The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, November 06, 1901, Image 2
THE SOHLET G8UHT ?F INQUIRY.
Admiral Schley Still on the Stand
-Cross Examination by Capt.
Lemly.
Washington, Oct. 29.-The cross ex?
amination of Admiral Schley was con?
tinued throughout the session of the
court of inquiry today. The progress
made was exceedingly slow. Practi?
cally the whole day was vconsumed in
questioning the admiral about the
cruise from Cienfuegos to Santiago
and the motives and influences that
governed him in turning back after his
squadron had arrived in the vicinity
of the latter port This latter branch
of the cross examination had not been
concluded when the court adjourned.
The blockade at Santiago, the recon
noissance on May 31 and the battle of
July 3 still remain to be covered. It
is hardly probable that the judge ad?
vocate can conclude before adjourn?
ment tomorrow. After he finishes
quite a number of questions prepared
by the members of the court will be
submitted. The judge advocate in
conducting the cross examination used
a carefully prepared typewritten list
of questions. They called for com?
parison of statements Admiral Schley
has made either in his direct testi?
mony, in his communication to the
senate or in his dispatches to Admirai
Sampson or the navy department, with
the testimony of the other vessels of
the fleet. The questions were not ask?
ed in chronological order, but jumped
from one subject to another and from
one stage of the campaign to another.
Throughout the strain to which the
witness was naturally subjected while
"under examination, the admiral retain?
ed his customary composure. Only once
or twice 'did he display impatience or
weariness. At one point when asked
a question, he replied that he had
been asked the same questions yes?
terday, at the same time telling what
his, reply had been then. On another
occasion when he was being searching
ly interrogated as to his distances
from shore at Cienfuegos and as to
whether the distances were a matter
of record he responded rather tartly:
"Oh, no, I did not know they
would ever become a matter of such
great importance, or I should have
plotted them and made a memoran?
dum, as I should of, many other
things."
The main points to which the cross
examination was directed today were
the ability of the ships to coal off
Cienfuegos and the reasons for what is
known as the 'retrograde movement."
The latter was dwelt, upon with
much emphasis and detail and had
not been disposed of fully when the
court adjournd.
The admiral gave three reasons for
turning back-first, the statement of
Capt. Sigsbee, who commanded the
scout ship St. Paul, that the enemy
was not in Santiago : second, the opin?
ion of Nunez, the pilot, that the en?
trance was too narrow and shallow for
the Spanish ships to enter, and third,
the ambiguity of the department's tele?
gram. In the course of the cross ex?
amination the admiral said he regard?
ed the department's dispatches rather !
as suggestions than as an explicit j
order, a suggestion which he carried ?
out after the sea had abated and the j
coal supply of the ships had been re- !
plenished.
Cross Examination of Admiral
Schley Concluded.
Washington, Oct. 30.-The long or?
deal to which" Admiral Schley has been
subjected since Monday morning ended
this afternoon when his cross examina?
tion was concluded and he was allow?
ed to leave the witness stand. When
the judge advocate finished the cross
examination shortly after 3 o'clock the
court propounded to the admiral a
number of questions prepared by the
members of the court. These ques?
tions touched many points of the cam?
paign of the flying squadron, but
mainly centered about the difficulties
encountered in coaling and the rea?
sons for the retrograde movement.
Not one of them related to the battle
of Santiago. The judge advocate's
cross examination today covered the
retrograde movement, the reconnois
sance of May 3ist, the loop of the
Book?yn and the alleged colloquy with
Lieut. Hodgson about the Texas.
One of the most interesting features
of the day was the development of the
fact that fche report cf the battle writ?
ten by Admiral Schley July 6, 1893,
was not the original report. The orig?
inal report never has been published
and in accordance with a previous de?
cision the court today declined to al?
low it to go into the record. Admiral
Schley was allowed to explain, howev?
er, that Admiral Sampson declined to
re2eive the first report because it did
not mention the presence cf the New
York. "I feit that the victory at that
time," said- Admiral Schley, in ex?
plaining the matter, "was big enough
for all and I made this change out of
generosity and because I knew if the
New York had been present she would
have done as good work as anybody
else."
