The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-20
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY
TO The APPEAL BY SCHLEY
AS to the Question of Who Was in Command He
Decides in Favor of Sampson
THE CAPTAINS REPORTS OF THE BATTLE

leave little TO be brought out anew; but
as the question of Admiral Simpsons
right to be considered in chief command,
winch was determined III his favor BY
President Mckinley, and later by the
Court of Claims, has never hiLher;o
been officially raised, l deemed it bes:
TO secure statements of the commanders
OF the five ships (other than the Brook
lyn and New York, the fiagshirs of the
two admirals) which were actively en-
gagged in the fight. Admiral Philip is
dead. ! quote extracts from his maga-
zine article on the fight, written inlme-
diately after 1t occurred; closing with an
extract from his letter to the Secre.
tary OF the Navy of February 81, 1892;
1T was the blockade that made the
battle possible. The battle WIS n direct
consequence of the blockade, aud upon
the method and effectiveness of the block
ade was very largely dependent the issue
OF the battle. Under the orders
of Admiral Sampson the blockade was
conducted with a success exempliied by
the result. When the Spanish
Admiral at last made his dash to escape.
We were ready--ready with our men, with
our guns, and with our engines.
| 1t was only few minutes after we had
seen the leader OF the advancing squadron
that il became apparent that Cervera's
plan was to run his ships in columns
westward in an effort TO escape.
Before he had fairly found himself out
| side the Morro the entire blockading
! Observation-Disclosures, Oregon, Iowa, Brook.
| lyn, and Texas-was pumping shell into
him Mt such 4 rate as virtually To decide
1 the Issue of the battle in the hrst few
moments All cur ships had closed In
| simultaneously. Then ocuTTed
the incident which caused me for q mo-
ment more alarm than anything Celvera
aid that day. Suddenly a Whit
of breeze and lull In the firing lifted
| the pail, and there bearing toward us
and across our bows, turning on her port
helm, with big waves curling over her
bows and great clouds of black smoke
pouring from her funne)s! WAS The Brook
| lyn. She looked as big as half a dozen
Great Easterns, and seemed so near that
it took our breath away. Back both
engines hard!' went down the tube to
/ the astonished engineers, and In a twink
ling the old ship was racing against her
self. The collision which seemed immi-
L II.
as the big cruiser glided past, all of us
| ON the bridge gave sigh of relief. Had
the Brooklyn struck us then 1t would
probably have been the end of the Texas
and her half thousand men. At
ten minutes to 10 (he Spanish ships had
appeared at about $50 a the Iowa.
Oregon, and Texas were pretty well
punched, holding a parallel course west
ward Ia afdG Tra
was also coming up, we'll inside of all
the others Of our squadron, but little
in the rear. owing to her far eastward
position at starting. About
quarter past 10 the Teresa. which had
been in difficulties from the moment she
left the shelter of the Moro, turned to
seek Bleaching place. She was on fire.
and We knew that she was no longer a
quantity to be reckoned with. Five min
utes later our special enemy, the Oduen-
do, also turned In shore. 3 The
Viscaya kept blazing away vlciously, but
the pounding she got from our four ships,
more particularly the Oregon, was too
much for her, and IN half an hour she too
headed for the beach. | determ-
ined to push on with the Texas.
II gives me pleasure to be able to write
that, old ship as she is and not built for
speed, the Texas held her own and even
gained on the Colon in that chase. +"
'Adu,iral Sampson was Commander in
Chief before, during, and after the ac-
ton
Captain Clark's statement is as fol-
lows:
The credit for the blockade which led
Up to the light is OF course Admiral
SIMPSONS. The position of the ships on
the morning of the fight in semicircle
head-on to the harbor, in consequence Of
which we We're able to close in at once,
was his. In closing in, that is, in making
the first movements, we were obeying his
Instructions though as a matter of fact
we would all have closed in any way, in
structions or no instructions. When the
Spanish ships came out OF the harbor the
navigator OF my ship saw the New York
TO the eastward, but I received no sig
nal Of any kind from the New York dur
ing the action, nor was she near enough
TO signal directly to me until after the
Colon surrendered.
The engagement may be said to have
been divided into three parts: First, the
light proper, While the Spanish squadron
was coming cut of the harDor ard until
II was clear OF the Diamond Shoals aud
definitely headed westward second the
running fight with the already damaged
vessels as they fed westward, until the
Teresa. Oquendo, and Viscaya ran ashore
and, third the chase OF the Colon, dur
ing which there was practically no fight
ing. During the first stage did not see
te Brooklyn or receive any signals from
her. At the close OF this stage the Ore
gon had passed the Iowa and Texas. and
when we burst out OF the smoke ] saw
tie soUr Spanish ships going west appar-
entity uninjured. and followed hard after,
at the same time observing the Brooklyn
a little ahead and offshore. She was bread