The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-20

above, from the official reports, and from
 the testimony before the court Of inquiry
 the fight can be plotted with absolute cef
 lalnty Ill It's Important outlines, tnough
 there Is conflict as to minor points. When
 the four Spanish cruisers came out of the
 hafbor the New York had left her positloY
 in the y4ocKading line forty or forty five
 minutes before. She had hoIsted the signt
 disregard the movements of the command.
 er-ln-chlef. but had not hoisted the slgna'
 to the second in command to take charge,
 Which, as appears by the signal book, was
 sometimes but not always used when the
 command was transferred. g As soon as tDe
 engagement began the New York turned
 and steamed back, hoisting signal to close
 saw. She was in plain sight and not much farther from the easternmost blockaulns sh'ps than the latter were from the Brook lyn, which was the westernmoSt or the llne' As soon as the Spanish ships appeared tnu five big American boekaders started to. ward them in accordance with the standing orders of Admiral Sampson After this hTss move each acted purely on his own lhllla- tive. For some minutes the spanish ahts American vessels steadily approached one another, and the fighting was at it's hittest' Then the already damaged ships turned to the westward, while at the same time the Westernm0st American vessel, the BrooklyH, which was nearest the Spanish line, turned to the eastward, making a loop or three. quarter circle, at the end of which she agaln headed westward, farther off fro mand 1ar,
  the loop had begun, but still ahead ot any of the American vessels, although farther outside. The Texas, the next ship to ths Brooklyn either was or conceived herseil 10 be put in such jeopardy by the Brook- lyn's turn toward her that she backed heD engines coming almost or quite to a stand still: so that both the Oregon and the Iowa. which were originally to the eastward of her, and it was some time after she again. started before she regalned her former DO sition relatively to the Spanish vessels. The Spanish vessels had strengthened out in col umn for the west, the Colon going inside of the others and gradually forging ahead of them, without suffering much damage; The two torpedo boats, which had followed them out the harbor, were now destroy ed by the fire of the rearmost of the Amer' ican big vessels of the Gloucester, which headed straight in for them, paying no more he'd to their Quick-fr guns than, to the heavy artillery of the forts, to which she was also exposed.
 In the running fight which followed, until the Teresa, Oquendo and Viscaya were de stroyed, the Indiana gradually dropped be, hind, although she continued to ire untll the last of the three vessels went ashore. The Brooklyn was ahead of any of the other American vessels on a course outside theirsS she was nearly broadside on the the span. iard. The oregon, Iowa and Texas were all close together and actively engaged throughout this running fight. The Brook lyn and Oregon, followed at some distance by the Texas, then continued in chase. of inc Colon. which went nearly thirty mllea farther before she also went ashore. Dur ing this chase of the Colon there was prac tically no fighting.
 These are the facts as set forth above in the statements of the captains, and else where in their official reports and testimo- ny. They leave no room for doubt on any important point.
 The question of command is in this case nominal and technical. Admiral Sampsons ship, the New York, was seen at the out set of the fight from all the other ships ex cept the Brooklyn. Four of these five ship captains have testified that they regarded him as present and In command. He sig naled Close in" to the fleet as soon as the first Spanish ship appeared, but his signal was not seen by any American vessel. He was actually under fire from the forts, and himself fired couple of shots at the. clost of me acton with the torpedo boats, in ad, ultlon to signalling the Indiana just at the close of the acton. But during the action not single order from him was received by any of the ships that were actively engag ed.
 Admiral Schley at the outset of the action hoisted he two signals of Clear ship and Close in'' which was simply carrying out as to what should be done if the enemy's ships attempted to break out of the harbor. Until after the close of me first portion O. the fight at the mouth of the harbor and until after he had made his loop and the Spanish ships were heeting to the west, ward, not another American ship noticed q signal from him. When the western pur. snll had begun the Oregon, and the Oregon nals of command. The captain of the Ore gon then regarded him as in command, but did not in any shape or way execute any or any action of any kind what soeyer in accordance with any order from him.
 In short, the question as to which of the two men, Admiral Sampson or Admiral Schley, was at the time in command is of Ntrt.n1 11,F n1tou Sampson commanded the fleet and Schley. as usual, the western division The actual fact, the important fact, IS that after the battle was joined not helm was shifted, put on in the engine room aboard any ship actively engaged. in obedience to the order of either Sampson or Schley, save on their own two vessels. It was captains fight.
 Therefore the credit to which each of the two is entitled rests on matters apart from the claim of nominal command over the squadron; for so far as the actual fight was neither or nor the other in fact hardly more than technically in the fight. His real claim for credit rests upon his work as commander chief; upon the ex- nellence of the blockade; upon the prepar' ment of the ships headon in a semicircle ,round the harbor; and the standing orders in accordance with which they instantly moved to the attack of the Spaniards when
 
 he credtis his.
 Admiral Schley is rightly entitled-as is Captain Cook-to the credit of what the Brooklyn did in the fight. On the whol she did well; but I agree with the unan nous finding of the three admirals who the court of inquiry as to the loop" 1t seriously marred the Brooklyns excellent record. being in fact the )ne grave mistake made by any American 'hips that day. Had the Brooklyn turned 70 the westward, that is, in the same di- 'ection that the Spanish ships were going, would undoubtedly have been in more dangerous proximity to them But ' would have been more dangerous for them IS well as for her! This kind of danger nust not be too nicely weighed by those whose trade 1t is to dare greatly for the londr of the flag. Moreover, the danger was not as great as that which, in the | elf same moment, menaced Wainwright's ragie craft as he drove forward againsi he foe. It was not i'll my judgment as 'reat as the danger to which the Texas was 'xposed by the turn as actually made. It certainly caused both the Brooklyn and | he Texas materially to lose position com. ,ared to the fleeing Spanish vessels. But | fter the loop had once been taken Admiral 'chley handled the Brooklyn manfully and | he headmost of the American vessels hough the Iowa certainly, and seem ngly the Texas also did as mnch in to q standstill the Viscaya. )quendo and Teresa; while the Indiana did | III her eastward position and crippled ma tolon the Brooklyn and Oregon share ths FTql1 ndcp pesWGen sTeS inT if seems to s hat the recommendations of President Me, <inley were eminnntly proper, and that so ar as Admirals Sampson and Schlev wert hn1-n 1Iopy, mi fn, |