The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-19
o U. S. Warships
OF Tompk,nsville.
Take This Ferry.

.......,.,....., .............,.
1t was remarked that it was the first in
stance in the record of the Staten Island
| ferry that it had made an effort to get GUS
tom by placard or otherwise
| The placard was not alto gether ingenious.
| Two Of the warships, the Topeka, which
has been lying of Staten Island several
| weeks, and the Minneapolis, which arrived
| yesterday. belong to the training squadron.
The four other ships are comparative
| strangers to the port. They form the
larger part OF the battleship squadron of
the North Atlantic feet, which has been
cruising chiefly in the Mediterranean and
Adriatic for the last few months, and
since the early part of this month has been
at target and torpedo practice in Massachu-
sets waters.
The four fighting craft that got here
yesterday were the flagship Kearsarge
(Rear Admiral Albert s. Barker), Capt.
Raymond P. Rodgers in command; the
Alabama, Capt. Charles H. Davis; the
Missouri, Capt. William s. Cowles, and the
Maine, Capt. Eugene H. c. Leutze. The
illinois, the Iowa and Massachusetts FORM
ing the rest Of the squadron, excluding
the tenders Scorpion and Mayfower. are
going elsewhere for overhauling.
There il not an officer nor a sea man,
ordinary or extraordinary, that is not proud
of the long cruise and the splendid per-
formances of his squadron and his ship.
A few men died Of typhoid in an Austrian
port. Seaman Cecil Clay Young Of Mans
field, Ohio, persisted in a Cyclone swept sea
of Marthas Vineyard on Thursday morn
Ing. The men are still talking about the
tumultuous experience Of the squadron of
Martha's Vineyard and mourning the death
Of Young in the ferment caused by q gale
that blew nearly ninety miles at times.
The riot of wind and wave was due to
the junction of the Massachusetts coast Of
a West India cyclone and storm from the
northwest. The Kearsarge, Alabama, Mis-
souri, and Maine and the tender Scorpion
we're south Of Martha's Vineyard, and the
Illinois and Iowa were about. ak miles dis
tant from the flagship. 1t was lee shore for
the squadron, as the gale at first was FROM
the southeast. The Kearsarge signalled
to the ships with her to make for Menemsha
Blight. The wind shifted and blew with
more violence than before from the north
west. The low lying battleships were
smothered in spray and occasionally
comber bounced aboard.
Young was on duty on the forecastle OF
the Missouri. A tall crest overwhelmed
him. carrying him into the boiling sea.
1t II the habit OF the American bluej jacket
to look after his distressed shipmatee,
and there were many who wanted to Jump
after Young into the tumult, in which It
ssosoad ,ynnoasih,e for a man IN live Ono
"a 49, posoro an ofsoar oo,,,d ros.r.in
uiu JUMP oe'oIe o.i on.osI oouu .s'ia,n
him. Young was seen swimming val1antly
md the who went after him 6nApna1
to be making good Roadway when Young
threv I'm bis arms and cried for helm An
rar.nt,,, bo had haen taken With oro r,rs
paiehiy no lIau 80 WIN 49, VI ops
Before his gallant messmate could reach
him he sank
Meanwhile, another blueja cket had In
.;s,.d An oo,no IN the helm NJ both struo-
",o ~ ~ $50 10 ua 80 ,,er,,;t.oa ~.
gers u, ''e sea ne was POI ha."o " 40
80 az tbs .n e, emu no, TO- tns
whole ships company in reckless individual
ooto ~ rescue The man who had oone
aus ~ IT. oi,.has naad.d he,r 80 ho
oVel III nis I'o'n us;,..o -. ~ a.'u u.
Of the life line Both were hauled aboard
pretty well tuckered out
Tha Admiral aent a w,reless messaoe IN
A., az a.. ,,uoin, 49, Joot, - 80, W.
the meet announcing .he ueavn 81 ioune
and asked II any OF the other ships had
thew had not but that they had had a tough
60 hmoLino ,he seoa The oe,osrs said
.,iiie pu'Ats 'ne e ~. 80 eo'u
that the storm was one OF tne worst that
had ever tried the seaworthiness OF an
American battleship.
II was said aboard the ships that there
had been some remarkable target practice
at night by the squadron. The officers, out
of regard for naval etiquette, would make
no comment on the performances of their
raanaot;ya ehins b,,t the sailors wara M,
unwilling to talk bit Everybody knows
that the squadron has the worlds record
for hitting bulseyes in daylight. Now
the ships have tried shooting in the dark
at an Illuminated target while moving at
the rate of eight or ten knots,
One Of the ships hit the target eight times
out Of ten. The officers say that nobody
will know which ship did the best average
work until the umpires, one OF whom WAS
on each OF the competing shipe. make ,,p