New-York tribune., 1906-09-26
COURT MARTIAL MEETS.
On5cers of the alabama To BE Tired
Because of Collision.

Provincetown. Mass. Sept rs (special).-The court
inarual Tor the trial of Captain s. r COMFY COLI
inaholhg the battleshp Alabama ana or LeuIenaIiI
A W. Pressey. the officer OF the deck OF the Ala
oama at the time of her collision with the Illinois
on Newport Harbor July 81 met to-day. The
court is presided over by Rear Admiral B. W. DICK
ms the other members being Rear Admirals @. NJ
Thomas W. W. Mead. Asa Walker and J. N
Hemphiu and Captains ]. NJ. Hawley. A P. Nazro
u. R. Harris and D. II. Mahan. Lieutenant Com
mander W. ]. Terhune is Judge advocate.
The officers TO be tried are charged with suffer
ing vessel OF the navy to be improperly hazard
ed" The question at issue is whether not the
Alabama, when the Kearsarge suddenly appeared
ahead of her. and not more.than two hundred yards
away in dense fog should have nanoeuvred dif-
rerently from what she did.
AT the time OF the collision the squadron was
steam1ng at twelve knots. in column. In this
formation. should breakdown occur on any Ship
she signifies 1t by a proper flag in daylight by a
red lantern at night and in fog by rapidly toot-
Ing the whistle. Were ship IN the
the disabled ship TO render a collision likely
she should stop and back: but this should be re-
sorted to only when nothing else would prevent a
collision. and when a ship does resort to this ex-
treme she must clearly indicate the fact 10 the
ships in the rear.
most constantly making sman CHANCES of sp.ed to
etther gain little or lose little in distance from
shod be bnp Pc It that dhiss ss
one directly ahead Of tine the Alabama~found % herself
too near the Missouri. and abruptly slowed down.
she rapidly lost distance, and the Alabama soon
saw her, in the fog, not more than two hundred
yards away. The Alabama appeared to be gaining
on her rapidly, but the Kearsarge had in no way
inolcated that she was stopped that anything
was the matter.
Apparently the officer OF the deck of the Ala
bama-Iieutenant Pressey-considered that he
about to overtake and run into the Kearsarge so
he put the helm of the Alabama to starboard which
would make her head turn TO port, stopped her
engines and then backed full speed astern for
minute. He at the Same time blew three whistles.
which is the signal for backing, but. the Ala
bama had been making a signal and had reached
the last letter of it. the three whistles taken
TO mean the end of the signal. which is a meaning
they do have. With the helm to starboard and
the engines backing, the Alabama forged ahead
and to port, until she almost at q standstill
and almost directly in the path OF the Illinois. The
Illinois, not knowing that the Alabama had stopped,
advancing at the speed OF twelve knots, and
in the thick fog could not the Alabama until
she within two hundred yards of her. and
then II too late to prevent the slight collision.
The captain of the Alabama the bridge and
approved of all that done by his officer the
deck. Undoubtedly the court martial is ordered by
the Navy Department because the opinion of the
court of inquiry which Rear Admiral Evans ordered
was that the Alabama should have put her helm to
port and turned TO the right, out of the danger
zone so to speak, OF the Illinois The officers
cerned on the Alabama will undoubtedly attempt to
prove that their ship properly manoeuvred ana
that TO have pursued any other course would have
almost certainly caused collision with the Kear-