The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-01-10
A COLLISION OF
BIG BATTLESHIPS
The Alabama Plunges Into the
Kentucky.
1nE LATTER SHIP WAS DAMAGED.
Tho Illinois Narrowly Avoids GsttIug Into The
Taagle--A Series Of Mishaps to Admiral
Evans Banleship Squadron iu New York
Bsy--Ihe kesrssrge and Kentucky Run
Aground OFF West Bank Light

New York (SpeciaD The batileship
squadron OF the United States Navy got
itself all tangled up in the lower bay.
Before the tangle was straightened out
the Kentucky and kearsarge were
aground and the Alabama had struck
the Kentucky a glancing blow on the
starboard quarter and damaging her so
badly that she will have to 60 to the
Brooklyn navy yard for repairs. The
Alabama herself was damaged little.
The accident happened while the squad
ron was trying to get out of New York
harbor on its way to Hampton Roads.
The squadron, consisting OF FIVE first
class battleships, the flower of the Navy,
lett Tompkinsville at lilo o'clock Sun
day morning for the Roads and a winter
cruise. Rear Admiral Evans, on the
Maine, was in command and Rear Ad-
Aniral Davis commanded the second di-
vision. They proceeded in the following
order; Maine, Kentucky, Kearsarge, Ala
bama and Illinois. The Maine. leading.
was the only vessel that carried a pilot
She few the sgna Follow the flag
ship"
In close formation, 400 yards apart,
they turned into the main ship channel
There was all ebb tide, which raised the
Iz-knot speed of their screws to about
"a knots. A strong wind was blowing
from the west. This gave them a ten
dencv to swing toward the east bank,
rather sudden shoal, with a mud bot
tom. The end OF this bank reaches into
the channel at a point between Swim
burne Island and Coney Island Point
The tail end of the squadron, extending
out like string of barges, had swung
too far in toward this bank The Maine
passed it. but the Kentucky suddenly
went aground and was jammed tight in
the mud before her engines could re-
verse.
The hearsarge, only POO feet behind,
saw the Kentucky stop suddenly and go
aground. She herself was too far to
The cast to risk turning westward into
the main channel. As the event proved
she would probably have struck the
Kentucky had she tried to do so. Her
navigating officer sheered her TO port
She avoided a collision but she, too,
went aground
Behind this tangle came the Alabama,
-Nuihhd dl laws HdSSlllp, 0dpldln D I q.
Comfy in command The Alabama's nav
igating officer saw the two vessels stop
before him and saw thai they were
aground He turned out into the open
water to starboard, hoping to clear The
space was too short. Wind and tide
were against him. He passed clear OF
The Kearsarge, which had gone further
inshore before she grounded, but his
port bow caught the starboard quarter
of the Kentucky and raked it. Just the
fraction Of second in the turn of the
wheel prevented him from ramming the
Kentucky at "a knots. That would have
been something 10 tell about.
As it was, the Alabama made the Ken
lucky look as though it had been in ac-
tion. She carried away the Kentucky's
port rail and all belonging to it from the
stern to the Observation-Disclosures away
the davits Of the captains gig, even to
the heavy steel stanchions into which
the davits were SET.