Capt. Thomas Borden, of the marine
corps, who was aboard the Brooklyn,
will be the last witness called for Ad?
miral Schley. After he testifies to?
morrow the jndge avocate will put on
the stand the witnesses in rebuttal, of
whom there are understood to be
about 15, and it is probable that Ad?
miral Schley's counsel will call several
witnesses in surrebuttal.
Among Lemly's first questions was
one asking Admiral Schley's opinion
of the circulnr blockade. The admiral
replied that he thought a circular
blockade where ail the vessels charged
to the centre, wouid produce confusion
and inevitably iead to a different ar?
rangement according as the enemy
moved east or west. "The outcome,"
said he, "ccnld only be more or less
confusion as did actually occur later."
A number of questions were asked
regarding the reconnoissance of May
3ist. Capt. Lemly inquired :
"In your report of June 1st to the
department'eoncerning the rejonnaois
sance you did not mention any purpose
to sink or destroy the Colon?"
"I did not."
"But in your telegraphic report you
did say that your purpose was to de?
stroy the Colon?"
"Incidentally, yes."
The judge advocate then asked the
admiral to tell exactly what his pur?
pose was OR that occasion and what in?
structions he had given.
Admiral Schley replied the signal
instructed the ships to use their heavy
guns against the Colon. The New
Orleans with her lighter battery was
directed to fire at the shore batteries.
"I directed the ships to follow the
flag, to operate against the Colon and
fire at the forts to develop them, and I
think the reconnoissance, so far as it
went, was eminently successful. The
batteries were developed and the fact
was demonstrated that the enemy was
in port. With a squadron of only five
or six ships, I believed that only the
strongest military necessity would have
justified me in risking the loss of a
vessel that might have reduced our
squadron to a numerical inferiority
with the enemy. If one or two of our
ships had been crippled the enemy
might have come out and engaged us
with disastrous results. The develop?
ment of the fact as to the batteries and
ships was, in my opinion, sufficient.
The enemy's ships could not get away,
?nd they did not get away."
Capt. Lemly asked why the mouth
of Santiago harbor had not been
enfiladed and all the ships used on
May 31st.
Admiral Schley replied that he had
not done so simply because the batter?
ies would have been safe while the
ships used thus would have been plac?
ed in greater danger.
"Why did you not steam more slow?
ly as von Dassed the mouth of the har?
bor?""
The witness replied in a deliberate
manner: "Well, that is a technical
error that might have been remedied
if some one else had been in command.
Possibly the firing would have been
more effective if we had gone in closer
but if we had and had steamed slowly
there would have been no gain as the
range would have been narrower. It
was a case of tweedledee on the one
hand and tweedledum on the other."
Captain Lemly at this point passed
to the battle of July 3, stopping to ask
one or two incidental questions about j
the circumstances of the evening of
July 2. !
On July 2, when the suspicious
movements were seen in the harbor of |
Santiago the witness said he talked
with Capt. Cook about the advisabil?
ity of coupling up the engines. It was
decided not to do so. He supposed the
ship was always ready for a sortie.
The cross examination of Admiral
Schley on the battle of Santiago began
with questions as to the Brooklyn's
turning movement.
You regarded that turn as very im?
portant, do you not?"
"I think it was the movement that
decided the events of that day."
The admiral said in response to ques?
tions that he had not mentioned the
loop in his report of the battle. It was
an incident of the battle which he had
no idea ever would come into con?
troversy.
"Do you assume full responsibilitv
for the turn?"
"Absolutely. If I did not give the
order 1 approved it," replied the
admiral.
"Did the Brooklyn stand in and at?
tempt to sink the Spanish fleet in the
channel?"
"I started in at first to help the oth- j
er vessels and to have them help me. J
I felt if we could stop the Spaniards
the battleships could go in and sink
them. I never had any idea that they
i would get away."
