The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-20

until after he had made his loop and
the Spanish ships were fleeing TO the
westward not an American ship no
uced a signal from him.
Oregon Repeated Signals.
When the western pursuit had be-
gun. the Oregon and the Oregon only
noticed and repeated one Of his sig
nails OF command. The captain Of the
oregon then regarded him as in COM
mand. but did not in any shape or way
execute any movement or any action Of
any kind whatsoever in accordance
In short, the question as 10 which
one OF the two men. Admiral Samp-
son or Admiral Schley, was at the time
IN command is of merely nominal
character. Technically Sampson COM
manded the fleet and Schley. as usual
The western division. The actual fact,
the important fact, is that after the
bdltie was Joined not helm was shift
ca. not gun was fred not a pound
OF steam was put on the engine room
ABOARD any ship actively engaged in
obedience to the order of either Samp-
son or Schley, save on their own two
vessels 1t was a captains fight.
Therefore. the credit TO which each
OF the two is entitled. rests on mat
ters apart from the claim of nominal
command over the squadron: for, so
iar as the actual fight was concerned,
heithei one or the c-Aer. in fact, ex-
erclsed any c0mmaLi. Sampson was
hardly more than technically In the
fight His real claim for credit rests
upon his work as commander-in-chief:
upon the excellence of the blockade:
upon the preparedness Of the squad
ron upon the arrangement of the
shipS ahead on in a semi circle around
Inc harbor and the standing orders in
accordance with which they instantly
moved on the attack of the Spaniards
When the latter appeared. For all
these things. the credit is his.
Says Loop Was Mistake.
Admiral Schley is rightly entitled
as Is Captain Cookie the credit OF
what the Brooklyn did in the fight. On
the whole, she did Weli but / agree
Win the unanimous finding of the
three admirals who composed the court
OF inquiry as to the loop II seri-
ously marred the BroOklyns otherwise
excellent record, being in fact the one
grave mistake made by any Ameri-
can ship that day. Had the BROOKLYN
turned 10 the westward, that Is, in the
same direction the Spanish ships were
gong instead Of in the contrary direc-
non, she would undoubtedly have been
IN more dangerous proximity to them
But 1t would. have been more danger
Gus lor them as well as for her This
KIND of thing must not be too nicely
weighed by those whose trade il is to
dare greatly for the honor of the flag.
Moreover, the danger was certainly
not as great as that which. in the self
same moment, marked Wainwright's
fragile craft as he drove forward
against the foe. 1t was not, in nv
judgment, as great as the danger to
whlch the Texas was exposed by the
turn as actually made. It certainly
caused both the Brooklyn and the
texas materially to lose position COM
pared 10 the fleeing Spanish vessels.
But after the loop had been taken Ad-
miral Schley handled the Brooklyn
manfuily and well. She and the Ore
gon were thenceforth the rear most of
the American Yessels-thouSh the Iowa
certainly, and seemingly the Texas, did
as much in hammering to a standstiI
the NiScaya, Oquendo and the Teresa:
while the Indiana did all her eastward
position and crippled machinery per-
mitted. In the chase of the Colon, the
Brooklyn and Oregon share the credit
between them.
Wants Controversy Closed.
Under such circumstances. il seems
10 me that the recommendations of
President Mckinley We're eminently
proper, and that so far as Admiral
Sampson and Admiral Schley were con-
cerned it would have been unjust for
him to have made other recommended
lions. Personally, I feel that in view
OF Captain Clark's long voyage in the
Oregon and the condition in which he
brought her to the scene of service, as
well as the way in which he actually
managed her before and during the
fight, it would have been well to have
given him the same advancement that
was given Wainwright.
But, waving this, II is evident that
Wainwright was entitled to receive
more than any of the other comman-
ders, and that it was just to Admiral
Sampson that he should receive a
greater advantage in numbers than
Admiral Schley-there was nothing
done in the battle that warranted any
unusual reward for either In short,
as regards Admirals Sampson and
Schley, 1 find that President Mckinley
did substantial justice, and there would
be no warrant for reversing his action
Both Admirals Sampson and Schley
are now on the retired list. in conclud-
ing their report. the members of the
court Of inquiry, Admirals Dewey, Ben
ham and Ramsay, unite in stating that
they recommend that no further action
be had in the matter. With this rec
ommendatiOn I must heartily concur.
There is no excuse whatever from
either side for any further agitation of
this unhappy controversy. To keep it
alive would merely do damage to the
navy and to the country.
(Signed.)