The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-17
THE NEW CINCINNATI DAMAGED.
struck . Submerged object II the sound,
Hetnrned, and Went Irta nrr noek.

The cruiser Cincinnati is lying in dry dock at
the Brooklyn Navy Yard because she ran over a
submerged obstruction in Long Island Sound
early yesterday morning while on her way to
New London. She left the Navy Yard at o $50
o'clock, steamed slowly up the river and into
the Sound, then got on more steam, and was
preparing for q burst Of speed when she struck
q sunken object. 1t was about 8 o'clock. and
she had Just passed Execution Rock. The shock
when she struck was very slight. II was followed
by q second impact further aft.
One Of the Cincinnati's officers said OF the sc-
cident last night: 1.-THE object we struck could
not have been a rock, for there are none in that
neiRhborhood. II was probably the sunken
wreck OF some barge or sloop, and may have
been lying there for a long time. When
the Cincinnati left the yard she was
drawing about nineteen feet aft. when she
struck there was not the slightest commotion
aboard. There was no shock TO speak Of, and I
don't think she hit the obstruction hard enough
to put a hole through her outer skin. The strik-
ing was more in the nature NJ a s~craping, and IL
was in two distinct conclusions. rs IL the object
struck had been forced down in the water and
had bobbed back"
She was making about liz knots, and her en-
gines were at once slowed down.. Several on
GERS, including her navigator and a pilot. were
en- the bridge, and only n few moments before
the lead showed eight fathoms in the channel.
After the engines had been slowed an exnmina
tion Of the vessels hull was made. and Il was
discovered that she was making water slowly in
several compartments between the outer and
inner hulls. below the boiler spncc. She was
turned around ard put back to the Navy Yard,
where she went into dry dock. BY this
morning ths water will have been pumped
out OF the dry deck sufficiently to permit an ex-
animation of the vessels hull. 1t is said
that only n few plates have been started and
that her screw may be fractured.
The plates Of the false bottom arc about an
inch thick and are of steel. Between the outer
and the inner hull there are alright compart-
ments. When the examination was first made
no water was found In these compartments, as
there would have been had a hole been stove in
the outer hull. Later an. however. water began
to leak In slowly, and 1t was for that reason that
the vessel WINS headed back to the yard. The
compartments in which there was water were
on the port side, just under the boiler space and
the engine space. The examination tomorrow
will determine fully just what damage has been
done.
There have been no reports recently Of
barges sunk in the neighborhood of Execution
Rock. None Of the big Sound steam
boats. which daily pass the point where
the mishap to the Cincinnati occurred, has dis
CoNereu an OBSTRUCTION III the channel. AS
the Cincinnatfs draught Is somewhat more
than the biggest Sound boat, IL is possible that
that is the reason the Sound boats have missed
the sunken object, IL II exists.
Several steamboats,, tugs. and sailing craft
have been damaged by running over a coal barge
that went down near the Sunken Meadows
which is miles from Execution Rock. This barge
has beea raised. There are some nautical folk
who ars disposed to think that the Cincinnati
touch.d a rock, and that her navigator was
not in the channel when she met misfortune.