The morning times., 1897-02-06
NEARLY TURNED TURTLE
The Battleship Indiana in Dan
ger of Capsizing.
SHE RETURNED TO PORT
The Same Old Trouble That Hap
pened Last Year Occurred Again.
Her Turrets Beca me Loose and
She Could Not Keep Up With the
squadron of Evolution.


What may be represented to foreign gov
efn'hents as aniignominious failure of one
of the crack vessels Of the new navy re-
celves an eXplai alton which navy officers
OF experience regard as satisfactory. The
return of the battleship India ana to Hamp-
ton Roads yesterday after having been at
sea with Admiral iBpnce's squadron scarce
ly tWenty-four hours was due to the same
ttirrets which 60t loose In srOin last fall
When capt. EvaEs eommanded the ship in
eNoiutlona off Long Island. On that occa
SION the Dig guI ., oiecting from the tur-
rcts swung DacE aid forth across the decks
as Tie snip hee!ed over on her beam ends
III lhe sea- ard the graveSt fears We're felt
lhat the magnificent vessel would turn
turtle as the sailors express t, and 20
GOWN with All haEGs. Capt. Evans hove
Der TO and iashcd tie guns temporarily,
WEIGH enabled him to reach port, aLd then
seVerai months We're spent ut the navy
yard III trying TO remedy The defect.
-tapt. Evans was succeeded i'll command
by capt. 1ay.of, torm sly pt the War Col
lege, and yesterday was Capt Taylor's
FIRST experience for some time in an
for waIlowing. and~it is understood that
the long rollers following the recent heavy
gale made themselves fell on the snip when
the flee got Off Hatteras.
If she M no. b zen r .isric:rtl To squadron
formation Capt. Taylor might have headed
his course into the seas. but as the New
York, with her high freeaoard and notable
stability, was setting the course, and as
n Ind 4
fleet, she was permitted to return.
II her tarreIs had brogen loose Off Hat-
tcraS the ship might have been lost The
Navy Department gave out the following
sta enent regarding the matter yesterday
afternoon:
TIE iLtlaHa returned today TO Hampton
Roads, having made run with the squad.
ron. Wien she went out this tire fhn
had with her new locking device for her
turrets, lately put on at New York and
which was intended to remedy the trouble
she had the last time she pa to seain hcavy
weather. This present device has three
times the stra2gsa Of the former one.
Very properly, Tie officers or the ship
have been cautions and ObServaut as to is
workings, ana she has returned ta the Roads
for a further inspection OF 1t and possible
read justucnt. Her former trouble was
occasioneI To some extent by Ter rolling
in the very heavy sea which she then en-
countercd and IL is possible size again net
an unusually rough sea.
when the Indiana and Massachusetts
were designed they had on, as is abso-
lutely necessary for them, bilge keels,
but very unfortunately all the docks up to
the one just completed at New York, were
not of sufficient capacity To dock any OF
these ships with bilge keels, but antici-
patng tie construction and finishing of
the dock at New York, he department some
time ago ordered biIge keels to be made
ready for all of these ships, and such keels
Wit be placed in position as soon as
possible, o.
''Grcat Britain had a similar experience
with her battleshipS before such keels were
put on. Tie ease of the Resolution is
wel!-kuown to the profession all over the
world os s.t
The department expects to have the
Indiana again at sea in few days