Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-01
CHARTS AT FAULT.
Roncador Reef Was Not Correctly
Laid Down on Them.
Navigator's Calculations Should Have Carried
the Kearsarse On in Safety.

New YORK, Feb. 2S.-The session oi
the board of inquiry investigating the wreck
of the old corvette kearsarge, a. the Brook
lyn navy yard, was resumed this morning
Commander Heyerman was recalled and
asked what become of the cipher code thai
was on the kearsarge. He replied that il
had been expressed to the navy department
Washington. In the chart of Roncadol
reef, corrected up to 1888, were two curves
one of 20 fathoms, the pther of 100 faith
oms.
Commander Heyermal was asked if he
could not have taken soundings in the l0(
fathom curve and learned that he was close
to the reef. 81 could not" was the reply
"Why not?' asked Admiral Gherardi. 81
was half mile from the reef and running
eight knots an hour. IL less that four min.
utes / would have been on the reef and
could not get the sounding machine down
and up again before striking the reef.
Then Lieut.. Com. Charles Huntington
Lyman was called. He said that prior to
the time of striking the reef he had no rea-
son to doubt the accuracy of the maps fur
nished the Kearsarge by the photographic
office. Thirty minutes before we struck,
he continued. Il took an observation. That
observation l worked out subsequently
after we landed on the reef. l found then
that Roncador reef was three to FIVE miles
west of the position it occupied on the
chart. Some other officers worked it up
and found the reef to the westward of our
position on the chart"
When he left New York, Lyman said, he
had no reason to suppose that any instru-
ments or charts were inaccurate, Nth one
exception. Before he accepted his own
work, Lyman said, he checked it by the
work of cadets and by reckoning. LieuteD-
ant Lyman said the survey of RoneadOr
reef was made in 1885 and it had not been
surveyed since. The determination Of
longitude was not then such an accurate
process as today.
Lieut.. Lyman said he studied the charts
to inform himself as to the character of the
waters into which they were to sail. He
gave the course of the Kearsarge in detail,
and said the currents encountered were
normal, and as shown in the charts of that
latitude, ascertained by taking the means of
several latitudes. AT 6 80 p. NJ. an obser-
vation was taken, and according to
the dead reckoning only, they were
then two miles north of Ronca-
dor key, which is the northern ex-
tremity Of the reef. With the northwest
current which they supposed they had, and
which they did have at A. they should have
oassed to the north of the key, anywhere
between five and ten miles.
''At the time the ship struck what posi-
ton did you suppose you were in!"
Il thought we were between five and six
miles to the north of the key. Even with
out the assistance of the northwest current,
we should have been two miles to the north
of the key"
After the last sight was taken, 20 minutes
before the ship struck, the longitude showed
that ths " were in the same position with the
key and two miles north of it in latitude.
What they encountered, the witness said,
was not the northwest currents they expect
ed, but currents to the south and east cur
rents caused by the trade winds.
Il attribute the loss of the ship to i'm
perfect charting, partly to the current set
ting in different directions frem what we
anticipated and partly to not sighting the
reef before dark" After finishing the ex-
animation of Lieutenant Lyman the court
adjourned.