The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1898-04-09
The MonCgomery's Mystery.

.Lt. -
1t will be remembered that the cruiser
Montgomery Was ordered to Havana
shortly after t * destruction of The Maine.
but did not larry long. A Havana special
of March 3Oth, tells a Krus bme story that
gave the crew of the Montgomer! much
concern dnriny the remainder oil then
stay in that port. The dispatch in part
reads: Without any apparent foundation
of fact minors Ii III spread that a mvster-
ious accident had happened t" the NJ INT
gomery which narr 'wly esca ped the fate
of the Maine. Prompt investigation
brought from the c.ptain an i'm phstic de-
NAL and from Others Otd :srs of ths Mont
gumsry d.clara.ion that thsy had heard
of no accident. br. ab,nt il MI was an air
of mystery that was ia, from satisfac-
tory.
The fact il that f ,r snmo h,n-s the off
GERS and CT sw of the Montgomery we're
given a scare that but for the splendid
discipline aboard that ship might have re-
suited in q panic. One of the crew was
sent into the hold, me afternoon to open
n couple of boxes from which supplies
were to I've taken. In a few moments this
man appeared on deck his face blanched
with fear and reported that sOme one was
at work upon the bottom of the ship. So
certain WIS he. that an officer was sent
with him into the hold to make investi.
CATIONS. Sure enough there was plainly
to he heard a regular tapping sound Rs of
a mechanical hammer or dredge on the
I side OF the ship below the water line. The
cated the point from which the noise ap-
parently came. A report was made to
, Captain Converse who made a personal
investigation, only to be mystified as had
been the lieutenant and sailor. The tap
ping went on with regularity that could
only he the result of mechanical actio; IL
was timed and found t o count exactly 26O
to the minute occasionally dropping to-
bout 200, never below that number. Cap.
tain Converse at first made Il careful in
vestigation aboard hls ship. but nothing
could he discovered that would offer All
@ planation of the mysterious noise
that went uno sasinyly on Then thu
and Il patrol made about the Montgomery.
This secured M better result than did the
search within.
BY this time the officers were showing
nervousness and the crew seemed ready
to go read foremost over the ships side
At the first sound of an explosion.
Captain Converse finally ordered a l,,p
thrown under the PROV of the NJ 'ntgo ~
cry and this was SLOWLY scraped back
along the ships bottom N" result. The
ripe was drawn slowly bask aud forth
aud had any IL been at work there With
hammer or drill operations must have
been interrupted. but this was not the case
as the noise went ,n aud on without mis-
asng II stroke. Then to satisfy his men.
captain Converse ordered teoOnd and
mnss careful investigation aboard the
Montgomery. After this had been made
without d-velop-ment Captain Converse
explained that the noise was an acoustic
p~h'numenon, the water carrying the sound
Of the machinery Of some nearby ship
probably the dynamo of the Viscaya
when Was lying canple of hundred of
yards way. With this explanation the
men we're forced to he content. but these
WIS little sleep aboard the NJ 'ntgonery
that night. and tas old sailors with the
superstition Of the sea. All INK their heads
AMI decla red that it VAN a warning from
thew dead mates who had gone do xn with
t,,u AT,inu .-r