Evening star., 1898-11-16


of, with ship anchored oatSide or with
shore inside Board of officers also ,.,s m
ined aad reported yesterday upon question
OF reSCuing Teresa. This board confirms
MY report Should department determine
To attempt feat stranded snip would rev
Cnlmend that expedition be based on Cat
Island, not from ships outside, reef and
should be very pleased to command any
organization prepared to work on wreck.
In addition to turret guns there are four
siN-inch guns on Teresa taken from one Of
The wrecked ships and remounted in Guam
tanamo. Awaiting del artmeR.'s further
orders. McCALi.A
Department Criticized.
The Navy Department has been criticised
for having intrusted the SPANISH cruiser
Maria Teresa to the care of an officer Of
scarcely any experience as a navigator and
the assertion has been frequently made
that the vessel would not have been aban-
doned il a regular naval officer had been
in command at the time.
Lieutenant Commander Harris, who was
in commend of The expedition at the time
OF the abandonment of the Teresa, although
a graduate Of the Naval Academy is an
off1cer of the volunteer navy. His career
IN the regular navy very short and
ended soon after the beginning Of the civil
war, since which time. 1t is said, he has
had no experience as a navigator. having
been identified almost entirely with a firm
engaged in the iron business
At the outbreak of the Spanish war he
offered his services TO the government and
was commissioned in the volunteer n w. He
was classmate OF Capt. CrownlnshIeId,
chief of the bureau Of navigation. aud II is
said to have been through the latter's in
huence that he was assigned to the COM
mand Of the repair ship Vulcan ami sub
sequently to The important duty Of bring
ing the Teresa 10 the United States. Wheth-
er or not he was justified in abandoning the
Teresa will be determined by naval court
to be convened as soon as the members OF
the present rescue expedition have returned
TO this country.
Many naval officers contend that he was
too hasty in leaving the Teresa TO the
mercy of the waves before it was absolute
iy certain that she could no longer float.
The fact that the vessel dnfted about for
many hours until she was finally cast up
on the sandy beach at Cat Island Is citel
as strong proof of her buoyancy.
Harris status.
On the other hand. it is argued that the
responsibility for the abandonment of the
Teresa rests almost wholly on the wrecking
company. and that the harsh criticisms
that have been made On Commander Har-
ris are unwarranted, for the alleged reason
that he was not in absolute command of
the ship, but was merely present as the
representative of the government. In sup
port of this claim his friends call attention
to the following orders under which Com
mander Harris was acting at the time OF
the disaster:
L. 5. S. Cincinnati. Second Rate
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba October -. 1S.Fs.
Sir: When the steamer Infanta Maria Te-
resa and the L. S. s. Vulcan are in all re-
spects ready for use. you will proceed with
the Vulcan under your command and con-
Voy the former vessel, which is In charge
of the Merritt & Chapman Derrick and
Wrecking Company. to Norfolk, Va. or to
such other port the wrecking company
may wish to take her | inclose herewith
a copy of telegram from the Navy De
partment TO Commodore John G. Watson.
u 5. N, giving him authority to direct the
work of wrecking Spanish vessels which
authority has been delegated to him as
senior officer present. and which is hereby
transferred to you as IA" rs it is applicable
to the Infanta Maria Teresa. This and the
contract entered into between the %reckinS
company and the Secretary of the Navy.
dated July 6, 1898, will be your guide In
giving assistance in the transfer of your
snip to a northern port. | also send you
request from the wrecking company TO me
asking for the detail OF yourself 10 take
charge of the government employees
board the Teresa during the pa ssaye north,
which you are authorized to assume al dis
cretion; but in any case a suitable officer
of your command will be on board at al
times until the ship is properly delivered
advised at all times as far as practicable of
the progress Of TIE important government
interests under your charge and seek its
permission to return to this port as soon
as convenient to continue the work of rais-
ing the Spanish wrecks at or near Santl-
(SigneD c. N. CHESTER.
Captain L. S. N, Commanding.
Probable order.
Although formal order to abandon the
Teresa has not yet been sent to Capt. Nc
Gala, the naval authorities are convinced.
by his report, that the vessel is now nearly
a worthless hulk, beyond repair and in
capable of being moved az my expenditure
within reason. 1t is probable that-some ar
rangement will be made with the wreckers
to recover from the hulk anything of value
that can be fetched away before the Teresa
is finally abandoned
The Navy Department has not yet finally
abandoned the effort to secure at least one
of the vessels of Cerveras fleet as a trophy
to be placed the American naval list
although ii is somewhat discouraged by the
result of the venture in the case of the
Teresa Assistant Secretary Allen, who has
been directly charged with the matter has
been in correspondence with the Representa-
tives of the Neptune company, Swedish
corporation, which has had remarkable sue
cess in floating the largest type of warsnips
when sunken. The company has made a
tentative proposition to wreck the Colon
for a salvage to be arranged in advance be-
tween itself and the departme mt. Mr.. AL
len believes that some arrangement may be
made on that basis, and meanwhile he has
authorized representatives of the Neptune
company to visit the scene of the wrecks
near Santiago in order that they may se-
cure the basis for definite proposition.