"When the Spanish ships succeeded
in getting out of the harbor without
being sunk, in accordance with orders,
what alternative was there but to
chase them?"
"There was no alternative-no other !
course was open, but much depended j
upon the character of the chase. !
Whether it was made in the proper way j
and was effective was one thing, while
a poorly conducted and ineffective j
chase would have been another thing. " ?
Captain Lemly introduced the follow
ing paragraph from Admiral Schley's j
report of the battle dated at Guanta- j
namo, July 6, 1898:
"Since reaching this place and hold- j
ing conversation with several of the
captains, viz. : Capt. Enlate of the \
Viscaya and the second in command of
the Colon, Commander Contreras,
I have learned that the Spanish ad?
miral's scheme was to concentrate all
fire for a while on the Brooklyn and
the Viscaya to ram her, in hopes that
if they could destroy her the chance of
escape would be increased, as it was
supposed she was the swiftest of your
squadron. This explains the heavy fire
mentioned and the Viscaya's action in
the earlier movements of the engage?
ment. The execution of this purpose
was promptly defeated by the fact that
all the ships of the squadron advanced
into close range and opened an irresist?
ibly furious and terrific fire upon the
enemy's squadron as it was coming
out of the harbor. "
Admiral Schley identified this para?
graph as a part of his report.
"You stated in your examination in
chief that on making the turn you did
not see the starboard side of the
Texas?"
"I did so absolutely," replied the
witness.
Admiral Schley in response to a
question said he never heard of the
Texas incident until six months after
the battle. His attention was called
to a letter of June 13, 1900, written
froni the South Atlantic station in
which the admiral was quoted as say?
ing that the turn was made to avoid
the last attempt of the Viscaya to ram
but as the letter could not be produced
at the time he was not questioned upon
it. His attention was next called to
I his letter to tbe senate in which he
said the turn was made to avoid
blanketing the fire of his own ships
and also to his statement in eaxmina
tion in chief that he had not turned
to port because to do so would have
brought the ship into dangerous prox?
imity to the enemy's vessels and exposed
her to possible torpedo attack or
ramming.
"Now," said Capt. Lemly, "here
appear to be three reasons why you
made the turn. Why did you make
that turn?"
'As I already stated in my direct
testimony there is a very much more
important reason which you have not
asked and that was that the ship, might
continue in the action and beat the
enemy as we did. That was the con?
trolling one of all."
? "Did you mention that manoeuvre
in vour report?"
"No."
"Did you have each of these various
reasons in mind at the time?"
"Probably all of them and others."
The judge advocate then took up
Admiral Schley's report of the battle
made to the department dated Guan?
tanamo, July 6, 1898, and he was
questioned concerning the statements
made therein, attention being called to
the statement that after the Viscaya
had struck her colors the signal was
made to cease firing and then the fol?
lowing sentence : "The Oregon hav
j ing proved vastly faster than the other
! battleships, she and the Brooklyn to?
gether with the Texas and another ves?
sel, which proved to be your flagship,
continued westward in pursuit of the
Colon, which had run close in shore
evidently seeking some good spot to
beach if she should fail to elude her
pursuers. "
"You wrote that?" asked Capt.
Lemly.
"Yes,' replied Admiral Schley, "and
I can explain the whole thing* if you
will permit me to introduce a prelim?
inary report I made that was return?
ed."
Capt. Lemly: "I have no objection
to your preliminary report unless it
comes under the rule that it was not
sent."
Admiral Shley: "It was sent and
was returned."
Capt. Lemly: "I think I have a
right to continue now and have them
insert other evidence at this time."
J A long discussion ensued over the
admission of this report, Mr. Raynor
contending for its admission and Capt.
Lemly charging that Mr. Raynor's
purpose was to interfere with the
cross-examination. After recess Capt.
Lemly submitted the report, and the
court decided it could not ^be read
aloud.
