The record-union., 1894-02-22
THE WRECKED KEARSARGE.
HER OFFICERS AND GREW ARRIVE
AT NEW YORK.
No Chance of Saving the Vessel-Sho
is Full of Water and Lies High
Upon q Reef.
snecial to the REcoRp-UNIox.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
NEW YORK, Feb. 21-The steamer City
Of Para arrived this morning from Colon,
bringing the officers and crew of the war
snip Kearsarge, wrecked on Roncador
reef.
The City of Para arrived at the dock
shortly after noon. The dock was gaily
decorated in honor of the ro.urning sail
ors, and large American flag was spread
over the gang plank. y large crowd of
friends and relatives were on the pier.
Admiral Stanton told the story Of the
wreck of the Kearsarge TO the Associated
Press. The accident occurred about
p. NJ. February "a. A stiff northeast
trade wind was blowing. The kearsarge
struck lightly at first, then went high and
dry on the reef. The crew remained on
board that night. The following day all
hands were taken of on catamaran
boat, together with water and provisions,
old sails. awnings and duck, to rig shell
ters with.
Every body was perfectly cool and the
work of arranging RATS, etc, TO carry the
plunder ashore was carried on systenati-
cally. Water was rather scarce, allowing
only pint per day for each man. In
transfer seaman Anderson Robbins. who
tried TO swim to the reef, was drowned.
This was the only fatality and the rest of
the officers and crew are in good health.
LAS soon as they got ashore Lieutenant
Brainard was dispatched with seven men
TO Old Providence 10 secure a vessel to
take the shipwrecked men up. AT Colon
Brainard secured the City of Para, which
arrived at the scene February 10th and
took them off, the men not having under
gone any special hardship aside from the
shortage of water"
a i
of the investigation by the Government,
to say anything as to the cause OF the
wreck or the responsibility therefor He
expressed the opinion that there is no
possible chance of saving the hull of the
kearsarge, as she was badly stove and
nearly full of water.
Commander Oscar f. Peyerman said
Admiral Stanton and | were together
from the moment the vessel struck until
we went ashore the next day together
he and L were the last persons to leave
the kearsarge. We went ashore to save
our lives, as the Kearsarge was Begin
ming to ship great deal of water We
made several efforts to go ashore, but
were unsuccessful, till we finally sue
ceeded in getting ashore on a catamaran
boat We got along very we'll after we
reached the shore, although the supply of
provisions was short, and until we dug a
sibility of the accident [ do not care to
say anything. Those facts will be inves-
tigated, in all probability, by a Court of
Inquiry, or by an investigation by the
Navy Department. We managed to save
a great many instruments, chronometers,
the log OF the hearsarge and other ar
ticles"
The story of the wreck as told by
Lieutenant Brainard was substantially
the same as the Admiral and Commander
He said: AT the time of the accident
there was quite a sea running, which
broke over the poop after she struck. She
ran up high and dry on the reef, and we
left her full OF wafer and in very bad
condition. There was nobody on the
bridge at the time OF the accident, and
there was no pilot. But do not care to
talk about the causes or effects or respon-
sibility, or anything of that sort That
will have to be left for investigation. 1t
was known that we were in the vicinity
of reef. There is no chance of saving
the ship. She is full of water, and high
and dry upon reef, and the Merritt
Wrecklng Company could not save
enough of her to pay for coal, nor could
with her. She struck so hard that she
glided over two OF the reefs like grey
hound before she was stopped
THE VESSEL GOING To PIECES,
WASHINGTON. Feb. 21.-Secretary Her
bert has been advised that the hull of the
kearsarge on Roncador Reef is breaking
up, and there is little hope of saving her.
None of the guns which did such effect
i've work in the battle with the Alabama
off Cherbourg, were aboard the ship when
she was cast on the reef official state
ment by the Ordnance Bureau for the in
formation OF the Secretary SHOWS her two
ll-lnch guns are now on hand at the Mare
Island Navy-yard, the four 32-pounders
were sold at the Boston Nayy-yard in
FEBRUARY, 1888, to NJ. LissIberger of New
YORK; the 30-pound DahIgren rife was
sold at the same yard in AS75 to the Bos-
ton Machine Company, AMI the l2-pound
light howitzer was melted up in October,
1889.