Evening star., 1894-02-16
THE WRECKED KEARSARGE
~
An Effort Will Probably Be Made to Get
Her Of.
The Navy Department Waiting the
tiOns to Recover the Wreck.

The officers of the navy and Dartic;,larlv
those OF the old navy who remember the
achievements of the old wooden ship Kear-
sarge, cast away on Roncador reef, nave
recently been encouraged in the belief that
the famous ship Is not yet to be abandoned
and that she may see further service if
only as a training ship o. receiving ship, so
that she may be preserved as a patriotic
memorial The reason for the renewal of
this hope is to be found in visit to the
Navy Department of Capt. Merritt the
head of the well-known w-eckinc COM
pany- The captain has had an interview
with Assistant Secretary McAdoo and has
signifed willingness to undertake the
salvage OF the Kearsarge on reasonable
terms. He says ne has worked vessels out
OF all kinds of difficulties; has even picked
them ont or the trees, and that the Eear-
sarge must he in bad plight indeed. if he
cannot get her off the reef
Inc Navy Department Is waiting for the
ARRIVAL or the castaways az New York on
the City of Para before coming to 1 definite
decision in the matter. When they arrive,
which should be within week they viii
be Questioned as TO the exact con litioa of
the kearsarge. of which they shoul.l know
more than any one else, as they were the
last persons TO see her The old ship was
stanchly built of live oak timbars and il
Is believed that she could stand much
pounding before breaking up. 1t is also
near TO deep water. owing to the rapid
shelving of the reef. SO that the task of
floating her off would be coiuparati tiyely
easy.
When Capt. Merritt has satisfied himself
from inquiry Of the Kearsarge's officers
that the undertaking is feasible he will
proceed at once from Norfolk, the nearest
port where the wreckinE company has head
quarters in woll-equipped vessel for Ron
cador reef, where he will make a personal
examination of the wreck. II she IS be-
yond salvage the government will be put to
no expense on account of the expedition
and II she can be saved Capt. Merritt will
name the figure for which he will undertake q
the job. He feels fairly confident that ne
will succeed and points to the salvage OF
the Aguan. which carried Warner MilIer's
ill-starred party and which the Merritt
Wrecking Company succeeded in taking off
this same Roncador reef
The Navy Department is disposed to act
with all due speed In the matter because of
a rear that the kearsarse may be lOotad by
some of the lawless natives of New provi-
dence before the salvors can arriv@ On
the scene.
Another to the Rescue.
Lieut.. j. "A. Smith of the navy has PEE
sented to Senator Chandler and Representa-
tive Blair plan for rescuing the guns and
armament of the Kearsarge. The plan was
submitted to Lieut.. Smith by f. NJ Stod-
dard, who commanded the 1I-inch guns Of
t.le hedFSarSe during the engagement with
the Alabama. Mr.. Stoddard is now in the
wrecking business at Norfolk Va. He esti-
mates that an expedition could be fitted
out TO rescue the kearsarge from the West
indian buccaneers for about $1,000. Ike
expedition outfit could be sold when out of
use for about $1,000. The estimate is made
10 cover fitting out the expedition for five
months.
MI Stoddard thinks the battery and a
portion of the hull could be recovered He
calls attention to the fact that the north
east trade winds slack up about the mid
ole of April, which would aid the expedi-
ton. Acting on this letter Mr.. Blair to-
day presented bill for a Kearsarge rescue
expedition.