The Washington times., 1901-09-12

been severely criticized. He was soon
afterward enabled to coal at sea. as the
rough weather subsided, and returned TO
Santiago, In accordance with an order
brought by the Harvard, which overlook
the Flying Squadron. The order was as
follows:
You must not leave the vicinity OF
Santiago de Cuba unless it is UNSAFE
to your squadron, or unless Spanish
division is not there.
Sampson,s Tardy Charges.
If Schley was in error in his action, he
was not called &c account for it at that
time. and in fact nothing was ever said
in regard to the matter until a week after
he had fought and won the battle of san
tiago. Then and not until then was IL
that Sampson charged Schley with repre-
hensible conduct Schley, upon returning
to Santiago, established the blockade ana
maintained it. In the meantime, Safnp
son, at Key West, had been advised anu
reassured by Colonel Allen. OF the sls
nal Corps of the army, that the spanish
feet had arrived at Santiago on May ~
The information was obtained through
the secret agents of the army, and at once
communicated TO General Greedy, the
Chief Signal Officer of the army, and by
him transmitted to the Navy Department
was also reported to Sampson by Colonel
Allen personally. and the information was
verified Notwithstanding this, it was
eleven days thereafter before Sampson
Joined Schley in the blockade off Santiago.
Then followed the fiasco of the attempt
to blockade the Spanish fleet in Santiago
by the sinking of the Merrimac at the en-
trance to the harbor. This was the in
genious scheme conceived by Sampson
His instructions were to engage the Span
ish fleet. but instead, with a fleet superior
to that of the enemy, he attempted to bot
tie up Cervera so that he could not get
out to fight, and the American ships could
not get inside to engage the Spaniards.
The victory of Santiago is due to the
fact that SIMPSONS master hand failed in
its attempt at ''bottIing up the Spanish
vessels. Even while Sampson was max
ing arrangements to sink the Merrimac
and when he collier came alongside the
New York, SIMPSONS flagship. for final
instructions, he gave orders 10 pursue
what he supposed to be prize. and re-
turned after a long chase without it.
The Morning of July 3.
Little of Importance occurred from that
time until the morning of July g. except
that the blockade was strictly maintained.
The morning of July was an eventful
one in the naval history of the United
States. and its results have made the
present controversy possible, paradoxical
as ii may seem The first important event
of that memorable day was the sending
of the Massachusetts, and the Suwanee to
Guantanamo for coal, thus crippling the
blockading feet by the loss Of one of its
best fighting ships.
A short time thereafter Sampson sig
nailed Disregard orders of commander
in-chief," and sailed away on the New
York, his flagship for Siboney for con-
ference with General Shafter. 1t has all
along been maintained that Sampson
could have as easily and as safely gone
away on one of the smaller vessels In
stead OF taking with him one of the swift
est ships of the fleet, which, with the
Brooklyn, the Spaniards most feared as
they felt confident that they could OUTRAGE
the other ships of the American feet and
thus escape. BY reason of the weakening
of the blockading force by the departure
OF the New York, the Colon and probably
the Viscaya would have escaped had it
not been for the unexpected and phenom-
enal speed developed by the Oregon, be-
cause of the superb management of her
machinery by Captain Clark and his men,
as the Brooklyn, which led in the fight,
would have been unable alone to cope
with both Of the Spanish flyers
When the Spaniards came out of the
harbor their first effort was to ram the
Brooklyn, hoping thus to disable her and
be able to run away from the other ships
of slower speed 1t was while bearing
the brunt OF ;he battle and to avoid being
run down that the famous loop of the
Brooklyn was executed and for which
Schley has been criticised and is now
called to account
Notwithstanding this, the Brooklyn dur
ing the fight was closest to the enemy.
received, according TO investigations af-
terward made, IS per cent of the injury
inflicted by the Spanish guns, and herself
did more than one-half the damage to
the Spaniards. The whole world knows
the result of the conflict-the total ami
hilation of the pride Of the Spanish navy;
the grounding, burning. and sinking of
the Viscaya, Oquendo. Teresa. the Colon,
and the torpedo boats; the loss of some
hundreds OF Spanish sailors, including
many officers. in killed and wounded; the
capture of all of the remaining members
OF the crews. including the admiral of the
Spanish navy; and all with a loss TO the
American Navy of but one man killed-on
the Brooklyn-and one man injured. II
is known, Furthermore, that the flagship
Brooklyn, which led all others in the
fighting was so little impaired that she
was considered by Admiral Sampson the
best vessel to send in pursuit of what was
supposed to be another Spanish cruiser
within two hours after the last Spanish
ship has struck her coIors and before any
opportunity had been given the Brooklyn
for repairs.
Where Sampson Was.
Every possible effort has been made on
the part Of the friends Of Admiral Samp-
son to have 1t appear that he was in the
battle at the finish, but in this the rec
ords which cannot be successfully con-
troverted. are against him. They show
that the New York did not arrive until
. p m, or just one hour and eight min
utes after the Colon, the last Spanish
ship to surrender. struck her colors at
Il5. II the statement of Captain Chad
wick. her commander, is correct. that
she made seventeen knots while running
10 catch up with the fight. she must have
been at least twenty-five miles away
when the Colon gave up the contest; in
fact, so far away that she could only be
discerned by a narrow stream of smoke
ascending from her smokestacks.
After the fighting was all over Sampson
came up surveyed the remains. ordered
the Brooklyn to chase a supposed Spanish
cruiser instead Of sending the New York,
which was free from any scars of the
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