Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-03-20
1.-THE BEST LAID PLANS"
An American Torpedo Boat Kept Ir
England During the War.

England During the War.
Lieutenant Henry La Motto, under
the racy title "How We Helped Uncle
Sam Prepare For Wsr,' tells in st.
Nicholas how he and the American
naval attache, Lieutenant Niblack, la
bored last March and April to get to
America in time to use the German tor
pedo boat which had been christened
the Somers: After all preparations had
been made I fastened to Hamburg,
hoping to catch the Somers somewhere
in the North sea canal, but on my ar
rival at Hamburg found that she had
passed through the canal early that
morning and was now on the North sea
on her way to England. 1t was not I'M
til more than week later, when /
sailed into the port of Weymouth, Eng
land, on board the United States steam
er Topeka, that l succeeded in getting
her signal flags aboard her. Captain
Knapp told me that from the mouth of
the Elbe to Weymouth he had had
very rough trip, but he had made it in
three days, averaging 10 knots an hour,
which was as much as any torpedo boat
of her size could have made under sim
liar circumstances.
When he arrived in Weymouth, he
caused an inspection to be made, which
showed that the Somers had not leaked
a drop, in spite of her rough handling,
and, considering the weather she was
out in, he believed her to be a very
comfortable boat.
At Weymouth an English crew was
put aboard the Somers, and Captain
Poust and the Germans were paid off
and sent home.
The Englishmen were evidently afraid
Of her, for every time they put to sea
in her they declared that she was leak
ing. Twice she was put back into port
on account of these reports, and each
time little or nothing was found to be
the matter. The third attempt to get
her to sea in company with the Topeka
succeeded in getting her as far as Fall
mouth, where we put in because the
Somers had made signal that she was
sinking. This report was found to be as
groundless as the two previous ones.
There was, however, a very slight leak
about the submerged torpedo tube, and
her crew, now thoroughly demoralized,
absolutely refused to go to sea unless
she was drydocked and inspected by
an agent of Lloyd's
It being utterly impossible to engage
a new crew for her at Falmouth, Cap
tain Knapp was obliged to yield to their
demands and arranged to have her dry
locked.
AS she was being put into the docks
whether by accident or design cannot
be proved-her sailing master ran her,
head on, into stone pier, which caused
such serious damage as without doubt
to require her to remain, in drydock
for repairs at least ten days.
This was on April 10, and as we were
sure that war would be declared in a
few days at the furthest we were
obliged to sail away in the Topeka
without her. The day after war was
declared the English captain of the port
called upon the officer in command of
the Somers and told him that Great
Britain, under her proclamation of
neutrality, must request him to go to
sea in "a hours, and if he were unable
to do so the English government would
be obliged to detain the Somers in port
during the continuance of the war.
And so, after all our trouble and ex-
pense, one of our torpedo boats was left
in Falmouth harbor, of no more use to
US in our war with Spain than if she
had remained No. 420 at the Schichau
works in Elbing.