The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-04-29
"THE BEST LAID n
An American Torpedo DSat kept In
EaGIana DuriHg the
War.

Lieut.. Henry Ia Motto, under the
racy title How We Helped Uncle sam
Prrpare for War" tells how he aud the
American naval attaehe, Lieut. Niblack,
labored last March aud April to get to
America in time 10 use the German
torpedo boat. which had been chris
tened the Somrrs After all prepsra-
lions had been made, | FASTENED TO
Hamburg. hoping To catch the Ham
burg somewhere in the North Sea
canal; but on my arrival at Hamburg
l found that she had passed through
the canal early that morning, and was
now on the North sea on her way 10
England. IT was not until more than
a week later, when / sailed into the
port of Weymouth, England, on board
the United States steamship Topeka,
that l succeeded in getting her signal
flags aboard her. Capt Knapp told me
that from the mouth of the Elbe TO
Weymouth he had had a very rough
trip, but he had made it in three days,
averaging l2 knots an hour, which was
as much as any t~orpedo-boat OF her
size could have made under similar cir
cumstances.
When we arrived in Weymouth, he
caused an inspection 10 be made, which
showed that the Somers had notleaked
. drop, in spite of her rough handling,
and, considering the weather she was
out in, he believed her TO be a very COM
Portable boat.
At Weymouth an English crew was
put aboard the Somers, and Capt. Poust
and the Germans were paid of and sent
home.
The Englishmen were evidently
afraid of her. for every time they put
10 sea in her they declared she was
leaking. Twice she vas 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 To-
peka, succeeded in getting her as far as
Falmouth, where we put in because
the Somers had made signals that she
was sinking. This report was found &c
be as ~groundless as the two previous
ones. There was, however, a very slight
leakaboutthe submerged torpedo-tube
and her crew, now thoroughly demon
allied, absolutely refused TO go TO sea
unless she was dry-docked and inspect
ed by an agent of Lloyd's.
i II being utterly impossible to engag,
Il new crew for her at Falmouth, Capt
Knapp was obliged 10 yield to their de
mands, and arranged to have her dry
docked.
AS she Vas being putinto the docks
whether by accident or design canno
be proyed-her sailing master ran her
head on, into u stone pier, whicl
caused such serious damage as, withou
! doubt, to require her 10 remain Ia dry
: dock for repairs at least ten days.
This was on April 10, and Us we wer
! sure that was would be declared In
few days at the farthest, we wer
obliged TO sail away in the Topeka with
5 out her. The day after war was de
elared, the English captain of the por
r called upon the officer in command o
e the Somers, and told him that Grea
u Britain, under her proclamation Of net
o trality, must request him to go 10 Sc
; In "a hours; and IL he were unable 10 d
so. the English government would b
obliged TO detain the Somers in por
during the continuance of the war.
c And SO, after all our trouble and e,
pense, one of our torpedo-b boats wa
left in Falmouth harbor, of no NOR
use TO US in II war with Spain than
she had remained No. 420 at the Sch
IS chau works In Elbing-St. Nicholas