Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-08
N OF so FAVORAB LIE.
The Evidence Given Before the Davenport
Court Of Inquiry.
Other Witnesses Testify to HIS Jump
ing From the Ship Before the Order
to Abandon Her Was Given.

The interest in the Davenport court Of in
quiry at the navy yard is on the increase
as the days pass by and now that witnesses
summoned on behalf Of the government are
giving their testimony, a number Of facts
are being brought out that tend to put
Lieut.. Davenport's action on the occasion of
the Samoan disaster in a rather less favor
able light
Yesterday afternoon Lieut. Purcell, the
witness who has testified that Lieut. Dav-
enport in nude condition jumped from the
main chains Of the Nipsic and swan ashore
some time before the order was given to
abandon ship. was recalled and gave some
further testimony as to minor details of the
incident.
Saw the Defendant Jump.
Paymaster John Corwine. who was at
tached to the Nipsic at the time of the dis
aster. testified that he was on the beach at
the time the Nipsic grounded and that with
the assistance of Ensign Purcell he attempt
ed to pass rope from the ship around a tree
on the beach. Among other incidents con-
nected with the beaching Of the Nipsic. he
saw Lieut.. Davenport nude and standing on
the starboard side, on the main chains, and
dive into the water and swim ashore This
was before the rope was passed to the tree.
With the exception of Lieut.. Davenport and
ashore in the cutter, he saw none of the
officers come ashore except over the line
The paymaster said that his relations with
the applicant We're very pleasant, but that
ne mad heard numerous criticisms from
other officers as to Lieut.. Davenport's be-
havior during the disaster
n Witness said he some of the men
bump In the same manner as the applicant
and from the same place, but no officers.
II others had jumped he could not but have
seen 1t: He did not know of any act other
than that mentioned. either of omission or
commission, on the part of the applicant
that would reflect upon his conduct as an
offlcer or the navy. On the day after the
disaster when he was thinking over the
matter 1t seemed to him that Lieut.. Daven-
ports conduct was not all that 1t should
have been and that he left the ship ahead
of time.
Ensign Jones' Evidence.
Ensign FL. p. Jones, who is now stationed
on the Machias, but who was another of
the officers on the Nipsic at the time of the
disaster. told of the Incidents of the beach,
ing of the ship. He was in charge of the
deck at the time. Did not remember to
have seen the applicant after the order was
given to beach the ship. He did not know
except by hearsay how the applicant had
left the ship. The chronometers Of the
ship. which were in the charge of Lieut.
davenport, were either abandoned or so
badly Jammed as to be useless when they
might have been saved. Witness was pres
ent in the ward room when the applicant
stated that he had asked for a court of in
quiry from Admiral Kimberly. but that the
request had been denied. He also heard
Lieut.. Purcell say to Lieut. Davenport that
II any such charges were being circulated
ABOUT MIN as there were about Davenport
stead OF asking for 1t ana he would have
It. too Witness said that he had heard
umerods rumors about Lieut. Davenport's
conduct at the time. which were to the ef
had ocbn
orders were given to abandon the Ship
T"day's Testimony.
Ensign Jones was the first witness placed
upon the stand this morning. and the direct
examination by Judge Advocate Laucheim-
er was continued. He was asked as to the
amount of water in the ward room and the
condition Of the spar deck between the time
the ship was beached and the time that he
went ashore. The deck was badly Uttered
with wreckage gratings, chests and mat
ters of that sort Prior to the beaching of
the ship there was enough water to float n
heavy chest. Witness was asked a number
OF questions as to the condition of affairs on
deck, and the possibility of going from the
steerage hatch to the fo'castle, the purpose
of this questioning being to show that Lieut.
Davenport might have saved the chronome-
tiers and other matters that We're intrusted
70 his care. The witness said that it was
not difficult matter to so from one part of
the deck to the other though the depth of
the water on the deck varied considerably
as the ship heeled over He himself made
an effort to save the log book, which was
given to him by the captain. After the ship
was beached he called for a man on shore
and then he tossed the log high up into the
air. trusting to the wind to carry it in. The
man on the beach. however, failed to secure
10, and the log was lost
The judge advocate here read portion of
the statement which Lieut.. Davenport SUBJ
mitted to the Secretary of the Navy, giving
his version of the incidents of the disaster
for the purpose of having the witness either
affirm or deny 1t. He was in the midst of
reading it when the court took a recess un-
til afternOOn