The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-09

Washington, Feb. S.-The navy de-
partment received dispatch today
from Colon, sent by Lieutenant Brain
ard, of the United States steamer
Kearsarge, saying that the vessel was
wrecked on the Roncardor reef, Feb
ruary 1. The officers and crew were
saved.
The Kearsarge, by the last report,
sailed from Hayti for Bluefield, Mica
|ragua, to look after the American in
terests in connection with the trouble
lis supposed the vessel is a total wreck.
The vessel is one of the oldest in the
navy and had a splendid history.
Roncador reef is about 200 miles
from Mosquito coast of Central Amer
Iica, well known to mariners as dan
gerouS impeachment to navigation, sur
rounded by swift and dangerous tides.
1T is not known how Lieutenant Brain
ard reached Colon, but it is presumed
the shipwrecked crew may have
reached Old Providence island, some
Iseventy-five miles to leeward Of the
reef.
A cablegram was at once sent to
Brainard to charter steamer and
proceed to the relief of the crew
Some time ago the officers of the
Nicaragua Canal company were
wrecked on the same reef. Admiral
Stanton was on the Kearsarge when
the steamers New York and Detroit
were sent to Rio. The Kearsarge was
made the flagship of the North Allan
! tic squadron, and Admiral Stanton,
after making his peace with Secretary
Herbert over the incident of saluting
| the insurgent flag at Rio, was ordered
| to the command of the North Atlantic
station, with the Kearsarge as his
| flagship.
1t is conjectured that the Kearsage
went aground on the reef at night
and foundered.
Lieutenant Brainard seems to have
| got aboard small boat and succeeded
in getting to Colon in six days. Re-
lief can reach the ship in less time
than that.A
The officers on board were Admiral,
%. F. Stanton; commanding officer, F.
Hayerman; lieutenants, c. A Ford, C.
H. Lyman and B. 1. t. Mailing; junior
lieutenants, John Hood and F. B.
Brainard; ensigns, H G. Gates and
Thomas McGunder; naval cadets. l..
is. Thompson, F. L. Silt T. S. Borden.
]. B. Mccormick, Walter Bait. D. A.
Mallon; post surgeon, G. B. Lumsden;
assistant surgeon, NJ W. Barnum
tpaymaster ]. "A. Ring; chief engineer,
B. G. Gowing; first lieutenant of ma
rlnes, Z. l.. A. Ingate and crew com
posed of 200 sailors and marines
The wreck. adds another to the mis-
fortunes that have befallen Rear Adj
mlral Stanton. He was summarily re-
lieved from the command of the South
Atlantic station for saluting MelIo. the
1nsurgent admiral, and ordered to
Washington. His explanation of his
action caused Secretary Herbert to de-
tach him from command of the South
Atlantic, by placing him in command
of the home station. He sailed from
New York on January 10, and joined
the Kearsarge at Port Au Prince. the
latter part of the month
AS soon as the ships company has
been transported to a place of safety
and the fate of the Kearsarge is def
Initely known, a court of inquiry will
be appointed to investigate the cir
cumstance and fix the responsibility
The officials say the ships company
lis in no danger. They will be able
to get along all right until the arriva
of relief.
The navigation of a naval vesse
rests entirely with the commander anc
his assistants, and the admiral never
linterferes in the matter He directs
the general movements of the flag
ship, but leaves the details, routes anc
management of the ship entirely Il
the commanding officer. Therefore, i
would appear that Commander Heyer
man will be held responsible for the
loss of the vessel and on him will de
yolve the task of showing the acciden
was unavoidable. He will look to the
officers on deck at the time of the
wreck for a complete explanation o
the circumstances. Exactly who wa!
at fault will not be known here unit
further details have been received.