Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-20
COMMANDER. o. F. HEYERMAN,
The Loss of the kearsarge to he the
Subject of a COurt-Martfal.

The Secretary of the Navy has ordered q
court-martial to convene at the navy yard,
New York, on Thursday next, for the trial
of Commander O. F. Heyerman on charges
growing out of the loss Of the Kearsarge
while under his command. It is the in
variable custom of the naval service to hold
the commanding officer responsible for all
accidents to his vessel. 1t is the general
understanding, whenever a ship is lost, that
some one must be held up for 1t, and eX-
cept in the case of the Dispatch, where
only court Of inquiry was ordered. in
nearly all other wrecks the captain OF the
ship has suffered a severe penalty. While
Secretary Herbert has not yet fully con-
sidered the findings of the court OF inquiry
into the loss of the KearsaTge, he has de-
termined that a court-martial will be nee
essary to fix the blame.
The following is the detail Of the court
martial: Commodore c. c. Carpenter, rresi-
dent; Capt Montgomery Sicard, Capt. j. Q,
Kane, Capt. Albert kautz Capt. ID. F.
Day, Capt. John j. Reid, Commander
Frank Wildes, Commander Nicholas Lud-
low. Commander r. p. Leary, Lieutenant
Commander j. d. J. Kelly, judge advocate.
1t Is believed at the Navy Department
that Lieut.. Lyman, the navigating officer
of the kearsarge, will also he tried by
court martial. The main reason for the
early converting of the court in the case of
Commander HeyermaD is to permit Ad-
miral Stanton, who will be an important
witness in the case, to leave for his rro-
posed post of duty in command Of the
South Atlantic station as soon as possible.
To De Tried on Two Charges.
Commander Heyerman will be tried on
two charges, the first being through neg
ngence suffering vessel of the navy To be
run upon reef and stranded" ana the sec
ond being ''culpable inefticieucy in the per-
Torrance of duty" The spaciIica ton under
the first charge is that while en- route from
Port-au-Prince to Bluefelds in the kear-
sarge he maintaned"a course of west south
west three-quarters west, which course lay
close to a dangerous reef and cay, sur
rounded by strong currents we'll known 10
exist, and did neglect and fall to exercise
proper care and attention in navigating
said vessel while approaching said reef and
cay, IN that he neglected and failed TO lay q
course which would surely carry iie vessel
clear of said reef and cay, or ID change
course in due season to avert disaster, In
consequence of which neglect and failure
on the part of said Commander Heyerman
the said steamer Kearsarge was run upon
the north end of Roncador bank and was
stranded"
Specifications ~ the Second Chnrge.
There are two specifications 10 the sec
ond charge
The first alleged that well knowing the
dlftculty of sighting Roncador bank from
a safe distance after darkness fell and
that the speed at which said vessel was
then running would place her in the vicin-
ity Of said bank at or about sunset, he fail
ed to increase the speed of the vessel, as
1t was his duty TO do, that said bank
might be sighted in broad daylight and the
said Commander Heyerman was therein
ana thereby culpably inefficient in the per-
Torrance of his duty"
The second specification is that the COM
rander, well knowing that at about sunset
the kearsarge had nearly run her esti-
mated distance from the pm. position
obtained by the navigator to the position
off Roncador bank. and knowing the diff
Guilty of sighting the bank after nightfall
from a safe distance failed to lay a safe
course to the nOrthward before continuing
westward and thereby stranded the vessel.