The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-25
.SCHLEY AXES
STAND IN HIS
OWN DEFENCE
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and our only wish was that they might
come out. The movements OF me squad
ron were rather an invitation tor them
to do SO. That was what | felt during
all the Period of the blockade.
"L,eutenant WOOD MS testified to a
conversation when -.e had had with me
in relation % the delivery of dispatches
which Tor the life OF me l cannot recall,
and i have a good deal OF RECOLLECTION.
Lieutenant Wood when he came on board
WAS almost prosti ated. His condition to
me was pit:.ul. 1t seemed TO be from the
exhaustion of topedo boat service. ana /
told him when he came over the SIDE
If ] We're i<ing l would promote every
torpedo officer five grades, ii could. lie
handed me The dispatch. / think he dit.
me an injustice when he spoke OF my
speaking disrcspectfully Of Admiral Samp-
son. j used no such terms. There was
no reason why / should have done SO.
invariably spoke of him as Admiral Samp-
son, and | do not recall one wore of the
conversation which he rccites; not one
word, and recollect a good many things
very WELL.
DISPATCH FROM SAMPSON.
The Admiral then told of the arrival of
the Hawk on the morning of May y,
bringing dispatch No. S. This is the dis
patch from Admiral Sampson which had
brought the Information that the Span
ish feet was probably at Santiago, and
in which Commodore Schley had been
told that IF satisfied they were not at
Cienfuegos, to proceed with all dispatch
to Santiago
In this dispatch was enclosed the Nc
Gala memorandum, saying tnat good
landing place could be secured thirteen
and q half miles west of CienfueSos.
With regard to Commander Hoods tes-
tinony concerning the delivery Of these
dispatches. the Admiral said he did not
remember. And he went on, Il think
] can show you by a memorandum in the
official Government report that if he had
any verbal orders he forgot to report
effect that Hood said There are a good
many officers here who do not belleFe
the Spaniards are there.
That" said the Admiral goes to show
that Hood was not very certain. or that
if he had the information he did not &C.
liver it TO tho chief, which
was an indiscretion. He seems 10 have
remembered a good deal that was said
by me, but to have forgotten q good deal
that he should have done.
The witness also told of the arrival Of
tho British ship Adula, and of his having
that vessel boarded and his allowing 1t
to proceed inside. He also told of the
report which the Adula brought to the
effect that the Spanish feet had arrived
at, and later had left, Santiago. which,
he said. Lent color to his own belief at
that time
THE DELAY IS EXPLAINED.
The witness stated that he had seen
the signals on shore and explained his eX-
perience in this respect. He said the surf
was dangerous there in the day Ia:c.
Continuing, Admiral Schley said:
Not knowing whether or not there
We're any insurgents to the west of this
place; not having communicated to me
any idea that there was a system OF sig
nails arTangld with them, though l asked
the question, the withdrawal OF the squat
ron of Captain McCalla and the failure
Of Lieutenant Switzerland to give 1ae
that information, was directly RESPONSE
bic for the delay in communicating. 20
risk boat through surf, or coast NC
Iieved to be occupied by the enemy, might
have repeated Captain McCalla's exp&rl-
ment. He found the coast was pretty Well
occupied. l saw cavalry on the coast
once or twice. They appeared Tor q mo-
,nent and then got out of S!Sht- i lhouSlt
to waste ammunition on a solitary caNal-
.yl,lan was like wasting big guns on spar
rows / wanted to save all the ammuili-
ton we had for use against the enemy
squadron. which knew to be somewhere
in the vicinity. did everything posi-
BILE during the time we We're thefe 10
maintain blockade, as was conteh-
pIats:l- l did all the coaling that was
prac.lcabIe or possible. With the !atef
experiences of the war, alter we sot, '.oI.'
of Golfers that were very much better
fitted to resist shock, IS well as to de-
liver mis- coal raridly-with that eNpe-
rience | might have coaled on days OF
worse weather.
we had a great many accidents. One
Of ne golfers had to go to New York
absolutely smashed in. The Mernmac
had several holes punched through her
and my impression now is q portion OF
the upper works on the Sterling Were in
jured in some way, but we managed. with
more experience, to do little better
than we did at first. There was always
at Cienfuegos n rolling swell and vessels
with projecting sponsors or projecting
guns were always in danger. ] recollect
IN one case one OF the -SiN-pounder guns
on the Brooklyn was bent at an angle OF
80 per cent. by coming in collision with
one of these Golfers In other words the
problem resented at Cienfuegos, was
one that had disturbed the nayies Of the
world for fifty years. y
TOLD or THE SIGNALS.
-1e then spoke % the arrival of Captain
cealia on May 24th, bringing informa-
ton concerning the shore signals from
the Cuban insurgents. He said that
when the captain came aboard he asked:
'iIave you seen any siGnals?' L said.
What do you mean?' He then asked il
/ had seen three lights at night and three
horses in the day time. / said that l had
seen the lights. ana he said, They were
trying to communicate With YOU 1 eS-
pressed surprise and asked who had made
the arrangements. McCalla replied that
he had done SO. I asked why they had
not been communicated to me. but that
h. did not know. ] then told him to make
q search of the shore which he did, re-
porting that the Spanish fleet We're not
there "
This informa ton. the witness said. had
been received about P. NJ, May 18th.
and toward 6 o'cIoc'z tho SQUADRON
formed column and steamed toward
Santiago. He said that the signals made
by the fleet Were not >2rrIi0 ~ - -
was fourteen miles from Cienfuegos and
co-ld not have been seen.
He then rctcld the details of the voyage.
ct was dirty uiEht," he said. with