The Irish standard., 1898-02-26
AMERICAN SAILORS WHO HAVE
KNOWN DISASTER.
CASUALTIES IN THE NAVY
THE MAINE ACCIDENT THE WORST
IN LOSS OF LIFE.
EXPERIENCE IN A GALE.
NOT SO MANY DISASTERS AS IN THE
ENGLIH NAVY.

There have been disasters In the
American navy before There have
been disasters In all the navies Of the
world, but it will be found that In the
number of the catastrophes and In the
bearing Of the officers and men OF the
American navy in the face Of death
there is no room for the self-complacent
British sneer Of the st. James Gazette
when it declares editorially: "The disc1-
pline upon American warships, according
to British ideas, is rather lax" Sta
tistics show that with due regard to the
disparity in the number OF vessels and
in the queens navy than In that of the
United States.
In the whole record of the serious dis
asters which have overtaken Uncle
Sans ships in times Of peace there is
discipline, carelessness, or cowardicc.
The stories touching the bearing Of Of
ficers and crews of American vessels
overtaken by tempestous seas, wrecked
or cut to the waters edge by collision,
are such as to make every American
feel that there has been no degeneracy
in discipline since the days of the elder
Porter Bainbridge and Decatur.
In the number OF men lost the acct
dent to the Maine leads all the other
causalties in that part Of the navy's re-
cord written In time Of peace. Some Of
the other disasters have been attended,
perhaps, with horror, because before
death came in many instances there were
long hours Of suspense and Of struggling
against fate. Most of the men of the
Maine went to instant death.
In the first month of the year 1870
the United States steam sloop-of-war
Oneida went to the bottom of the Bay
of Yeddo, carrying with it "a officers and
152 men. 1t is questionable whether the
account of the loss of this vessel be
pleasant reading for British eyes, 1t
was a dark night and foggy one. The
British merchant steamer Bombay
crashed into the stern OF the American
vessel and practically carried away it's
whole quarter. The British steamer was
uninjured. 1t proceeded on it's way, re-
fusing to answer the halls to "stand by"
which came from the, deck of the Oneida
A large number of the Oneidas boats
were stove in and rendered useless. In
to what We're left thirty men, told Off,
WERE placed. Then the remainder took
their places well forward and awaited
death. In less than fifteen minutes from
the time of the collision the Oneida sank.
The Bombay, after leaving the Ameri-
can ship to its fate, put into the nearest
port. The captains verbal report of the
disaster to an attache of the British
consulate was: 81 have this day cut
the whole quarter off of ID Yankee
frigate, and it served it bloody we'll
right"
the Oneida. The men he caused to BE-
placed in boats were the ships sick. The
surgeon he ordered to go with the in
valids. Not one man of those to whom
death was a certainty murmured at the
captains act. The surgeon and the sick
saw the men standing on the deck and
fearlessly awaiting the fate which soon
came.
1t is, perhaps, forgotten today outside
of naval circles that Rear Admiral ST.
card, commanding the squadron off the
Dry Tortngas, was once lost
by wrecking a vessel under
his command. 1t happened
twenty-eight years ago next October,
and the scene of the wreck was Ocean
Island in the south Pacific The admiral
was then lieutenant commander in
charge of the United States steam sloop
Saginaw. 1t was the subsequent hero
ism Of an officer and four men of the
Saginaw that marked the account of this
disaster as one of the bright pages of
}
ran on a reef in an uncxplored sea. 1t
was an carly hour in the morning The
commanding officer had been on deck all
night alert. knowing that he was coming
to the vicinity Of Ocean Island. Speed
was diminished to four and then to two
and half knots, while soundings with
the lead were constantly made There,
was breeze dead astern Suddenly the
lookout called breakers ahead." The
command was given to back the engines
The topsails had been set for an hour
and there was not power enough in the
vessels steam plant to drive the ship
back while the wind in the filled top:ails
drove. her forward. The Saginaw struck
the reef stove great hole in her bow.
and the crew were compelled to take to
the boats. They saved large quantities
Of stores from the wreck and with them
landed on a desert island hundreds of
miles from the nearest point Of possible