Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-10-03
THE SCHLEY COURT.
1t Resumes Its Sessions and the TAX.
ing of Testimony Begins.

Washington, Sept. 24.-The par;
played by the battleship Texas in the
naval battle off Santiago, July 3,
1858, in which the famous Spanish
fleet under Admiral Cervera was
sunk, was the basis of the greater
part of Mondays proceedings in the
Schley court of inquiry. Of the four
witnesses examined during the day,
three had been officers on board the
Texas during the battle and two Of
them were new witnesses. These
were Commander Gorge c. Heilner,
who was navigator on the Texas, and
Commander Alexander B. Bates, who
was the chief engineer on that bat
tleship. Commander Harber, eXecu-
tive officer and the chief surviving of
ticer of the ship since the death of
Capt. Philip, was recalled. The
fourth witness was Commander Sea-
ton Schroeder, executive officer on
the Massachusetts and now governor
OF the island of Guam.
The testimony several times during
the day was somewhat exciting and
it was especially so when Command
err Heilner described the battle and
the part the Texas had taken in it.
y
made its loop at the beginning of
the battle it had passed across the
Texas bow at distance not to ex-
ceed 100 or $50 yards and that at the
command Of Capt. Philip the Texas
had been brought to a dead stop.
Engineer Bates testified that the
starboard engines had been stopped
and said he thought this also had
happened to the port engines. Com
mander Hcilner expressed the opin-
ion that three miles had been lost by
this maneuver and the fact that part
of the machinery was deranged He
said he considered that the Texas
was in greater danger when the
Brooklyn crossed her bow than at
any other time during the battle.
Washington, Sept. 25.-The Schley
court of inquiry was brought to a
sudden termination for the day 1S
minutes after convening yesterday
by the announcement of the sudden
death of jeremiah Wilson.
Washington, Sept. 26.-Two new
witnesses were introduced in the
Schley court yesterday. They were
Admiral Cotton, who as captain com
manded the auxiliary cruiser Har-
ward, and Capt. Wiae, who commanded
the auxiliary cruiser Yale during the
Spanish war. Both these vessels
were used as scouts and both came up
with the flying squadron off Santiago
on the 9th of May before the retro
gade movement to Key West was
begun.
Admiral Cotton testified that he
had gone aboard Schley's flagship, the
Brooklyn, on that date to take dis
patches to him and he said at first
that he gave him four or five dis
patches addressed to the commander
of the squadron.
He afterwards modified this state
ment, saying that probably all but
two of these dispatches were adj
dressed to himself admiral Cotton),
but that they contained information
which he thought should be in Adj
miral Schley's possession. One of.
these was copy of a dispatch from
Admiral Sampson, which had not
been printed in the official records,
stating that the Spanish feet was at
Santiago. He also said that coal
could have been taken from the Mer-
rimac on May 27, the day on which
the retrogade movement to Key West
was begun for the purpose of coaling.
Washington, Sept. 27.-The Schley
court of inquiry was in session for
only an hour and three quarters yes
terday, adiourning in order to per-
NIT its members to attend the funeral
of Judge Wilson, late chief counsel
for Admiral Schley. Capt. Wise con-
cluded his testimony. Admiral Cotton
made brief statement and Lieut..
Spencer S. Wood, who commanded the
dispatch boat Dupont during the
Spanish war, began his testimony.
Capt. Wise was questioned as to
what he had done before the arrival
of the flying squadron off Santiago
towards locating Cervera's fleet in
the harbor. He said that while he
had satisfied himself of the presence
of the Spaniards, he had been content
to communicate his knowledge to
Admiral Schley through Capt. Sigs-
bee, not considering it necessary to
make direct communication with
Schley.
Lieut.. Wood gave the particulars
of his delivery of dispatches from Adj
miral Sampson to Admiral Schley on
May -. while the admiral lay off
Cienfuegos. He said that Schley
seemed very nervous and especially
anxious to know what SIMPSONS in
tentions were.
MIHNI nv &c nEhn