St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-09
A NAVAL VESSEL WRECKED.
THE KEERSARGE ON A REEF WEAR THE
CENTRAL AMERICAN COAST
CREW REPORTED TO BE SAFE.

Hirdi SVuntOn'S eS-
Relief Boat Ordered by the
Navy-Commander Heyerman
Probably Responsible = The
Kcarsarge a Hisoric Boat.
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-The old
United States ship Kearsarge is wreck
on RoncadOr reef. She struck there
Feb. 2. Lieut.. Bralnerd managed in
some way to reach Colon today, and
cable message from him this morning
announced to the navy department the
fact that the kearSarge was wrecked,
aud that the officers and crew were all
safe.
The Kearsarge sailed from Port au
Prince, Hayti, on JAN. 80 for Blueields,
Nicaragua, to protect American inter
.ests there, in view of the invasion of
the military forces of Honduras. She
was wrecked three days out. Roncador
reef is little over 300 miles from the
Mosquito coast of Central America. Be-
fore the coast and the reef lies Old
Providence island. only seventy five or
eighty miles to leeward, of the reef. 1t
Is believed at the navy department. that
the officers and crew would be able to
reach Old Providence without difficulty
in case they were in danger of their
lives on the reef, except in the event of
rough weather. 1t is the impression
also at the department that the Kear-
sarge has not gone TO pieces, and may
not do SO for same time. unless rough
weather comes up, although the tides
and current about the reef. however,
are swift and dangerous.
Immediately upon receipt of the news
of the wreck the navy department sent
cable dispatch to Lieut.. Brainard at
Colon. ordering bim to charter steam
er and proceed at once to the relief of
the shipwrecked crew.
TIE RoNCADoR REEF
IS we'll known to mariners in those
waters as a dangerous impeachment to
navigation. Efforts have been recently
made to secure the erection of light
house on this point. Some time ago,
when Warner Miller and officers of the
Nicaragua Canal company were OH
their way to Nicaragua. they were
wrecked on this same point.
Admiral Stanton was On the Kearsarge.
When the New York and Detroit were
dispatched to Rio it was made the flag
ship of the North Atlantic squadron,
and Admiral Stanton, after the. secre-
tary of the navy had acted upon his
report on the salute of Mello in Rio bay,
was ordered to proceed to Port au
Prince and transfer his flag to the
KearSarge aud assume command of the
station. 7@
1t is conjectured that the Kearsa rye
went aground on the reef at night and
foundered. Lieut.. Brainard seems to
have gone aboard small boat and sue
ceeded i'll getting to Colon in six days
The relief can reach the ship where
wrecked men are in less time than that.
The officers aboard the kearsarge
were Rear Admiral Oscar f. Stanton,
Commanding Officer F. IIeyerma II,
Lieuts. Charles A. Forse, Charles II.
Lyman, ,Burls T. Walling; Lieuts.
GuniOr grade) John Hood and Fred
erick B. Brainard; Enslgns Herbert G.
Gates and Thomas P. McGryder; Naval
Cadets Qine diyision) Leon S. Thomp-
son, Thomas L. Stitt, Thomas S. Bor-
den, B. j. Mccormick, Walter Ball and
David A. Mallon; Past Assistant Sur
geoE George B. Lunsden. Assistant
Surgeon Merritt w. Barnum; Pay
master James A. Ring. Chief Engineer
Burdett G. Gowing, First Lieutenant of
Marines Clarence l.. A. Ingate. The
crew was composed of 200 sailors and
marines. She left the Brooklyn navy
yard on Dec. 81. The chief OF the bureau
of navigation had reply
FROM LIEUT.. BRAINARD
at Colon about noon, saying that the
City of Paris was available to go after
the crew. He was instructed to either
charter steamer or secure one of the
regular mail steamers to New York, or
if one of the latter was to start immedi-
ately, on her regular trip. to secure her
to touch at ROncador and take up the
crew. He was, in fact, given discretion
to do what is necessary to insure the
greatest speed in getting relief to the
men of the Kearsarge.
The wreck adds another to the mis-
fortunes which have of late befallen
Rear Admiral Stanton. He was sum.
nlarlly relieved from command of the
South Atlantic station for saluting
Mello, the insurgent admiral, and or
dered to Washington. His explanation
OF his actions caused Secretary Herbert
to detach him from command of the
South Atlantic by placing him in COM
mand of the home station. He sailed
from New York Jan. 10 and Joined the
Keargarge at Port au Prince the :Iatter
part of the month. AS soon as the
ships company have been transported
to place of safety and the fate of the
Kearsarge is definitely known court of
inquiry will be appointed to investigate
the circumstances and fix the RESPONSE
bility.
The officials say that the sh ip's COM
pany are In no danger. They will be
able to get along all right until the ar
rival of relief.
The navigation of naval vessel rests
entirely with her commander and his
assistants, and the admiral never inter-
feres in the mat ter. He directs the
general movements of the flagship from
place to place, but leaves the details of
routes and management of the ship en-
tirely to the commanding officer; there
fore it would appear as though Com
mander Heverman will be held respon-
sible for the loss of the vessel, and on
him will devolve the task of showing
that the accident was unavoidable. He
Will look to the officers of the deck at
the time of the wreck for a complete
explanation of the circumstances. Ex-
actly who was at fault will not be
known here until fuller details have
been received.