The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-29

all, because the channel way is very
narrow, the buoys have also all been
removed We Ia to make the turns
very quickly and the channel Is very
crooked If they had a tug or a most
favorable day of perfectly smooth
weather. i do not say that they might
not get in, but 7 do net believe they are
there now He said he had beer pilot
ing sixteen or eighteen years. We sub
sequently found he was a very expert
pilot and rendered us valuable service.
My habit OF life, not only in princf-
pal I'M OF q squadron. but also
in command OF a ship. was to assume
the responsibility and the danger Of
censure OF any movement, but / was
never willing under any circumstances
to be a participant in glories that I
would not divide. That was the gen.
eral principle upon which 1 acted in
this matter. I did not call any counsel
or war. The information which these
people ave me led me to infer that the
Geographic information was a ruse
similar TO that which was telegraphed
from Cadiz that the squadron had re-
turned TO Cape Verde"
Continuing the admiral said: IF any
of us at any time made any mistakes
during h campaign Of Santiago or
elsewhere, it was in supposing that the
Spaniards would ever do right at the
right time"
y lLlS pOiHl AulllTdl SCulcy OSStTlD-
ed the movements of his squadron
about Santiago, saying that he had con-
clude the move eastward 20 be unwise.
1t would not have been " ise to uncover
Santiago. He said hat their move
ments every minute of the day were
known in Havana.
Just as We approached Santiago on
the 26th, the collier Merrimac which had
been giving us a good deal of trouble.
4 broke down dafOrpnina1 that on nm
manageable collier was not a very pref
cradle thing to have with the squadron
If we met the enemy so 1 first deter
mined to send her to Key West with
the Yale. 1t then occurred to me that
if I sent her to Key West and she was
taken We would be out a collier, and
the Spanish. if they were outside, would
he in SO much COAL"
THE RETROGATE MOVEMENT.
In his connection Admiral Schley ex-
planned his retrograte movement, so
called. to the westward, saying that
he had not considered the economical
aspect of this step, as the economical
features could never be taken into con-
sideration in military movements. He
had, he said, made careful inquiry as
to the coal supply of the various ships
and had turned over in his mind the
question of their endurance in battle.
Il was" he said, thinking over in my
mind that a squadron, in its coaling
endurance or at least in it's speeding
endurance, was equal only to it's weak
est member just as the speed of a fleet
depends upon it's slowest vessel; that
it would be necessary to equaliZe a.
nearly as we could their standards of
steam in order to be OF effective use as
a unit, and that determined the west
ward movement"
Admiral Schley said the enemy would
NJ nornn W ~ ~ hor@
but would go in the other direction.
Speaking Of the collier Merrimac's
breaking down he said this accident
rendered coaling out of the question. 81
don't believe any prudent commander
would have attempted to send a ship
alongside an unmovable collier to take
coal The risk would be too great. The
responsibility was mine and it was too
great to take the chances. I coaled at
the earliest possible moment"
With reference to the arrival of the
Harvard on the 9th and his confer
ence with Captain Cotton, Admiral
| Schley said that he had never received
the dispatch reporting in positive terms
the presence of the enemy at Santiago.
Il never saw it, said he. with intense
earnestness. 81 never saw it, and I am
sure that Cotton never delivered it to
me. If he had lone so it would be
among my papers and it would have
u L IlSSIl IlIlo IL l. ~ liz
1 never could have forgotten it,"
THE CHARGE OF DISOBEDIENCE.
Discussing his dispatch to the depart
ment concerning the departments or
ders. the admiral said: eff my reply
to the telegram of the secretary of the
navy is not on the record l would like
to put it there in the terms / sent 1T.
because I wrote it in English. gave il
to Captain Cotton, asked him to turn it
- ~ o>rG~Daal ~ n wv r6C
in a letter to the department, which
was received. The dispatch is here and
has been in the department for nearly
three years. I don't believe, for one
moment, hat in the translation of it
there was any intention to mutilate 1t.
but I hin in the choice Of words,
which were not exactly of the same
meaning, the dispatch did not get to the
department entirely as 1 intended 1t
should. Upon this dispatch Is based the
charge of disobedience of orders. l con-
tend that there was no d~isobed1ence
of orders. There would have been dis
obedience of orders if I a abandoned
my station, but having returned to the
station without other direction and
having found that the departments in
formation was correct. I hold that I did
not disobey orders and I think that this
dispatch, read and interpreted will re-
that charge"
In response to a question from Mr..
Rayner for the exact wording OF the
in the dispatch in dispute Ad-
miral Schley gave it as follows:
TT is to be regretted that the de-
partment's orders cannot be oDeyeo'
earnestly as we ave all striven to
end" This he said was the au-
version Of the sentence and was
as he sent it.
The admiral was in the midst Of his
of the "disobedience of or
ders'' dispatch when the old clock In the
court room struck 4 and Admiral Dewey
announced an adjournment for the day
Notwithstanding that Admiral Schiey
told him that he would like to conclude
his testimony at this sitting.
The admiral was calm and collected
throughout the two hours that he SAT
in the witness chair and he spoke In
tones, which. while not u were so
distinct that his words were easily
heard.
Before Admiral Schley went upon the
stand. two new witnesses had been
heard. The first Of these was Lieuten-