The admiral then recounted his con-'
versation with Admiral Sampson who,
he said, handed the letter back to him
with the statement that he (Sampson)
was commander in chief and that he
(Schley) had omitted a very important
detail in the report in that it failed to
show the presence of the New York.
"I felt at that time," Admiral Schley
went on, ' ? that the victory was big
enough for all, and I made this (his
report of the battle that has been pub?
lished) out of generosity and because
I knew that if the New York had been
present she would have done as good
work as any other vessel."
After a few more questions Capt.
Lemly announced the close of the cross
examination.
He turned to Mr..Raynor, who said:
"We have not a single question."
"Washington, Oct. 31.-In the Schley
court of inquiry today a number of
witnesses were introduced by Judge
Advocate Lemly to testify in rebuttal
of the evidence given in Admiral
Schley's behalf. The court decided
early in the day that no witnesses
could be introduced at this stage of
the proceedings to give testimony on
immaterial points. This announce?
ment was made in connection with an
effort to prove a conversation on board
the Massachusetts in which Lieut.
Sears, who was Admiral Schley's flag
lieutenant, was represented to have
said, 'For Ok>d's sake don't discour?
age him" (meaning Commodore
Schley. ) It is all that we have been
able to do to work him up to this.'
It had the effect of relieving Lieut.
Commander Grant, Lieut. Comman?
der Potts and other officers of the
Massachusetts, who had been called to
testify concerning this conversation
with Mr. Sears, which is said to have
occurred on the Massachusetts just
before the reconnoissance of May 31.
On the other hand the court held
that it was not bound by the ordinary
proceedings in civil courts as to the
time when testimony can be taken and
that witnesses might be called or re?
called any sime for the purpose of
making additions to former state?
ments but that none of them could
reiterate testimony previously given.
This decision was rendered upon an
objection raised by Mr. Raynor to al?
lowing Capt. Sigsbee to give new testi?
mony when called as a witness in re?
buttal.
Capt. Chadwick in his statement
today said that the precautionary dis?
patches from the navy department in
regard to attacking the Spanish shore
batteries had not been communicated
to Commodore Schley. This state?
ment is regarded as of great import?
ance by Admiral Schley's opponents
as it "distinctly contradicts the ad?
miral's own statements.
Capt. T. S. Borden* junior marine
officer on the Brooklyn, gave testi?
mony corroborative of that given by
other officers of the Brooklyn. He had
seen the Brooklyn's loop, of which he
said: "In the course of the turn I.
fired guns on either side, starboard
and port. Smoke was verv thick at
that time, and during the turn I saw
no vessels at all, although I had a
plain view of the stern ports. I judge
I could see about 500 vards distinct?
ly."
In reply to questions from Mr. Ray?
nor he said he had seen Commodore
Schley three times during the battle,
and that his bearing was "everything
that the officers and crew could have
expected."
The witness said he fired at three
ships inside of three minutes by a
slight change in turn.
As Capt. Borden left the stand Mr.
Raynor said :
"May it please the court we have
closed our case. "
This statement was made at 11.15 a.
m. in such quiet tones that it is
doubtful whether its purport was un?
derstood by half of those present.
Capt. Parker put in evidence a j
number of documents, including the
report cf the battle from Montevido
June 13, 1900. !
This report has never been printed.
Following is an exact summary:
"In my judgment from an obstruct?
ed view cf the entire field of action
during the combat the Viscaya was
not more than 1,000 yards distant.
My flag lieutenant, standing at my
elbow, reminded me that the distance
between the leaders of the Spanish
squadron and ourselves was approach?
ing our tactical diameter. The stadi
mer at this instant indicated 900
yards. The Brooklyn then swung to
starboard to meet what proved to be
the last of the attempts to ram the
Brooklyn, for the Viscaya then turned
square "to starboard and followed the
Maria Teresa until tho latter's destruc?
tion. These facts admit of no con?
tradiction, for they are based on the
independent judgment and observation
of two or mon; persons, .and upon the
stadimeter in the hands of a person
skilled in its use."
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