The Portland daily press., 1894-02-28
LOST HER RECKONING.
Officers Of the kearsarge Tell How
She Struck on Ronca4or.
HEYERMAN BREAKS
DOWN IN COURT.

saven Miles from the Dangerous Reef
and Safely Past 1t When the Lookout
Cried Breakers Ahead."-Secretary
Herbert Will Make Determined Eff
fort to Save the Historic Ship.
Brooklyn, n. Y, February 27,-The
investigation begun yesterday by the
Board of Inquiry appointed by Secretary
Herbert to inquire into the wrecking of
the Kearsarge on Roncador reef, was
continued today in the court martial
room at the navy yard, Rear Admiral
Gherardi presiding. Rear Admiral Os-
car F. Stanton was called to the witness
stand. He told the course of the Kear-
sarge as set at noon on February 2, and
described the position of the vessel at
the time. The course taken had been
such as was supposed to have cleared
Roncador reef. s.At 6 O'Clock that eve
ming" Admiral Stanton went on, Conn
mander Heyerman reported to me that
the navigator was sure we had passed to
the north of Roncador reef. Shortly be-
fore the lookout cried Breakers ahead
'sHow far off were you from the
breakers when you heard the cry of the
lookout?' asked Judge Advocate Kelley.
mot more than 800 yards, !" was the
answer. The night, the witness added,
was dark. Admiral Stanton said he had
given no orders as to the course that
should be taken by the ship. Admiral
Stanton told what happened latter the
Kearsarge struck on the reef. His ac-
count did not differ from what was tolG
by him when he arrived here. He stated
that Commander Heyerman remained
on until the last man left. But two cata-
maran loads were to be taken off when
the admiral left the Kearsarge.
Commander Heyerman was called. He
was asked concerning the log of the Ke-
arsage. The rough and smooth logs for
48 hours prior to the time the Kearsarge
struck, were lost in the wreck. he said.
The night order book was also lost. The
regulations regarding the night order
book had always been fully carried out
He knew the night order book would be
wanted, and for that reason made two at
tempts to recover it. Judge Advocate
Kelley led the witness to the time he
started from San Domingo and went to
Port-au-Prince, and his start for Blue
fields, Nicaragua. The witness said the
course he decided to,fOllow was to go
south of Jamaica, and to make Corn ISL
ands from there over the Gulf of Blue
fields. If he reached the coast at night
he intended to anchor. The weather
was such that accurate observations
could be made. The navigator never
complained to the witness of want of ac-
curacv in the charts or instruments, ex-
cept that once, in a casual way, he said
the sextant was not as good as it might
have been. The speed of the Kearsarge,
the commander said, up to noon of Feb
ruary l, was from six to eight knots an
hour. There was good breeze and all
sail was set. The Kearsarge ran along
then at seven knots an hour. The posi-
ton of the Kearsarge at noon on Februa-
ry 2, the witness said, by dead reckoning
| was latitude 13o 81 North. longitude 1872
02 3p West. By observation it was lati-
tude 130 sS', longitude 79' 49, So7
West. That showed that the witness
was having to contend with current
from the north. The force of the cur
rent was about one or two knots. The
witness had no knowledge that currents
might change in the Caribbean sea with
out warning. The course at that time,
Commander Heyerman continued, was
| west-south- west, three-quarters west.
| On that course he expected to pass five
miles to the north of Roncador reef. At
4 in the afternoon, Navigator Lyman
made the usual report as to the position
| he supposed the ship was in. The wit
ness did not remember the report. The
| northwest current continued at that
time, and the navigator saw nothing to
| show anything wrong in the position he
assumed the Kearsarge to be in at that
hour. They expected to make Roncador
| reef at 6 or any time after. At they
| were about IS or 10 miles away from the
reef. Between and 6. they ran about
q or % miles. Up to they had sighted
nothing. and concluded that they had
passed to the north of Roncador reef, OR
were near it without being able to see it.
The weather was clear and the sun about
setting. There was haze on the hori-
zon. At $50 the witness sent the assist
ant navigator aloft with the best glasses
aboard the ship to look around. He re-
ported nothing in sight. The witness
| took extra precautions because OF the
proximity to the reef, and as furtnel ne
| precaurion, he gave orders to go to the
westward. The witness and the naviga.
| tor were on deck. Lieutenant Bralnard
was the officer of the deck. The witness
said: s'At ten minutes to the lookout
cried breakers ahead I saw them or
either side and ahead of us. We were
about 200, perhaps 300, yards away IRON
them. ordered the wheel hard-a-port
had the engines stopped and began tt
back. We started up the other boilers
after we struck, but could not back tht
ship off The point where we struci
was six miles to the south and fou
miles to the eastward OF where sup
posed | was
Commander Heyerman testified con
terning the landing of the crew ant
| what they did Oh shore. The report o
| the inquest Oil the death of Anderson
| Robbins, the seaman drowned, was sub
| raitted to the board. Commander Heyer
man then told OF the coming OF the Cit
of Para and the removal of the ship
wrecked crew to Colon. The commando
was overcome by emotion and the room
was cleared. In few minutes, the pub
lie was again admitted. Commando
Heyerman had recovered. He was asked
"How far were you from the place yo'
should have been when you struck th
reef?"
| About seven miles"
That closed the examination and tn
board adjourned until tomorrow morn
ing.