The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1903-08-14
STRUCK ON THE ROCKS.
BattIeship Massachusetts Damaged
While Leaving Bar Harbor.

Bar Harbor, Me-, Aug. 13.-While
leaving the harbOr during thick fog
about noon Wednesday in company
with vessels of the North Atlantic
squadron, the battleship Massachu-
sets sustained considerable damage
by striking on the edge Of rocks off the
western end of Egg Rock. The big
vessel slipped over the rocks into deep
water. but the two forward bulkheads
soon filed, and it was subsequently
found that several plates forward had
been cracked. The Massachusetts was
headed back into the harbor with con-
siderable difficulty, accompanied by
her sister vessel, the Indiana, and the
gunboat Scorpion. She will remain
here until Capt. Manning, her COM
mander, receives orders from Wash
ington when it is expected she will
proceed to Brooklyn to be drydocked.
The squadron, under the command
of RI. Adm. Barker, which has been
on this part of the coast engaged in a
war game, got under way shortly be-
fore noon Wednesday for Long Island
sound, where there will be tactical eX-
ercises previous to an inspection and
review next Monday by President
Roosevelt, Secretary Moody and Adm.
Dewey. The flagship Kearsarge led
the fleet and Immediately following
were the battleships Alabama, Illinois,
Texas, Massachusetts and Indiana.
the cruisers Olympia, Baltimore, To-
peka. Yankee and Prairie and the gun
boat Scorpion, besides the smaller YES
sells of the fleet.
The Massachusetts occupied a posi-
ton on the port quarter of the Texas,
as she proceeded from the harbor,
which brought her much nearer to Egg
Rock than the other ships. 1t is be-
lieYed that the accident was due to a
miscalculation as to her position on
the part of the navigating officer.
When the big battleship struck she
was going at the rate of about nine
and half knots, and although she
was drawing rs feet of water and
there was less than Is feet on the
ledge, her progress was but little re-
tarded and she at once passed over
into deeper water. The collision sig
nal was at once sounded and the Mas
sachusetts' bulkhead doors were clos
ed tight. The Indiana and Scorpion,
which were Immediately behind her,
ran alongside to render assistance.
The channel at this point is very
narrow and it was no slight task to
turn the ship in such dense fog.
With the assistance of one of the naval
tugs this was finally accomplished, and
at 8 o'clock, the Massachusetts was
once more at anchor with the Indiana
and Scorpion close alongside.
Capt. Manning said that he could
have proceeded with the rest of the
fleet, but thought it wisest to return.
He also stated that two divers exam
ined the bottom of the vessel WedRes-
day afternoon and reported that sew
eraI plates were cracked and that the
ship would have to be drydOcked for
repairs. The Massachusetts Wednes-
day night was down by the head about
ten inches, but by morning she will
be very nearly on even keel as her
crew are hard at work carrying aft
ammunition and stores. 1t is expected
that she will be in natural trim when
her orders are received to sail. 1t is
expected that she will proceed to the
Brooklyn navy yard under her own
steam, where she will be drydocked
and the full extent of her damages
ascertained