Evening star., 1901-09-23
THs TRIP TO SANTIAGO
COMMANDER SCHROEDER BEFORE
D rHESCoURT OF INQUIRY.
Says Fighting Ships Could Have Gone
Ffster, Tbst Collier Would Have
NO Been Left Behind.

Dufi1g ,tH examination of Commander
Schroeder before the Schley court of tn
Quiry Saturday Mr.. Wilson OF counsel for
Admiral Schley Indicated a purpose to
compare the records OF Sampson and
Schley. Addressing the witness. he asked
him II the character Of the blockade of
Santiago had not been changed after Ad-
miral SIMPSONS arrival. Commander
Schroeder replied that 1t had been and
that then the blockade became stationary,
Sampson having more ships than Schley
had had. -. t@..s 81 -s.-
Now, about how far out was the Samp-
son blockade from the entrance to the
harborr'
The reply was: my recollection Is that
at first We were about four miles in the
daytime and closed in little at night.
Later on we were all close In day and
night and there was a battle ship stationed
| about mile from the entrance all night
chusetts and the Oregon took two hours
on and four off searchlight watch at the
entrance all through the night"
Mr.. Hanna-"If the court please, I should
like to ask the purpose OF these inquiries
as to the conduct of the blockade.
Mr.. Wilson-"Well, l, want to show. as
matter of course, that when you are COM
planning of the blockade that. was made a
day or two after, when Sampson came up
and brought additional ships, the distance
out was just about the same as these
others were that were cruising backward
and forward"
Mr.. Hanna-"If that is the purpose, may
it please the court, we desire to object to
any comparative statements Of this block
ade with any other blockade instituted at
any other time and place. We have avoid
ed introducing comparisons.
Mr.. Wilson-"Well. for the present I
withdraw the question. Hereafter 1t will
&Nx,or V,nfn fnrio mr. I
don't want to; take the time Of the court
now in discussing it,
Commander Schroeder said that during
the Schley blockade his vessel did not get
off twenty-five miles from shore at night
Mr.. Wilson questioned the witness con-
,cerning orders for battle,
Commander Schroeder said he had heard
nothing concerning an order not to ex-
pose ships to the fire Of land batteries.
The Trip to Santiago.
He made the same reply to an inquiry
concerning the orders to the flying squad
rom with reference to. what should be
done If they found the Spanish fleet in
port. He then read the order Of Admiral
Sampson Of May %. sent to Commodore
Schley off Cfenfuegos, beginning:
Spanish squadron probably at Santiago
de Cuba; four ships and three torpedo
boat destroyers. II you are satisfied they
are not at Cienfueges proceed with all dis
patch but cautiously to Santiago de Cuba
and II the enemy is there blockade him in
port"
ing at air about, this order at the time or
untfI' he isawIit In the 5ffiefaH ireport of the
campaign There would be no way of
k1ass hs ,s said d . rhsls # nss,, vas no com
= Mr. Wilson then turned to Commander
SchrBedersS Statement 7cuneernfng the bonn
bardrbefit Of the Colon and secured from
him the3 settlement that tetheo oonty ssagges-
Fif ASE ma in cDnHRDti0n with
that sSysnf was that the vessels shenid
have ,g9 g9he e n ct0sef'and @ t1rra "Ose dei'0
On redirect examination Mr.. Hanna,
;speahin8 of the departure from Cienfuegos
for Santiago, asked: = 7..'r~. E.
T "PIesuming then, that the admiral was
satisfied thht the Spanish squadron was
not I'M that aharbor. did you proceed with
all dispatch to Santiago de- Cuba?'
mo, SIR
when yos-ieft cienfuegos, was 1t day.
light or ..yaas 1t after. .dark?'
when. we left Cienfuegos 1t was after
dark, sboutes o clock.
= Mr. !sRaynerA"You said you did not pro-
ceed with all dispatch to Santiago"
THAT is what /, said. SIR.
. What was the condition of the weather
and the sea between Cienfuegos and San
tfago that prevented you from proceeding
faster than you did, IL 1t did prevent your"
|, 81 do not think there was anything in
the weather to prevent the big ships going.
One of the small ships was Delayed, and
that may be the cause OF the other ships
ssa.How about the Metrimac? What was
her condition between Cienfuegos' and San
tiago?" -, ,
"Do you recall that she was badly out
OF repair and that the Brooklyn was send
ing carpenters and people TO repair her all
the timer" - 80
! .ttshe was said to have been somewhat
deranged, but what the extent or the ma
ture Of IT was do not know"
Mr. Wilson-"In what respect did you say
she had not proceeded with all possible
dispatch? Did you mean she did not start
with sufficient alacrty, or did you mean
that they did not go fast enough in pass
ing from one place to the otherr"
Speed Could Have Been Greater.
II would not undertake to criticise the
time OF our starting, as I did not know
anything about the orders; but my recol-
lection is that our speed was nothing like
as great as could have BEEN
Mr.. Wllson-"And keep the. fleet going?"
Commander schroeder-"And keep the
fighting ships going"
How about the !, Merrimac? Did you
keep her with your
"She probably could not have kept up"
''Then you would have gone off without
collier?"
''she would have caught up with U.S."
"When?"
probably next day"
"If you could steam faster, how could
you expect her to catch up?"
I'VE expected to stop of Santiago"
t Have you any other criticisms as to
not proceeding with all possible dispatch?"
"I did not offer that as criticism. I
simply answered the question whether they
went with the utmost dispatch"
In reply to question by the court,
Commander Schroeder said that the fire
of the Spanish batteries had not been
heavy enough to seriously endanger the
American fleet. Commander Schroeder was
requested to report again this morning
The court then. at 3:40 adfnudred until