The Portland daily press., 1894-03-03
THE TURN OF THE TAR.
Jack Tells How He Kept a Lookout for
ROncadOr Reef.


More Testimony About the Currents
They Apparently Flow First in One
Direction and Then in Another Directly
siety.
New York. March 2.-One of the first
things done this morning by the board of
inquiry at the Broo klyn navy yard, now
examining into the wrecking of the cor
vette Kearsarge on Roncador reef, on
February 2, was to settle the fact that
the evesight and hearing on the seamen
acting as look-outs on the kearsarge
when she struck were normal. Since
yesterday, Assistant Surgeon Thomas G.
Craig, has subjected the three look-outs
to examination. He testified this morn
ing that the eye-sight Of each could not
be better. and their hearing was normal.
Joseph Huyle, first-class apprentice
and the lookout aloft at the time the
Kearsaree struck, was called. Huyle was
the first one to become aware of the fact
that tie Kearsarge was close to the reef.
He gave the alarm before he saw the
reef. He heard the hum of surf and
cried out Breakers on the port bow;
breakers ahead, sir.
D. H. Barden, a naval cadet, and officer
of the forecastle, was the next witness.
He had seen the observations made at
4.1o on the afternoon of February ?. He
said he was ordered to keep sharp
lookout for Roncador reef. which he did.
John f. Lenihan and Frederick Ray
mond Lawrence, the other two lookoutE,
testified that they had been ordered to
keep a bright lookout for breakers. Len
then said he had not seen the breakers
till after the others called out breakers
ahead, ;,
Lieutenant Charles I. Force was called
He was the executive officer OF the kear-
sarge. The most important bit OF his
testimony was that the foresail had been
hauled up at 6 on the evening of Februa-
nv 2. A clear view could be had. Lieu
tenant Force himself stood on the star
board horse block and used pair OF
glasses in trying to make out Roncador.
He told of how the fires were started
under the boilers and how it was not
possible, with the sea and heavy wind
which then set in, to back the Kearsarge
off
Lieutenant A. T. Walling, ordinance
officer of the Kearsarge and senior
watch officer on February 2, testified
that he was ordered by the commanding
officer to keep bright lookout for
breakers on both bows and ahead. When
Lieutenant Commander Lyman had TAX
en- the observation at noon, Walllng
spoke to him about it. 1.-THE navigator
told me- said the witness, ''that the
north end of Roncador key was dead
ahead of us. I said to him We can't
reach Roncador by daylight He replied
that we could, as Roncador could be
seen when six or eight miles away. [
suggested to him that it would be a good
thing to get up steam, as our speed was
falling off, and the navigator spoke to
the commander about getting up steam.
The commander said he would 10 so
after the observations were taken
at FOUR The witness said ne had taken
the observation himself.
Admiral Gherardi wanted to know if
there was any particular reason why he
did that. He said there was
'sDid you feel any anxiety"
Il did after FOUR
"Why?'
Because of white caps. / don't think
breakers could be seen further away
than two or three miles,
At Colon, the witness said he talked
of the currents about Roncador with
Lieut.. Brush of the yorktown. Lieut..
Brush told him that during the night
and up to in the morning the currents
were northwest. After that they were
to the south and east.
The next witness, Lieut.. John E. Rol-
| la, had been in the service % years and
for two wears of thar time was navigator
of the Kearsargs when she was or using
about the West Indies and Caribbean
sea. The currents there he found to
be very irregular and not
| to be depended on at all.
| In his experience he encountered cur
rent travelling in one direction, and
| again under the same conditions exactly,
| found the current in dramatically OPP
posite direction. He remembered on
one occasion that the Kearsarge was
driven out of the harbor at Colon by a
| '.norther'' In "a hours they were car
ried to the east and then to the west by
| the current. which should have SET
| steadily in one direction.
! Lieutenant Gustavus Hanus was the
| next witness called. He had surveyed in
southern waters and in the Caribbean
sea for the navy department. He told OF
changes in the currents he had encoun-
tered in the Caribbean sea while naviga-
| tor of the Enterprise in 1880.