The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-01-10
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Findings of the Court of Inquiry in the
Grounding of tho CINCINNATI.


Grounding of tho CINCINNATI.
WASHINGTON, January 2.-Secretary
Herbert has made public the findings of
the court of inquiry in the case of the
grounding of the Cincinnati off Execu-
ton Rock, Long Island Sound, and his
own action in the matter. The court
found that, when the vessel neared the
point where she struck, Captain Glass
was obliged to leave the deck. leaving
orders to the navigator, Lieutenant s. c.
Gillingham; the pilot, B. F. Arcularist,
and the officer of the deck, Ensign Roger
Wells, Jr., governing them during his
absence and leaving 0illingham, assisted
by the pilot, in charge of the navigation
of the vessel. The ship was then headed
on safe course. The grounding is rep
resented as due to an error in the judg-
ment of the pilot, one of the oldest and
most experienced in New York. and of
the navigator in estimating the distance
of the ship from the United States
Shoals, on which she struck. This pi-
lots error caused the grounding. The
speed OF the ship was not reduced by the
navigator on approaching the shoals, re-
naming too great for accurate sound
ings. The officer of the deck neglected
to station leadsman on the port side,
and the Captain on leaving the deck did
not place in charge the officer next in
line OF rank. The court was of the opin-
ion that further proceedings should be
had in the case of Pilot Arcularist, Cap
tain Glass, Lieutenant Gillingham and
Ensign Wells; but, as it did not say
when the proceedings should be held,
Judge Advocate Remy in reviewing the
report reported that the interests OF the
service do not require the trial of any of
the officers. In indorsing the record
Secretary Herbert emphasizes the fact
that the presence of pilot does not re-
lieve officers of responsible and says
it is clear that the same degree of eau
ton was not exercised by the officers in
navigating the ship as if there had been
no pilot on board. He finds that the
Captain was particularly censurable for
continuing to run his ship at such high
speed in confined waters.
PLATES FOR PRINTING POSTAGE STAMPS.
The opinion of the Solicitor of the
Treasury that it is unlawful to have the
possession or to use plates for the print
ing of postage stamps in the similitude
of those issued by foreign governments
will be acted upon at once. No more So
called stamp albums containing stamps
of these kinds will be allowed to be
printed. The cuts from which these are
printed will be seized. It is an astonish-
ing fact that the penalty imposed by law
for the counterfeiting of foreign stamps
is much more severe than for counter
feiting United States stamps. In the
case of foreign stamps the penalty is not
less than two or more than ten years.
imprisonment, while for counterfeiting
United States stamps the penalty is q
fine of not more than $500 or more than
five years imprisonment or both. The
United States Courts might impose a
fine of 81 or one days imprisonment for
violations of our law, and come within
the law, while the minimum penalty as
to foreign stamps is two years imprison-
ment.
WILL NOT GET A PICKUP.
The three new Senators, who will be
elected to fill the vacancies in the States
of Wyoming, Washington and Montana,
will probably not be paid the back SAL
aries, as has heretofore been paid to Sen
ators elected or appointed to fill vacan-
cies. They were cut out by an express
provision in the legislative approprl-
alton bill of the last session, which, it is
believed, will put an end to this practice
for the future. Under the system which
has prevailed heretofore each man
chosen would have received the pay for
the entire term of six years, notwlth-
standing two years have already elapsed.
The new provision will, therefore, work
as saving to the government OF $3O,-
600 in this instance and of larger sums
in the future.