The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-03
THREATS AGAINST WARSHIP.
DIN THEY RESULT IN THREE
RECENT INJURIES no HER?
Violence NJ the Navy Yard Soon After
the ConnectIcut's Keel Was Laid and
After q Meddlins walking Delegate
Had been Elected From the Yard.

tho SOuueCtcut's heei was huiu ana
After q Metdlins walking Delegate
Had Been Elected From the Yard.
After the United States battleship Con-
necticut had been launched at the Brooklyn
navy yard on Thursday Rear Admiral
Frederick Rodgers commandment Of the
yard, caused an unusual announcement
10 be made to the 3, 900 odd men employed
in various capacities about the yard.
Through naval officers and foremen the
men were told in substance. the following:
Three attempts were made to prevent
the successful launching Of the Connecticut
by seriously damaging the ship. The
attempts failed only because Of the careful
inspections made by tho officers imme-
oately in charge OF the construction. This
dastardly business could have been done
only by man or men employed in this
ward. The commander OF the yard be-
lieves that the great majority of the men
employed hero are patriotic American
citizens, who take even more pride in the
American navy than citizens less intimately
connected with ii. He also believes that
il will he necessary only to call the atten-
ton of the men TO the fact that there is
one or more scoundrels among them to
have each OF them do the most he can to
find out the guilty and see that they are
promptly and properly punished
Never before in the history of an Ameri-
can yard has such an announcement been
made, and its effect was just what Admiral
Rodgers believed it would be An angrier
lot of men than most of the navy yard
workmen were would have been hard to
find. At the noon hour on Friday and
Saturday, and after the days work was
done on Friday and Saturday evenings
the workmen talked Of the announcement.
Yesterday the jackies and marines were
heatedly talking about the matter, and
every man jack Of them seemed to want
to be the first to discover "the dog that
did it,
From high naval officer additional facts
about the three attempts to injure and
wreck what will be when completed the most
powerful ship in the navy were obtained
yesterday This officer said:
About two months ago the watertight
compartments of the Connecticut were
tested. When one of them amidship was
filled with water, it was noticed that little
streams trickled from the inside out on the
blocks supporting the ship. The vessel
was then, of course, on the ways and the
compartment was Immediately emptied and
examined to find out what was the matter.
THE size Of the streams indicated that
small holes had to be looked for. An officer
had not been IN the compartment long
before he found that holes had been drilled
In four or five rivets that helped to hold
the keel plates in position. The rivets
were about three inches long and over an
Inch in diameter. It was found that the
holes had been bored exactly in the centra-
u the rivets and, In each case, . rivet had,
been picked out whose outside end was
hidden by q keel block. so that there want
one chance in a million that the job would
have been discovered until the ship was
IN the water. Inside the compartment
the holes were loosely plugged.
As soon as the thing was discovered
the rivets were replaced by new ones and
the ship Was watched more carefully than
over, 1t was quite evident to all who saw
the holes that the job had been done by
cunning and skilled mechanic.
The second attempt against the ship
was discovered week before last. and about
this something has already been printed.
That consisted of driving spike in the
nidG.le Of the ways, under water for the
purpose Of ripping a hole in the bottom OF
the vessel when she slid down the ways
Had this spike not been discovered by an
officer in diving suit, who had gone down
10 examine the ways, the ship might have
been wrecked and most of those aboard
her at the launching killed or injured.
The spike protruded about five inches
above the surface of the ways. After
the spike had been removed the guards
al about the ship and along the ways
we're coubled. More electric lights were
set up along the ways. and the number
Of lights inside the vessel was also in
creased.
The third attempt 10 damage the ship
was discovered Immediately after she had
got into the waite: at the launching
A hole all inch in diameter was drilled
through the outer shell at point where the
side Of the ship rested against one OF the
cradle blocks. The hole must have been
made some time between O'Clock Wednes-
day night and Thursday morning
The vessel had hardly left the ways
when the leak was reported. The inner
and outer shells Of the Connecticut are
about four feet apart. Bulkheads or par
titions divide the space between the shells
into watertight compartments. Each COM
raItment is fitted with a steel door. The
person VINO drllleQ tne EOIe was unuOuDt-
edly familiar with the ship or had seen
others like il, as he had to fnd the door of
that particular section and lower himself
into the compartment Workinen were
stationed all over the boat long before the
first block was knocked away. The boat
had hardly foated free Of the cradle when
the man who was inspecting the compart-
ments reported the leak. At first it was
supposed that rivet raj been left out
but the diver who plugged the hole said that
the nearest joint was several inches away
Very little damage was done to the boat,
owing to the fact that the compartment
doors were all closed. The hole is tightly
plugged. and the vessel will not go to the
dry dock for several months
1t was learned at the yard yesterday
that Admiral Rodgers sent a detailed re-
port Of the three attempts to damage or
wreck the Connecticut to the Navy Depart
ment on Saturday. When the Admiral
Mas asked il this was true, he said it wac.
and because OF that fact he did not care
TO discuss the subject at all. He said that
he had no doubt that the Department
would make public a part Of the report
ut least earlv thia week When asked II