The evening world., 1894-04-05
LIEUT., LYMAN'S DEFENSE.
Asserts Ho Did His Duty and
Blames the Commander.
Court Martial Is Concluded and
Court Is Dclibcruting.

The final sitting Of the court-martial
in the cnse NJ Lieut.. Charles II. Lyman.
former navigator OF the Kearsarg". was
held at the brooklyn Navy Yard to-dny.
All the evidence was in and 1t remained
only to sum p on both sides and sub
init the case to the Court for it's consid-
GRAFTON.
AS scon as Judgc-Advocato Kelley had
read the record of yesterdays proceed
ings Lawyer George Il. Kent announced
tina he would read the defense, prepared
by Lieut.. Lyman, and would then pre-
sent his own argument for his client.
Lieut.. Lyman's defense was in part as
follows:
In the second charge l am unfortunately Hsso-
ciatcl with a great national disaster, winch.
though | he declared limo ent, Will continue ~
be associated with me- Tha, am innocent ~
the sliEhtyst neglect Of duty causing remotely the
wreck q IN" kearsarH", and that faithfully per
formed the duties that could possibly be required
TO which ny fellow shipmatrs stand ready 10 t's-
That. by the regulations governing the United
States Navy. the captain In responsible for III"
cours" 3trrfcd, and he II always IL" ppnsibi" for
m. safety and conduct ~ the ship. Tn" Captain
has admitted that reported to him lanA tn" arcti-
fary OF my reports have not been quustiun"dl Tn"
positions NJ the ship and thu distance ~ "nch post
w wrarF ,r2" as '' fslI ,vs 81 81 A. ~' Ma dls,nnoe "i scy, TlS
miles; - W.. dtstanr" torty-throc miles, I l.. NJ,
distance sixteen miles.
The captain has admitted that ! reported to him
that It would be necessary to sight tn" reef before
dark to tlfoly continue On that course that. at
about T.. NJ. the ship being then under sail I
advised aud urged him to raise steam. that under
the speed thu ship was then making 1t was not
certain that the reef would he sighted h"tnr" dark
Lieut.. Lyman called attention to tn"
fact that capt. a. S, crowninshield,
Commander =. L. harrington. and COM
mandcr Horace Elmer had all testified
that he had acted in fun Complianc"
with the regulations, and had done, all
that Il navigator was required to do.
Lieut.. Lyman continued:
II IL apparent that had the warnings Of the
navigator been needed, the reef would have been
sighted before dark. and tn" disast"r avoided.
MIR. Kent then presented his argu-
mcnt, and In closing read the law gov
erning the case, and said that II the
Courts decision was in accordance with
the law Lieut.. Lyman would be &C
quilted.
Judgc-Advocate Kelley's summing up
was marked by the same fairness to the
accused which characterized his state
mont OF the prosecutions side of the
question in the Court-martia of Com
mander Heyerman. He said in part:
The essential facts Of all the specifications 81
far as they refer to the movements of the ship
are not denied. II Is only necessary. there
fore. to show wherein the specific unensos were
committed.
The sight books, which are the onclal record
the naval regulations sights for local deviation
Of tho compGa must /" taken by the navigator
II the court finds the facts to he In &C
cordance with my statement OF the case It viii
know what to do.
Then Mr.. Kelley. in his brisk staC-
cato, announced THE case is ended. -
The room was cleared and the court
began its deliberations.