Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-18
CAPTAIN cOWLES UNLUcKY.
Third Misfortune to Warshps Under
His Command.

Washington, April 1.-THE terrible
explosion on the Missouri is the third
misfortune that has attended a war
ship under the command of the Presi-
dents brothcr-iu-law. Cant. Cowles. In
both OF the previous cases the courts
of inquiry reported that Capt. Cowles
rad failed to comply with the naval
regulations. bat no further action was
taken in either instance. Whether or
not there was any violation of the rules
;of the navy, involved in Wednesdays
disaster is for the court Of inquiry to
determine.
The first misfortune with which Mr.
fpWles. who WAS then Il lieutenant, was
directly concerned, was when the dis
patch boat Dispatch. of which he was
III command. ran ashore and was lost
on AsateaGue shoals 60 miles from
cape Charles on Oct. II, 1891. The
Dispatch WAS OIL her way to Washing
ton at the time to take Pres. Harrison.
Secretary Tracy and other officials to
Annapolis to witness armorplate tests.
Inc vessel grounded at night while
Lieut.. Cowlcs was asleep, and it devcl.
oped that the ships course had been
changed after he retired. It also de-
Ncioped that the course of the shin had
often been changed by his subor1inates
without the charge being at once re.
ported to him, and that he had not 70.
Duhed them for it or told them not to
do 1t again. The court Of inquiry re-
ported that Lieut.. COwles had omitted
to comply with paragraph AS, page II,
L. ;. n. regulations 1876. in that he did
not require the occasional use of the
lead but the loss of the vessel was not
directly due to this omission as his
written orders would have carried the
vessel clear"
Licutenants Noel and Mulligan. the
Junior officers, were found to have been
ut f;iul; for changing the course with
out reporting to the commanding officer
and for their failure to take soundings
when the ship was headed for land.
They were excused because the light,
on shore were not properly made out
and the courts rec concentration that no
further action be taken was approved
Capt. Cowlcs second accident was tine
gammirS of the Illinois by the Missouri
a few weeks ago, off Pensacola In that
case tn" court of inquiry reported that
| while Capt. CowIes gave the proper or
N"rS Tor the handnnE of the engines after
her steam gear became disabled he failed
Ia display the signals required by the
naval regulations which if they had been
| promptly shown would have prevented
| tho collisions by enabling the Illinois to
get out of the way.
| AS the Missouri had never had any cx-
perience in mancuvcrs. and carried "A
green crew. the court recommended 40
! further action and this finding was ap-
proved by Sec. Moody, who thereby re
i verSad q rule established by himself that
| there should be Il court martial TOR every
officer whose conduct was in any way
reflected on by the court Of inquiry
| Until he was placed in uonmaud Of tn"
Missouri when she went into commission.
Capt. Cowies never had any expert, nee
on a modern batticshp. and the aigcst
i warship he ever had comma AIDED was III"
) little 9:a@-ton gunboat Topeka. Of wri II
I he had charge during the war with 81 ain
! Mr.. Roosevelt was aSSStan. SECRETARY
when CGwies was assigned to IT, Topeka
| Capt. Cowl"s has been married twice
| His first wife was daughter Of Allan
| G. Thurman. The present Mrs. CowIcs
| is; a sister of Mrs Roosevelt