Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-18
TROUBLE ON THE MINNESOTA.
The circumstance Which Led to the
Change In the Comm and of the Ship.
From the Mem Yort WoyId.

Change In the Command of the ship.
From the Ns,0 Yort World.
! Capt. bert Y. Reed was yesterday de-
/ tached IRON the United States steamer
I Minnesota and placed on waiting orders.
/ Commander Theodore +. Kane, formerly
/ OF the Gaieua, was placed in command OF
/ the Minnesota in his stead. At , O'Clock
in the afternoon the naval tug Nina
steamed up the North river with her PEN
/ naut flying from the truck She ran IN
under Tie bows of the Minnesota, OIL the
foot Of Twenty seYeuth street. The crew
/ of the latter had been mustered at quar-
ters and Lieut. Commander Bishop went
forth 40 meet the new CON manGlng o.hcef.
Capt. Reed met them at the gangway OF
Inc man-ot-w ar and escorted Commander
Kane 10 his new quarters, afterwards IN
Producing MIN 10 the shD's officers. inen
the crew WAS drawn up and the orders de-
tachIng one officer and installing another
were read. The outgoing Captains pen
nant was struck and that OF ms successor
was broken out. Thus formally was the
transfer made.
The trouble aboard the Minnesota be-
gan about six months ago. For several
] ears past, and previous to the time apt.
Reed assumed command Of the vessel,
meetings Of prayer and song have been
held aboard OF the Minnesota weekly.
Last summer President Gibbs and others
of he Manhattan Temperance AsSocla-
ton held several temperance meetings on
board. The audiences usually assembled
on the gun deck. where the officers were
accustomed to smoke, and this caused
rupture between the Captain and Chap
lain on the one hand and the remaining
officers on the other. The latter strolled
among the listeners, smoking and with
their has on. Finally they were re-
quested to occupy one OF the Offices of
the ship as smoking room. Iney did
50, but even there they interrupted the
meetings by loud talking. During one Of
the temperance meetings President G ,Dbs
waXed eloquent, and after making some
startling assertions, suggested to his
hearers, in figure Of speech, the ieasl-
billty of running the man-Ot-war up and
down the river and blowing the adjacent
rum shops to pieces with bOmoshels. His
enemies aboard snip were pleased 10 con-
strue this as piracy, maintaining that he
had assumed command OF the ship and
threatened the lives of aw-abidng fellow
country men. The matter was called TO
the attention of the authorities at VI ash
ingtOn.
About this time Capt. Reed attempted
to enforce the naval regulation which
prohibits the admission OF distilled spirits
aboard vessels of war. The Minnesota is
used as receiving ship for naval training
vessels, and it was thought that drinking
aboard Of her might corrupt the young
men recruited there. Chaplain Borrum
heartily supported MS captain in the pO-
sitiOn he took, but the remaining officers,
it is asserted, were much opposed to his
action. They persisted in having liquor in
the Wardroom, and as a result Past As
slstanL surgeon Deane and Lleuts. He'd
den ana HOJchkin were detached from The
Minnesota.
In tn latter part of November CommO-
dOre Scbey came here from w ashingtOn
to inspect the Minnesota. He did not
send word of his intended visit, and did
not board the vessel IN uniform, rs is the
custom. He walked casually over the
decks and went into one Of the holds. He
atterward reported TO the Secretary of tue
Navy that the Minnesota was in filthy
cOndit on he also complained that the
captain tailed te observe an order, issued
in 1882, which provided that notary fees
for the enlistment Of naval apprentices
should he reduced from 81 to 2jc. The
captain admits the truth OF the second
charge, but says that the order was never
received on board his ship. Ia regard 10
the condition of his ship at the Time of
Commodore Schley's visit, he saws she
was never cleaner.
An order detaching Capt. Reed from
the Minnesota was received by him on
Dec. >, to 90 into effect two days later.
lie appealed to the Secretary Of the Navy
for more time. and was given till Dec. 49,
After thi is another extension of one month
was granted. expiring Yesterday. The
order of detachment was signed by Com
mOdore Harmony as acting Secretary of
the Navy. Capt. Reed has appealed to
Secretary Whitney for an official ex-
animation.