Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-20


did | perform any action OF any kind
| whatever in obedience TO any order
| from the Brooklyn, neither as TO my
course, nor as TO my speed nor as TO
| my gun fire, during the fight or chase,
THE Oregon always had fires under
| all boilers, In spite Of the speed shown
| by the oregon in this fight, she had
/ not been and is not classed as the fast
| est ship; but during all her service In
| order that no scale should form In
| them, not one of her boilers was used
| In condensing, though the resulting dis
comfort for all hands was an additional
/ hardship for her commanding officer"
ADMIRAL EVANS STATEMENT.
Following Is Admiral Evans's state
| ment "The credit for the blockade, for
| the arrangement of the ships at the
| opening OF the fight and Of the first
| movements forward into the fight. must
| of course belong TO Admiral Sampson,
| whose orders we were putting into ef-
| feet. When the fighting began, Admir-
| al SIMPSONS ship the New York, was
! in plain sight. | saw her turning to
| oyertake US. Throughout the fight
considered myself as under his com
mand but | received no orders from
him until the Niscaya was aground,
Nor did | receive any orders whatever
| from the Brooklyn, nor should | have
needed them If had received them, in
asmuch as | considered Admiral Samp-
son to be present and In command.
"The heavy fighting was during the
time when the Spanish vessels were
coming out Of the harbor aud before
they had stretched fairly to the west
ward. When they We're thus stretched
TO the westward we all went after them
| without orders--of course, we could do
nothing else. Until the Teresa and
| OuuendO ran ashore, the Iowa was
close behind the oregon and ahead Of
the Texas and all of US were firing
steadily at the spanish ships. The
Texas then recovered her speed-for
she was dead In the water after hav-
ing backed 20 avoid the Brooklyn when
the Brooklyn turned land she went
ahead of the Iowa Both of us contin-
ued TO fire Of the Viscaya until she
went ashore Then ! stopped but the
Texas followed the Brooklyn and the
Oregon after the Colon,
POSITION OF VESSELS,
when the battle began the New
York was not much farther to the east
ward Of us that the Brooklyn was TO
the westward After the Niscaya had
| grounded the New York overlook me
and signalled me TO return to the mouth
Of the harbor TO prevent any other
Spanish ship from coming out and at
lacking the tr,,~sports. ! received no
signals of any kind from the Brooklyn,
! All We had TO do was 10 close I'm on
the Spanish squadron as It came out Of
the harhor, in obedience TO the orders
OF Admiral Sampson. and then when
the heaviest fighting was over and the
spanish ships were trying TO escape to
the west, 60 follow them--and OF course
there was DO signal necessary TO tell
us TO follow a fleeing enemy.
"The machinery Of the Iowa was not
I'm condition to get the best speed.
though every effort had been made to
make II so. Her cylinder heads had not
been of for more than six months. ow-
ing TO the service she was performing.
Her bottom vas very foul az she had
not been locked for period OF seven
teen months The Indiana was una
yoidably In even worse shape
"The New York had left the block
aiding line flying the signal Disregard
the movements Of the COMMUNICATIVE
chief. signal frequently made, and
| well understood by the entire feet 1t
aid not transfer the command. No sig
nal was made for the second in COM
mand to assume command of the fleet
which was usually done by the COM
mander-in-c hlcf before reaching the
limit OF signal distance when he pro-
POSED for any reason temporarily 10 re
llnquish his command 10 the next rank
ing officer
TAYLoR'S STATEMENT.
Following Is Admiral Taylors state
ment; 'At the beginning OF the fight
the New York was about as far To the
eastward OF me as the Brooklyn was
10 the westward The only signal I re-
ceived from the New York was al the
very close OF the fight, when she sig
nailed TO me 10 return and guard the
mouth OF the harbor. 80 that nothing
could come out TO attack the trans
ports.. / received no signal whatever