The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-18

wedge MMnRuNrc when the Barry
RammetI the Dccai ur--HsOats Ordered
to Brooklyn Navy Yard, the uninJured
Ones Conveying the Malmcd Ones-The
Channcey's steering Gear Disabled
The Review One Of the Finest Ever
Seen in Amerlca--Many Pleasure
Craft Follow the Presidents Boat
Down the Long Lane Of Warships.
OYSTER BAY, Aug. 17.--An accident in
which two of the torpedo boat dest royers.
the Barry and the Decatur, were injured.
married the otherwise most successful
naval review by President Roosevelt to-day.
The accident occurred after the review
proper had been concluded. The fleet,
with the exception of the torpedo boat
destroyers in the first division, under COM
mand Of Lieut.. l.. H Chandler-the Decatur,
cambridge, Barry, Dole and Chaunoey-
had passed on down the Sound about a
mile. These five destroyers had been
held back to go through some wedge
manu uvres" for those on the Mayfower
to see
The destroyers came up to starboard
of the Mayflower in perfect formation,
The Decatur was leading, her bow forming
the edge of the wedge. The Bainbridges
nose was snug against the Decaturs port
side, little abaft amidships; the Barry
was to starboard of the Decatur in the
same relative position, and the Dale and
the Chauncey completed the wedge, tho
Dale rubbing sides with the cambridge
and the Chauncey with the Barry.
AS the destroyers got abeam of the May
flower, the order went down for full steam
on all Of them. For few seconds the
five long, black hulls shook with the throb-
bling of the engines. Then they fairly
sprang forward, as il seemed. A mound
of water was pushed up in front of the
Decaturs bow, and the propellers churned
up a wake Of foam,
The black fiiers hadn't gone far when a
red flag was run up to the Chauncey 8 signal
| yard. Her steering gear had been disabled
| and she dropped out of the wedge.
The others turned short and steamed up
abreast the Mayhower and to port Of her
| It was announced that the four were going
to maneuvre In flying wedge formation
| and make the formation under considerable
| speed. They steamed under the May
| flowers quarter and started to cross astern
| of her, the Decatur in the lead, with the
Barry and the cambridge on either sio-,
| The Dale was following
| As the boats closed into formation, running
at about a ten-knot speed, the Barry, which
was to starboard Of the Decatur, came
| into position at too sharp an angle, and be-
| fore her engines could be reversed she
| struck the Commanders boat a slanting
blow about twenty-five feet from the stern
The Decatur's bow few out of the water
her stern settled and she careened to star
board and then rolled over on her port side
The President and Admiral Dewey were
standing with some other naval officers on
the bridge of the Mayfower at the time.
Somebody shouted:
%She's going down"
The order came like lightning from the
bridge to man the boats The Mayhower's
jackies were in them In iiffy, and they
| were being lowered when word came from
the destroyers, which quickly ran close to
the Mayfower. that the accident was not
serious The President and all the guests,
at the first alarm, had fastened aft, and
they were standing there when the Decatur
| steamed close aboard
She had dent OF considerable size in her
side where the Barry had rammed her, but
her plates were not broken The Barry,
Lieut. Chandler informed those on the
Mayfower, had her bow crumpled and
her forward compartment was injured.
but not seriously Admiral Dewey ordered
both boats to steam Immediately to the
Brooklyn navy yard and the other three to
go with them, to be ready In case of emer-
gency.
The breakage on the Chaunoey was only
slight She was fixed up in few minutes.
The rest of the fleet were we'll on their
way down the Sound by this time, and the
accidents to the destroyers are not yet
known to Rear Admiral Barker.
DAMAGED DEsTRoYERs NOT YET IN.
Word soon reached the navy yard at
Brooklyn that the disabled destroyers were
coming there, and everything was put In
readiness to receive them and haul them
out for repairs. Early this morning they
had not reached Brooklyn. Some anx-
iety was evidently felt about them, as Com
mander Brownson, the captain Of the yard,
left word when he went to bed that he was
to be awakened as soon as the disabled
boats got in.
A tug which had left Oyster Bay at $40
| o'clock last night, an nour aIter tne de-
str overs had started for Brooklyn, reached
the navy yard at $50 o'clock. The de-
stroyers are under ordinary circumstances,
capable of making more than twenty knots
an hour, and their failure to beat the tug
in was taken as another indication that they
were having hard time of it somewhere
on the way
1t was reported at Whitestone Landing
at late hour last night that the destroyers
had not passed there.
The Barry and Decatur are practically
sister craft. each having a displacement
of 400 tons and being 245 feet long. They
we're launched in 1900, the Barry at Phila-
delphia, and the Decatur at Richmond. Va,
The Barry attained maximum trial speed
of 20 knots, and the Decatur 2s knots