The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-27
THE NUMANCIA'S ANCHORAGE.
Professor Mitchell's Survey Completed
He Thinks the Frigate Did Touch
BOttOm-IIer Anchorage Not Well

Professor Mitchell's Survey Completed
He Thinks the Frigate Did Touch
BOttOm-IIer Anchorage Not Well
Chosen.
On Friday last report appeared exclusively in
the HERALD setting forth the facts in relation TO
the new anchorage OF the Spanish iron-cad frigate
Numancia on the Southwest Spit and asserting,
on the strength OF report made by her Com
mander to Deputy Health Oficer Mosher, that the
ram had been aground on the night OF Monday, Au-
gust TO- and had In her captains opinion, touched the
bottom once or twice subsequently thereto. The re
port caused quite sensation in shipping circles,
and everybody, including those who ought to know
something about the harbor and port OF New York,
insisted that it must be n mistake ''she couldn't
ground down there, you know, and so forthr Pilot
Commissioner Blunt was very much agitated on the
subject, inasmuch as he had given the peremptory
order for her removal from the Narrows to her
present anchorage, and In order to ascer-
tain the actual facts the Board of Pilot Com
missioners on Saturday last despatched the
steamer Arago under charge OF Professor Mitchell
Of the Coast Survey, and Captain Van Ness to make
report on her actual position. TAe Arago has com,
pleted the service, and yesterday Professor Mitchell
informally submitted his report TO Commissioner
Blunt The gentlemen had quite an extended pr-
vate consultation, and Commissioner Blunt de-
clined to make the report public until It has been
submitted formally to the full Board and considered
and accepted by that body. The report, however,
sets forth that 1000 soundngs were made at and
about the Numanca's anchorage, and that the sur.
veyors found depth Of thirtytwo feet six inches
at mean low tide At extreme ebb tides this depth
would be reduced perhaps foot or thereabouts.
They find that the Numancia draws thrty-one
Spanish feet, or nearly twenty.nin feet English
measurement. which would give her margin for
"plunging" where she now lies or about three and
half feet, which, when the tides happen to fall
usually low, would be reduced to about two feet.
This plungcway the Professor states, is, in his
opinion, insufficient for an iron-clad irigate OF
1920 tOns--the Numancia's tonnage-and he
thinks 1t highly probable and quite pos
sibe that she did touch bottom, as
reported. Vessels of her build freighted with
enormous dead weight armamenJs, rise and fall
when lifted en- wave or swell much more than
vessels of the more buoyant merchant class. even
though the tonnage be equal. The Numancia now
swings with sixty fathoms of chain, and this added
to her length--nearly 400 feet--gves her radius
of 700 feet and within this radius the report States
the water Is too shallow for the Eslmanca. Pro-
lessor Mitchell says there Is room for fourteen such
vessels to ride at anchor in perfect safety just
where the Numancia lies, but that she is anchored
In by no means the safest place. The bottom is
soft and lumpy and no serious damage, he thinks,
cOuldoccur to the vessel unless she grounded very
heavily.