The Penn's Grove record., 1904-09-16
RUSSIAN SHIP AT FRISCO
Auxiliary Cruiser Lena Drops An
Choir at Pacific Port.
Much Anxiety Felt by Merchants and
Japs-President Decides That the
Ship Must Dlsmantle.

= Oyster Bay, N. Y.-The Russian aux.
Hilary cruiser Lena, which put into San
Francisco some days ago, must leave
that port within a brief time prescrib-
ed by this Government to make neces.
sary repairs, or must be %dismantled.
This, in brief, it can be said on au-
athority, is the decision of President
Roosevelt, to whom the question was
referred by the officials at Washington.
D. G..
The President spent most of a day
reading the reports from Washington
bearing on the case. The special wires
running into the executive offices were
kept warm with messages between the
department heads at the capital and
their chief at his home i'll this village.
The President, of course. would prefer
to adjust the affair so as to satisfy
both of the belligerent powers, but he
will not under any circumstances
swerve from the letter of his neutrality
proclamation issued at the beginning
Of hostilities. If he is convinced that
the commander Of the Russian ship
merely wishes to make sufficient re.
pairs to enable him to take the vessel
to the nearest Russian port, he may do
so. IL. on the other hand, it appears
that the Russian officer entered the
Golden Gate with the intention of put
ting the Lena again in fighting trim, he
will be ordered to dismantle the ship
and must remain in the harbor until
the war ends. In other words, the har-
bors of the United States arc not to be
used as navy yards by any foreign
power.
President Roosevelt has ordered the
Lena to be thoroughly inspected by
the chief engineer of Admiral Good
rich's feet and the United States
steamboat inspectors at San Francisco.
Until their report is received no drastic
action will be taken. If the report
shows that the Lena'G boilers and en-
Sines car be repaired within q reason.
able time, the Russian commander will
be told to go ahead AID have the work
done. If the inspectors find that dry.
docking is necessary and the work of
repair will consume weeks CT months,
the Lena must be dismantled and de-
tanned. Should the Russian comran-
der refuse to dismantlc his ship On re.
ceiving orders to. that effect, he will be
required to le2Te the harbOr within I've
customary time lint of twcnty-four
hours.
On the arrival of the Lena consider
able anxiety vas felt in San Fran
cisco by the merchant marine of that
port, as it wac felt that the Russian
cruiser had OH with the purpose of
w~aylaying any ship leaving port fer
Japan.
The Russian commander of the boat
desired time to make sufficient repairs
to his boilers, which were then inspect
cd and the above decision was made by
the President on receipt Of the inspec-
ton report.
San Francisco, Cal.-It seems certain
from latest developments in the case
of the Russian cruiser that the Lena
will have to be dismantled here. This
decision was reached by the experts
here after a careful examination of the
Lena's boilers by Captain John X.
Bulger, United States inspector of
hulls and boilers. Admiral Goodrich's
feet engineer reported the day before
that six weeks would probably be am
pie time for putting the boilers in SER
viceable condition, but he did not make
the careful and detailed inspection
that Captain Bulger made. Although
Captain Bulger will not talk it is I'M
derstood from an authoritative source
that he has reported that the boilers
are in such bad condition that it would
hn fn1ly %n OffAyNnt 4A watch {ha,1, ~
in a few weeks. Either extensive re-
pairs must be made, which would re-
quire months. or new boilers must be
put in. In either case the work could
not be done under the neutrality laws,
for it would mean converting a dis
abled ship into an effective cruiser.
According to Captain Bulger's report
the cruiser would be taking great risks
in attempting to cross the Pacific at
this season with hastily patched up
boilers. 1t is understood that the Off
GERS and men of the Lena will be glad
to have the vessel dismantled, as they
know she could not hold her own
against even q small Japanese ship.
Collector Stratton sent the inspectors
report to Washington with his official
approval.
1t is reported here that Consul-Gen
eral Uyeno, of Japan, received a sharp
reprimand from the Japanese Minister
in Washington because of the dictator
ial tone in which he demanded the
right to inspect the Lena. Local Jap
anese are still greatly excited owe the
presence of the Lena. The editor OF
the Japanese paper waits in the early
morning for the first editions Of the 10.
cal newspapers, and then makes ur
his journal from their news. In the
windows of Japanese shops bulletins
are posted giving in Japanese the
latest news of the Lena case. If Ad.
miral Goodrich had not posted guards
over the cruiser, patriotic Japanese
would have blown the vessel out OF
the water, as they are greatly incensed
against her for trying to secure q ha-
ven in this harbOr.