New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-18
THE CINCINNATI DOCKED
GIVEN OF HER PLATES AND A PROPEL-
LER BLADE SMASHED.
..,,rop,rs AS TO THE ACCIDENT-AN 1NvEsTIGA-
rroN ORDERED BY SECRETARY HERBERT.

.,,,rop1rs AS TO THE ACCIDENT-AN INVESTIGA
rtoN ORDERED BY SECRETARY HERBERT.
4, the Navy Yard everything is hustle and life
activity The unfortunate accident which
,.,rch, the trim twin-screw cruiser Cincinnati back
" ,ho yard and into the drydock has been the SUBJ
-. ~ rnuch speculation and a good deal Of talk.
Tho cruiser. however is not seriously damaged
cA SHOWS on examination that the idea of her Off
cers that she struck wreck is probably correct
RI, inst how the wreck came in her pathway and
DE-, how I, happened that n wreck could get there
,,.,hort being hit by other vessels before the Gin
cnDat! came along IS question yet TO be decided
-, tho naval experts and those whose business It Is
- keep track of the currents nd tides and fair
uavs o, Long Island Sound ana the Hell Gate.
when the water pumped out of the timber
dock q, the yard Yesterday. and the whole bottom
-. tho cruiser exposed. il found that seven of
,,a big outside plates would have to be removed.
These plates are directly under the aft boilers on
tho mort side. The keel plates not injured The
.rhoara strake for a distance OF sxty-eight feet.
covering four plates each II feet inches long
~ feet inches wide. has been dented and
hanged and places broken The next
s.rake has been damaged TO the extent of three
mates each Of which is II feet inches
long by 3 feet inches wide. The next strake.
q, strake c. it is known. is dented and
buckled hut the damage to this strake can be
repaired without removing It, The other plates
vi
,nllnal beams between the outer and inner hulls
ora bent and twisted and will have to be replaced
I'm, the inner skin of the cruisers double hull is
M, materially damaged. In addition this there
are slight scratches all along the hull aft Of the
principal damace and that the blow which the
cruiser struck the sunken object
Is shown by the fact that one Of the blades of the
nort propeller, a Of manganese bronze. has
haen twisted and curled over. and large part Of It
broken off. Those who are acquainted with the
enormous tensile strength OF this metal and its
resistance to a breaking strain will realize the
force Of he impact OF the blade whatever il
that struck. The marks on the portion of the pro-
heller b.ale still attached TO the shaft do not
resemble those which would be likely TO have been
made hv a rock struck by a swiftly revolving wheel
and al the appearance Of the hull of the cruiser.
the position Of the damaged plates the peculiar
effects ~ the blow the plates. and other cir
cumstances tend strongly to the belief that the
obstacle which caused the trouble a sunken
wreck
There are various theories TO account for this
wreck having got into the place where il was. but
none Of them appear entirely satisfactory. That
craft Of sufficient size TO have worked the damage
tha; the Cincinnati has sustained could have drifted
in from deep water without having been noticed or
reported by other vessels is hardly to be supposed
and Il seems far plausible that hulk
which had been under way for long time had
been shifted frOm'its known position by the action
Of the tide. and unluckily placed directly in the
pathway of Uncle Sans pretty cruiser. The De-
partment Of Construction and Repair estimates that
about four weeks will be required in which 10 COM
ple,e the work of fitting her for while the
steam engineering shops are let off easily, as the
boilers have not been and will not have to be
disturbed in order 10 effect the necessary re-
pairs there being plenty Of room under them for
all the workmen who can be profitably employed.
A BOARD of Survey. consisting Of Commander Crown
ID, Assistant Naval Constructor Hibbs and
Chief Engineer Maccarty. has been appointed and
will report TO the Navy Department at Washing
ton the exact amount Of damage and the probable
cos. Of the repairs. c..
Secretary Herbert upon hearing from Captain
Henry Glass commanding the Cincinnati, that ms
vessel struck a rock Execution Shoal Light IN
Passing out OF He'll Gate her way to New Lon
don. and had placed the cruiser in drydock at
the Navy Yard directed Captain Frederick Rodgers.
temporarily in command OF the Navy Yard TO
convene court OF inquiry to investigate the extent
and cause OF the accident
Captain Glass and at least one OF his ofiie Sr
will probably court martialed. as much for their
iioetion II IL can he shown that the vesse struck
a rock shown on the charts, some officer of the
vessel will be punished.
Tho captain % the Cincinnati and his executive
officer Lieutenant Commander J. ID. J. Kelley. are
considered exceptionally able seamen, and naval
officials express confidence that the accident was
unavoidable