Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-16
THE LOST DESPATCH.
Lieutenant Cowles May Escape Pun
ishment for the Disaster.
SOME STRONG SOCIAL PRESSURE
Will Be Brought to Bear to Save the Young
Naval officer.
THE PROBABLE LINE OF HIS DEFENSE
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH

| ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATCH.I
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15.-Naval officers
and others who are interested in matters re-
lating to the discipline of the army and
navy are at present giving attention to the
subject of the wreck of the Despatch, and
the question of the hour among this class Of
people is: Will Lieutenant Cowles be court
martialed or will political and social inau-
ence be successful in clearing his skirts?
Opinions are decided, both as to whether
Lieutenant Cowles is guilty and as to his
chances of escaping conviction.
Many officers, who claim not to be at all
prejudiced, express the opinion that Lieu
tenant Cowles was guilty of gross negligence
in leaving the bridge of the vessel and 60
ing below even for moment, owing to such
severe storm as that encountered on the
Despatch, and that it does not lessen his
guilt particle to show that Lieutenant
Mulligan was on deck at the time the vessel
went on the shoals
CAUSE OF THEIR ACTION.
The failure of the officers of the ship to
put to sea when they found themselves out
of their course, instead of remaining in
shore with momentary danger of being
wrecked, can only be explained, it is said,
by the evident desire of the officers to make
quick voyage to the Potomac river, both
in order to get out of the rough weather and
to crafty the desires of the officials of the
administration who were awaiting the ar
rival of the Despatch in order to go aboard
of her.
No formal report of the disaster has yet
been received from Lieutenant Cowles, but
when it comes it will probably be accom-
panied with a request for a court of inquiry,
which will be appointed whether or no.
Lieutenant Mulligan, who was on deck
when the accident occurred, will perhaps
be made a defendant with Lieutenant
Cowles before the court martial that will
undoubtedly be appointed. The defense of
these officers, it is thought, will be based on
the terrible state of the weather at the time
the ship struck, and, possibly, on the un-
seaworthiness of the steamer as well
THE PLAN OF DEFENSE.
1t is said that they will most likely insist
that in the thick atmosphere of the night
the white light of the Lighthouse appeared
red, and that therefore it was easily taken
for the red light of the schooner Drift,
which had been anchored off the winter
quarter shoal in place of the regular light
ship. This, it is thought, will involve a
long examination into the scientific bear
ings of the case and NAV develop some in
teresting facts in regard to the usefulness of
the present system of colored lights and af-
ford strong argument in favor of the plan
of the Lighthouse Board looking to the
abandonment of the present system of col
ored lights.
Nothing has been heard from Secretary
Tracy regarding the loss of the Despatch,
and no one at the department who occupies
an official position will express an opinion
as to the guilt or innocence of Lieutenant
Cowles. He is friend of Secretary Tracy,
and is in high favor at the department gen.
orally.
STRONG SOCIAL FRIENDS
He has relatives who occupy prominent
official stations, and his strong friends in
the social world of Washington will leave
no stone unturned in looking for way
bv which he can escape conviction
and punishment. Only one proposition
seems beyond dispute now, and that is that
the officer in command cannot shift the re-
sponsibility for the care of vessel to a
iuniorssofficer, by sending the latter on deck,
and that whether Lieutenant Mulligan was
in command of the Despatch at the moment
she went ashore, Lieutenant Cowles is the
man who must bear the entire response
bility.
When Secretary Tracy recently censured
Commander Reiter in such severe terms, it
was thought that hereafter no influence
whatever could be successfully invoked to
prevent the punishment of offending naval
officers, but that hope was dissipated when
the Secretary, after listening to the appeals
of Commander Reiter's friends, weakened
materially in the terms of his condemna-
tion. Judging by innumerable precedents
and present circumstances, therefore, the
majority of officers in Washington think
that Lieutenant Cowles will not be pun
ished for the loss of the Despatch.