The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-21
THE TEXAS ACCIDENT.
CURIOCs CHAIN or Events RE-
.. Al. DBY the INVASIIGAIION
Into the Grounding of the Battleship
aud Lett The Eng.n.- Room DARK.
The Washington Star of yesterday

The Washington Star OF yesterday
says:
a curious chain Of events led up TO the
gt,,.,.,.,... 30 ...u Du...v-snip io~sls iii
Newport narbor september 10Th last, as
revealed III me innings Of the court Oh
inquiry ordered by Aumlral Bunce ana
r,a..s uun,ic 10y tne navy Department
tu-oay. IN the nrst pace, the dynamo
broke down suddenly, just as the snip
WAS entering the narDor. and the lights
in the .nglue-roOms went out. ms
Obliged Passed Assistant Engineer han
TO leave the starboard engine, which was
I'm his charge, to the temporary care oi
Naval cadet Bissett, wnile ne hlHseH
went up to obtain ana light some oi'
lamps TO replace the electric Hshls'
Then, as the signal 10 reverse the en-
glncs came. the starboard engine slu0h'
and Assistant Engineer linus, VINO WAS
i'm chaige OF the port engine, went o'ei
into the starbOaru enSIne-rOom 10 hciP
the naval cadet start the reversing gear
there. Tie left chief MachinlsI D. H.
Hunley In charge OF the port ehLhae'
ana the latter operated IL without W
serving the workings OF the mcchauies''
Telegraph, and meanwhile the eievli'c
signal system, wnich put inc D'i'-
in communication with the enslhe-rooih'
having given out. was being repaired Dy
an electrician, and was at the moment
unscrltceaule.
,n,.f r.u.tneer ". s. Moore was on the
upper platform of the cngine-room' "hcrc
he could watch the engines anu mean
the signals, but 1t napphvd thal ne cou'u
not see the Indicator dials ana hhoN
whether the signals were being ooeSeu.
I'm this state OF affairs, when the sl-i"l
came to reverse. the starboard ehsHic
Qor some cause, winch was not AZ eHo
time unaerstood), failed TO respond. anu
stuck. running ahead for a minute Vi
so Then the machinist. in charge OF
the mort engine, pulled his lever the
wrong way, and reported 10 the captain
on the DrIuge tndt MS signal had Ooch
understood. -,
Inc later had no way 10 ascertain I'M
medlately that the port engine WIS no'
backing but ran down from the olluse
10 the quarter deck wnile the chlel enei-
neer descended 70 the engine room anu
when the port engine was hnally stoPpcu
the Texas went aground.
The court Of inquiry recommended tnat
CAPTAIN Glass be acquitted Of blame as
ne do everything that careful ana pru-
dent officer could do to avert the ground
inc. which did no harm beyond scraping
or the paint I'm spots and securing OF
some rivet heads. But as TO the other
officers il was recommended that further
proceedings should be had in the case OF
Chief Engineer Moore. and that he should
bee censured by the cOmmander-in-chief
Of the North Atlantic STATEN, for the
accident might nave been averted II he
had stationed himself where he could have
watched the indicators. The accident be-
ing directly attributable to the mistakes
Of Assistant Engineer Kinds and Chief
Machnist Hunley the court held that
they should he publicly reprimandad In
general orders by ;he Secretary Of the
Navy. These findings We're approved by
Admiral Bunce, except IS 10 the ci~ef
eurineer. who. a. tho senior officer. he
held. should be punished in the same
degree rs the others and the depart
ment has therefore decided to close the
case by furnishing all of the participants
with copy Of so much Of the findings az
relates TO them and by giving each OF
ther' on admonition to be more careful
I'm future.