The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-01
NO CRITICISM OF Wilde
Precautions Taken Against Acct
dent to the, Oregon.
Navy Department officials Unable
to Arrive at Definite ConcIu-
sfons Concerning the Extent of
the Battleship's Injuries - Hopes
That the Vessel May BE Saved.

Confirmation Of the press dispatches that
the United States battleship Oregon had
gone ashore off the China coast came to
of the morning yesterday in the following
despatch from Capt. George F. F. Wilde,
the Oregon's commander:
'.Chefoo. June 29.
Secretary of the Navy. Wash. h.ngton:
Anchored yesterday; dense fog; in
seventeen fathoms three miles south
of How-ki light, Gulf of Pe-Chi-Li.
Sent out two boats and sounded-least
water five and one-half ia homs.
Weather clear. Got under way and
struck Pinnacle Rock. Much water in
forward compartment. Perfectly smooth.
snail charter steamer If possible at
Chefoo and tighten the ship. Rock
through side of ship above double boz
tom. about frame 10. Some holes
also through bottom of ship.
WILDE"
Shortly thereafter. at 4:2S o'clock a. m
came this telegram from Rear Admiral
Remey at Hongkong:
''Hongkong. June 20.
Secretary of the Navy. Wash ngton:
Princeton arrived. Brooklyn leaves
for Nagasaki. The Zafiro, at Chefoo,
has been sent 10 assist Oregon re-
ported by Rodgers on rock south of
How-k light. Iris going to her as
sistance- REMEY."
There appeared to be nothing for the
Navy Department to do in the way of ef-
forts to save the famous armorclad, but
later in the day Secretary Long, after con-
sultfng some of his subordinates, sent a
message to Admiral kempff at Taku to get
wrecking apparatus from Port Arthur. the
Russian military and naval stronghold on
the Gulf Of Pe-Chi-Li. and to send the
oregon to that place If she were raised
The Navy Department locates Pinnacle
Rock, on which the Oregon struck. as n
projection twenty-five feet above the water,
three and two-thirds nautical miles south
of How-ki Island light a mile and a quar-
ter north-northeast of Liaolushan Island,
and fifty miles west-northwest of Chefoo.
According to the directions to mariners
the rock should not be approached nearer
than three cable lengths, as 1t is surround
ed by shoal. The current there is very
strong, and the tide has rise and fall of
from ten to fifteen feet
There is no criticism in naval circles OF
Capt. George +. F. Wilde, because his ship
the Oregon. went aground on the Chinese
coast. His report indicates that he adopt
ed precautions against grounding. OF
course, there will be court of enquiry
whether the Oregon is saved or not, and 1t
is useless at this time to speculate on the
result. The fact that the water was
smooth and the weather perfectly clear
when Captain Wilde's despatch was sent
encourages the hope that she will be
saved. If she went ashore at low tide and
can be lightened by the time the tide is at
the food she will probably be saved. the
great difference in rise and fall being a
decided advantage in the ships favor The
greatest danger. the naval people say lies
in the chance of heavy weather in this,
the typhoon. season. .z@
After studying Captain Wilde's telegram
carefully the officers OF the construction
corps on duty at the Navy Department are
unable to arrive at definite conclusions as
to the extent Of her injuries or her chance
of escape from her perilous position. The
statement that rock is through side of
ship above double bottom about frame 49,
is not clear to the constructors. 1t may
be that the rock did not penetrate both
bottoms, but went through the side Of the
ship above the points where the upper
about ten feet below the water line For
rock to have gone clear through both
bottoms is a very serious thing. but If it
penetrated the side of the vessel above
the upper bottom the chance of getting
the Oregon off appears to be very good, in
deed. Frame 19 Is well toward the bow of
the ship, just forward OF the forward tur-
ret
The Oregon was at Hongkong being pre-
pared for period of inactivity or being
placed in ordinary" when the Navy De-
partment ordered her to proceed to Taku
on account of the exigencies of the Chi
nese situation. A large part of her crew
had been assigned to other ships. as Ad-
miral Reney sent her 764 men by the
Zafro from Manila. She left Hongkong
for Taku on Saturday. June 90, just week
ago. and would have reached ChefOo yes-
terday and Taku probably today if she had
not encountered Pinnacle Rock
Captain Wilde is well known here. For
several years he was naval secretary of
the Light House Board. He is one of the
few old-timers among the Officers of the
navy who prefer the regulation cut-plug
tobacco for his pipe and has stuck to II
consistently for many years. When he was
with the Light House Board his messen
ger had standing instructions TO cut
enough tobacco from one of the plugs
which are issued to the bluejackets on shio-
board to last the captain for the Gay
Just before the Spanish war
Captain Wilde applied for sea command.
Nearly all the ships had been given tn
other men so he asked for the ram Katah-
din and got her. He was very enthusiastic
about the Katahdin and expected to do
great things with her If he got into an
engagement with Spanish squadron. But
the katahdin saw duty only at Hampton
Roads New York, and Boston. In 1899
Captain Wilde was sent to Manila to take
command OF the Baltimore, and in Nav
OF that year he was placed in command of
the Oregon, succeeding Capt A. S Barker
who was placed temporarily in command
Of the Asiatic station on the departure of
Admiral Dewey for home.
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