OCR Text |
Show SCHLEY COURT OF INQUIRY RESUMES ITS SESSIONS. Four Witnesses Testify Who Dlsagre. With Coarse Pursued by Admiral Schley. ; The Schley court of inquiry reconvened recon-vened Friday, and before it adjourned examined four witnesses. The most important incident of the day was the decision of the court withdrawing a question put by the court itself, asking ask-ing a witness to give his opinion concerning con-cerning a point under cnntroversy. The most important witness examined exam-ined during the day was Admiral Hig-ginson, Hig-ginson, who commanded the battleship Massachusetts during the bombardment bombard-ment May 31 of the battleship Colon, then lying in the outer harbor at Santiago. San-tiago. Admiral Higginson said, in his judgment, Admiral Schley had not done all possible to destroy the Colon on that date, and that the Colon could have been destroyed had the American fleetclosedin and attacked at closer range. The Spanish shore batteries the Admiral considered, ( did not amount to much. Major Wood, who commanded the marine force on the Massachusetts, testi6ed that when attacked by the shore batteries Admiral Schley had given this order: "Starboard your helm and lets get out of this.' They were 10,000 feet from the batteries. He considered the distance too great for effective work. Captain Harber, second in command com-mand on the Texas, (Captain Phillips dead) testified that when the squadron went to Ceinfue-gos, Ceinfue-gos, earthworks were discovered, but 9 no attempt was made to destroy them. He had heard of no general orders or directions having -been issued regarding, regard-ing, conduct of a fight should the Spanish fleet be engaged. He also thought ships might have coaled at sea instead of going to Key West, as- they did at this time, by orders of Admiral Ad-miral Schley. |