New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-01

four minutes It took to run that half-mile
would not have had time to get the sounding
machine up and down. 1t would have been use
less to attempt 1t before the ship struck
would not have got bottom within half mile OF
the reef"
Lieutenant Lyman was then called. He said
that he had been in the Navy for twenty-seVeh
or twenty-eight years After describing the gen.
-eral duties OF the navigator. he identihed MS
"oflcial navigation books" and among other
articles the rough" logbook. sailing directions
of the Gulf Of Mexico. the West Indies. the
current chart. the chart of Roncador Bank, and
also the books Of Lieutenant Bowman He said
he took charge Of the ships books after the
ship struck
..Had YOU any knowledge" asked the Judge
.avoca+e oof any shoals or reefs that were not
Ga your map?"
mo sir" was the answer. II believed the
charts to be correct"
what reason have you now for believing that
the charts are incorrect
THE REEF NOT PROPERLY MARKED.
From observations made few minutes be-
fore the Kearsarge struck, and while on the cay
Observations taken by other officers, ana
this confirmed my BELIEF that the reef was from
three miles to five miles west Of the place 1t
occupied on the char. The latitude was correch
but the longitude was not"
In reply 10 a question Lieutenant Lyman said
that he had no reason to doubt the correctness
= of his instruments He said he carefully ex-
amined them January %; there was no reason
10 doubt the accuracy of the chronometers. al
though after they had been removed on shore
after the wreck they were found TO have been
damaged by necessarily hard usage in transpor, :
ing them. The Navy Department, he continued
had supplied him with new thermometers, but
others used to work snip. IHtIe were
four compasses board. The navigation outnt
was good, with the exception or the binocuar
glasses The night sextant received hard usage
and was not in good order; II was abandoned
later The ship was run. the witness continued
by patent log In run OF l5SO miles from
between the two logs in use Of Is miles. or about
] per cent
periences in the Greedy relief expedition are
we'll known, came into court and listened lntenty
to the proceedings.
lieutenant Lyman said further that no sur
yey had been made of Roncador since 1895. In
those DAYS he said the determination Of longi-
tude was not such accurate proceeding as u
was to-day. The map put In evidence was one
Of the survey Of 1895. He then described the
method Of working up an astronomical observa-
ton and then the question came:
Ibid you attribute the difference between per-
sonal observation and by latitude and longitude
due 10 currents?'
mo SIR
Lieutenant Lyman said that tho result Of his
tons and with those made by his assistant navi-
gator and several naval cadets. Recess was
then taken
Lieutenant Lyman resumed the stand after re-
cess and said he had informed himself to the
waters he TO sail In. and he also referred 10
his sailing directions and the current charts. He
said that the course was shaped so as 10 take
the vessel to the southwark and southeastward
of RoncadOr The currents" he said were to
the northward and westward and they agreed 50
well with the charts OF the Navy Department as
to cause remarks.
We continued on" said the witness. until
within fifty miles Of Roncador."
AT what time did you change your course on
February %" asked the judge-advocate.
WHEN THE CoURsD WAS CHANGED.
AT 1880 o'clock or the morning Of February
the course was changed from south-southwest
one-quarter west. to west-southwest three-quar-
tiers west The latitude ascertained under
perfect conditions. Three observations were
taken that day. The set and strength of the
current was seventeen miles to the north and
twenty-eight miles 10 the west for the twenty
four hours between noon on February / and Feb
ruary 2. The currents were from twenty-four TO
thirty-six knots for twenty-four hours. At the
time Of the meridian observation on February
! reported the latitude to the commander as
134S, which was seventeen miles north as IL
should have been 1881.
What was the bearing and distance OF the
nearest danger at noon of February %"
The nearest danger was Roncador Reef then
forty-two to forty-th miles distant and hear
Ing about southwest by west by the compass
four degrees west Of the deviation"
In answer TO question. Lieutenant LYMAN
defined the duties of navigator on approach
Ing land
THE course we were pursuing continued the
lieutenant, would have carried us three miles
to the north of the Cay. allowing, OF course
for the one and one-half knot current | re-
marked IL we should continue on that course we
should sight land. The course had been changed
at 1912 that morning"
In answer TO question Lieutenant Lyman
said that Commander Heyerman had never in
wi In, in 4 TIN, tta ohtr
al what time did YOU decide To 60 to the