading Spanish
ships. They could not see any other
| American ships. and Cook said he was
astonished and could not understand
now the Brooklyn had got go far ahead.
| The Oregon, however, came up and
| Joined them, and then he felt assured,
He said that during the turn the posi-.
bilty of collidng with the Texas never
occurred to him. He was 400 yards from
her. He was asked to describe Sohley's
bearing and manner under fire, aud re-
piled that it WAS that OF tan enthusi-
astioally brave and patriotic officer. -
Cook also disposed OF the story that
after the retrograde movement he com
pelled Schley to return to Santiago by
pleadings, warnings and threats. He
repeated the compensation and there was
nothing in it Of tho kind. He simply
told Schley that he thought they could
! coal, and Sohley gavo the order, either
before or after Cook made this remark,
he could not remember which. They
both reached the conclusion that they
could coal and return at about the
same time.
Judge Advocate Lemly finished his
presentation Of testimony during the
day, and Mr.. Rayner put on the stand
the first witness for Rear Admiral
Sohley. This was Eduardo Nunez, tie
Cuban pilot, who gave testimony to
show why Schley did not believe the
Spaniards were at Santiago. He said
that when he went on board the Brook
Ign he told Schley that the Spaniards
were probably not in tine harbor, be-
cause vessels OF that size could not get
in. The water was not deep enough
and the channel was too narrow.
Nunez also testified that on July LIST
Schley sent him to the Cuban camp to
find out whether any Spanish ships but
tho Colon were there, and he got from
the Cubans a list of the vessels 10 the
harbor. lie reported this to Sohlsy,
| Uhn nrIara1 him fn 10,
Admiral Sampson, who had arrived.
The last witness for the government
was Albert Beall. who served as vol.
unteer officer during the war and was a
lieutenant on the Harvard. He testi-
lied to the dates on which Capt. Cotton
received his dispatches and Cleared up
the mystery attending Sohleys dis.
obedience OF orders" dispatch In the
Navy Department publications this an.
pears as defiant and almost insolent
dispatch from Schley. When Secretary
Long drew up the preoept he assumed,
as IA matter of fact, that Sohley had
disobeyed orders. Sohey protested, and
asked TO have the precept changed, but
his request was refused on the ground
that his dispatch confessed disobedi-
ence of orders. tLsF
When the case was opened Schley put
in evidence the dispatch he really
wrote, which was of pacific tenor,
and indieated that he and all his cap
tains had labored hard to obey the
orders, but had been prevented by
physical conditions MIR. Beall OK.
planned this difference. He was the
officer who turnad the dispatches into
cipher. In doing so he did not always
use the exact language given him, but
sought to give the same result by using
equivalent phrases which we're easier to
put into cipher. In this way he unin-
tentionally, and in perfect good faith,
gave the dispatch the defiant twist ror
which Schley has been criticised. He
read from his notebook the original
dispatch, which was exactly the same
as the one Schley offered 10 evidence.
Washington, Dot. Is. The presenta.
tiou of the Schley side OF the case was
continued by the Court Of Inquiry to.
day. When yesterdays witnesses had
been recalled and had made the yerbal
corrections necessary In their testimony,
they were promptly dismissed, and az
advocate summoned Lieut.. Commander
James II. Scare, who as lieutenant was
Admiral Schley's flag officer on board
the Brooklyn during the war with
Spain. lie testified to many detail a
connected with the campaign.
Admiral Schley thinks il quite prob
able that the presentation of testimony
IN his behalf can be completed this
week and next. He will, be the last of
the witnesses to be heard and when he
goes on will make review of the entire
oamraign, covering the points in con-
troversy.
!
Eduardo Nunez, the Cuban pilot,
was among those who were called to,
correct former testimony. He added toI
his statement of yesterday that he had.
seen the Brooklyn firing ON May 3lst,1
the day Of the bonbardment OF tho|
Colon, whereas the records show thatl
that vessel was at that time coaling and
did NOT participate in the engagement.
He also made a correction ia bis
former statement concerning his con.
Versatiun with Commodore SchIey on
first meeting him. lis corr ected state.
ment OF that incident was presented by
his interpreter in written form and
read as follows:
During the conversation / had with
Commodore Schley said, not that the
water was not deep enough, but that in
accordance with tho information have
had 10 Kingston, Jamaica, in regard to
the dimensions Of the Spanish ships,
they were of such large size that thoy
could not get In the harbor in ,nsda
GRAFTON OF the narrowness OF the chan
mel, and the quick turn they had 10
make at the Diamond shoal in front OF
the entrance, and l still believe that