Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-09-29
CAPTAIN NJ CALLESCODE
WAS NOT GIVEN TO SCH[EY.
INFORMATION THAT COULD DE OF
No VALUE WAS PROMPTLY
TRANSMITTED.
SAMPSON WAS INFORMED
AT KEY WEST. WHILE THE MAN
IN COMMAND STUMBLED ON
IN IGNORANCE.

days session of the Sohley court began
at II o'clock with the recall of yester-
days witnesses for the purpose of cor
recting mistakes and allowing other
questions to be asked. Capt, McCalla
continued his testimony.
The attendance OF spectators was
above the average.
When Capt. McCalla took the wit
ness stand, Mr.. Hanna asked him:
Were any ships assigned to the duty
of engaging the batteries on the morn
ing of May 81, 1898, or during that day
or to the duty of enfilading the batter
ies?"
The reply was: None that know
Of"
"Did the battleships go within range
of the Colon?"
mot from my observation"
Were you so situated as to observe
the fall of shots from the fieet?"
Il was.'
Where did they fall?"
They all fell short that | saw. One
very nearly reached the Colon
Capt McCalla testified at some
| length concerning the weather and
the sea on May 20 and 81 He said
| there was no difficulty in coaling on
| the 9th, as the sea was smooth.
Did you nave any conversation with
| Commodore Schley?"
t.N., Ia ,,, In.
| his cabin after the battle OF Santiago,
| about July 5, in Guantamo bay. | went
on board making an official call to pay
my respects. and during the visit Com
modore Schley read to me what ] UNI
! derstood to be part of his official re-
| port of the battle. After he had finish
| ed | said: Commodore. you remember
that after the battle OF Lake Erie there
| was an unfortunate controversy, and |
hope that there will be none after tho
battle of Santiago because there was
| glory enough for everybody.
Relating the particulars Of the block
ade of Santiago before June1, Capt.
| McCalla said the Marblehead and the
| Vixen had at night occupied positions
! inside the large ships about two miles
from the shore line and that line was
easily discernable.
Referring to the fact that he had In
| formed Captain Chadwick, Admiral
| SIMPSONS chief of staff, of the code
| of signals arranged for communicating
| with the insurgent Cubans, he said
| that he did not in any way communi-
cate with the commander-in-ch'ef Mr..
| Rayner then asked: According to
the regular custom and regulations OBJ
served in cases Of that sort, was 1t not
your purpose that this communication
should go to the commander in chief
through his chief of staff?'
Certainly" was the reply.
The witness said further that he
thought 1t had been common knowl-
edge at Key West after his arrival
there on May 10, that the Cuban insur-
gents were on the coast near Chen
fuegos, but that no information was
given concerning the secret code. He
had, he said, failed to give the code to
Commodore Schley when he passed
him. when the Commodore was on his
way to Cienfuegos, because he did not
| know that the Commodore was bound
for that port "If had thought that
he was going to Cienfuegos," he said,
Il would have. gone alongside ana
given him my information" He had
ordered the Eagle to give Commodore
Schley information concerning the
presence of insurgents, but had not
given the secret code to the comman-
der of that vessel. He would have
done SO IL he had known the destlna-
ton of the squadron.
Replying to a question Captain NC
Gala said that Commodore Schieys
feet while off Santiago had never 10
his knowledge been withdrawn to any
distance from the harbor of Santiago.
Then" said Captain Parker, that
story. by whomsoever told, Is absolute
ly false?" .,.,, T.,
II object" shouted Captain Lemley In
a voice as sharp as a pistol shot. The OBJ
lection is sustained said Admiral Dew
av 1.-THE question is highly improper
"Did Won on any occasion see the large
vessels of the blockading force at or near
davbreak between the 2sth and Slst days
OF Mayo
~ saw them every morning. / could see
them at night, too, because there was
some moonlight
How far were they from the Marble
head. and how far was she from the en-
trance 10 odIlidbO'
at Judge we were two miles inside OF
the large ships We steamed up and
down. Sometimes we were nearer the en-
trance than at others. i judge we were
certainly two miles and perhaps three
miles inside of the large ships.
The court then heard the testimony OF
Lieutenant Commander W. II. II. South
erland. who commanded the Eagle during
the Spanish war, and also that of Lieu
tenant Cassius b. Barnes. The latter Is
a cipher expert in the Navy Department
and his evidence was devoted to showing
that the despatch from Commodore Schley
to the Navy Department on May %, 1888,
saving that he could not, much TO his re-
greet. obey the orders of the department
as printed in the official reports. was a
correct translation of the message as for
warded from the Harvard at Kingston.
Commander Switzerland explained the
condition of the Eagle during the cam
paign and told of the part that vessel
played. He said the slow progress made
in the cruise to Santiago was due to the
TACT that the vessel was one-third full Of
water. He also told Of signalling the
Scorpion to inform Commodore Schley
that the Spanish squadron was not in the