The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-09
who is Responsible?

lief Of the shipwrecked crew Of the Kear-
sarge.
who is Responsible?
The Kearsaree was the flagship Of the
North Atlantic station, to the command
of which Acting Rear Admiral stanton
was assigned few short weeks ago. lie
ioined the famous old ship al Port au
prince and hoisted his flag on her at
that point Orders awaited him there 10
uroceed al once 10 Bucfleld. Nicaragua,
10 protect American interests threatened
by invasion OF Nicaraguan territory by
an Honduran army
Admiral stanton took no flag officers
with him when he went to the kearsarse
they having been left at Rio on the
Newark when he was recalled from there
The vessel as stated. sailed from Port
au Prince January 3Jth, and met her
fate three days later. Admiral stanton
seems TO be the victim OF untoward CIR
cu,nstances lie was ordered 10 take
command of the South Atlantic station,
and had been there but few days when
ha made the mistake of saUting the IN
surgent admiral. Mello. for which he was
| sunmarilv detached and subsequently re-
buked by the department for his "error
of Judgment
Next he was placed in command Of the
North Atlantic squadron and had not
been on that duty a week When ne SUI
fered the loss Of his flagship. lis re.
sponsibUitv for the accident Is not
known but the supposition is general that
he had nothing whatever 10 do with II.
The navigation Of a naval vessel rests
entirely with fer commander and his as
sistants, and the admiral never inter-
! feres I'm the matter He directs the gem
eral movements Of the flagship from
nlace 10 place but leaves the details OF
routes and the management Of the shli
entirely TO the commanding olhc'i' 1,
| Therefore II would appear as thousn
! Commander Heyerman Will be held re-
sponsible for the loss Of the Yesseid ano
I an him will devolve the task OF FhoNlns
thai the accident was unaVoidaDie. ht
/ viii look 10 the officers OF the deck al
| the time Of the wreck for compete eN'
/ ulanation of the circumstances. EAhVhs
! who was at fault viii not De hho"i
| here until fuller details have been re-
] ceived. :,
one Of the first things to be done u
IN have an official Investigation 10 de
! termine the responsibility for the wreck
and a court Of inquiry will be lmme
diately convened for that purpose
The Vessels History.
The greatest day in the history OF the
Kearsarge was june IS, 1851 When Sne
fought and conquered the confederate
cruiser Alabama
The Kearsarge was built at the Ports
month navy yard, y. H., in 1861 and heI
machinery was constructed by Woodrun
and Reach Of Hartford. Conn. Lieut.
Robert IA. Woods Of the naval wal
records office. I'm an article descriptive
of the wrecked vessel. says:
sShe belonged 10 the same class OF YES
| sells as the Oneida. Tuscarora, and
Wachusett. on June 4. 1861, she was or
dered TO be called the kearsage, whlch
was changed 10 Kearsarge June %. Ihe
former spelling may account for inc
wrong pronunciation so often heard from
old sailors. who speak Of when ! was on
the Kersag.' The vessels name Is IRON
the Indian name Of a mountain in New
Hampshire whose summit Is solid
granite. The Kearsarge IL third-ratt
screw sloop Of l0I tons, built OF wnit'
oak: length. 2Ol feet 4 inches: beam. g
feet 10 inches: depth. IS feet; draught OF
water. with three months provisions ano
fully slowed. l3 feet inches forward
and IA feet inches aft Her maximum
speed under the most favorable circum-
stances was fourteen knots an hour ordi-
nary speed. eight to eleven knots. She
was launched September II. 1851, ana com
pletcd January Is. 1867, at total cos'
of $Z12.5lA99.
The first few weeks out the Kear-
sarge showed that she possessed no dls
tinguishing or superior qualities over hel
sister ships. At the end OF the mrs
three weeks sea voyage, having encouh
tered some very severe weather. her com
mander reported that with her presen
weight OF armament she is only adapte'
| "a nh npffnCp
warlss and combings of matches are -
extremely low and she rolls SO deeply
as TO force the necessity OF battenlnl
down the matches even in moderat
gales
In moderate weather I have beel
compelled TO walk about The cabin OF
sratines and in rough weather in lndi'
rubber boots"
Description of Roncador Reef
NEW YORK, Feb. S.-Mr II. McNeel
stauiier, OF "The Engineering News, Wn
was on board the Aguan with cX-Senato
Warner Miller ana the party which,
1881, left New York on a tour OF insDet
tion Of the Nicaragua canal, gave th
Associated Press the following descrT
ton Of Roncador reef, on which IN
Aguan was wrecked on March 18th q
that year:
"Roncador reef IS about a North an
about 50 West longitude. and is called q
attol or coral reef Ii is about nine unle
long and four miles wide. The edge
koncador reef is simply a range OF Jasse
coral rock, with a lagoon oi shVdi va
inside. Outside it pitches down very SUI
denly, ami there is water tuiiy "'v' 'S'
ueep within q mile Of T.
'ihe inside OF the reef Is the dDoie
turtles af.l 10 - from those reefs that ~