The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-28
SAMPSON SAYS SCHlEY
I'D GOOD WORK.
The Admiral Makes Statement Defending His
Course During Santiago Campaign.

I sage, however. The Colon was on the
! beach, was sinking, and all hands were
making every effort to save this vessel
for the government. must say if had
/ dictated the message myself, I should
have expressed the facts differently. !
am not attempting in the least to shift
the responsibility for this message to
any other person. I read it and APP
proved it, and accept the full response
/ Dility for it."
As to the blockade SchIey had insti-
/ tuted-did it meet your approval Of
what a blockade should fbe?''
'Of course I was net an eyewitness
to the blockade. as it was maintained
during the few days prior to my ar
rival. The only official information that
/ have on the subject is contained in
the official records, to which you and
everyone else may have access for the
asking. 1 did find it expedient, how
ever, shortly after my arrival, to issue
an order of blockade distributing the
force in a semi-circle, with the en-
trance TO the harbOr as the center with
a radius of six miles in the daytime,
and a lesser radius at night.
Watching the Enemy.
After bombarding the batteries and
discovering their weakness. this radius
was decreased; a vessel was stationed
with her searchlight lighting uD the
entrance, and all that part of the har-
Dor visible from the entrance, so that
no sOrtie could have been attempted
without having it discovered long be-
fore the enemy reached the entrance
Assurances were made dOubly sure by
statiOning at night picket line of
small vessels in a semi-circle well in
side the fighting line, and a third semi
circle Of ships launches still further
inside I am OF the opinion that none
Of these things were done previous to
this time, but whether or not the block
ade previous to this time was efficient
you must, as / say, form your opinion
from the official records comprising
orders, signals and reports
There is a most interesting and
presumably authentic pamphlet that
has been published by the officers Of
naval intelligence, which is the diary Of
a Spanish officer who was stationed in
Santiago throughout the blockade, who
remarks upon the disappearance of the
biockading fleet some time around
twilight each night TO the time of the
arrival of the New York and the Ore
gOn, and on the night following their
arrivals, says, IN effect, that at dark
the blockading ships came closer to the
entrance. instead of disappearing. as it
had been hitherto the case. I cannot
and must not, however, criticise the
blockade established previous to my
arrival tDuL only quite the UDcEINd-
tons of others. from which you must
draw your own conclusions"
"One other thing, admiral; Rear Ad-
miral Schiey. in a recent interview.
claimed that the Brooklyn inflicted IS
per cent Of the damage done the Span
ish shiDs, and received 81 per cent of
the injuries sustained by the }blockad-
ing squadron"
II do not wish to criticise Schley or
any Of his statements. I do not want
10 be brought into any discussion in
which he is involved. His statement
may be perfectly true. The exact fig
u-es are unimDortant- ] viii repeat
now what I said before, that the Brook
1yn did excellent work in the battle.
To the best Of my recollection I never