Commodore Winfield S. Schley, Commander, Flying Squadron, to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long
Cipher telegram for the Department and Admiral Sampson.1
Enemy in port. Recognized CRISTOBAL COLON, and INFANTA MARIA TERESA and two torpedo boats,2 moored inside Morro behind point. Doubtless the others are here. We are short of coal; using every effort to get coal in. VIXEN blew out manhole gasket; have sent boilermaker on board to repair. Colliers repaired machinery being put back together. Have about 3000 tons of coal in collier,3 but not easy to get on board her. If no engagement in next two or three days, Sampson’s Squadron could relieve this one to coal at Gonaives or vicinity of Port au Prince. Hasten me dispatch boats for picket work. BROOKLYN, IOWA, MASS,4 TEXAS, MARBLEHEAD, VIXEN and collier compose Squadron here.
(Following additional sentence to Department)
Am sending ST PAUL to communicate with Sampson.
SCHLEY.
Source Note: CbCy, RG 313, Entry 68, p. 375. Note: Handwritten at the top, “May 29th-”. According to the Report of the Bureau of Navigation, 1898, this message was sent at 10 am by cable from Mole St. Nicolas, Haiti. See Ibid., 400.
Footnote 1: RAdm. William T. Sampson, Commander, North Atlantic Fleet.
Footnote 3: The collier Merrimac.
Footnote 4: The battleship Massachusetts.
