Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-27
COURT OF INQUIRY
IN REGARD TO COLLISIONS In
NEW YORK HARBoR.


| the Atlantic feet in the harbor of New
| York January last:
| The court of inquiry, In this instance.
| made its final report on January z. On
the following day its findings we're ap-
| proved with certain qualifications. by the
| commanderdn-chief, and on March they
| were transmitted to the department by the
| bureau Of navigation. with an Endorsement
| expressing concurrence In the findings as
| thus modified. A long delay has preceded
| the final disposition of the matter by Inc
department. This has been due partly to
| the pressure of other business, partly to
| and partly to the intrinsic difficulties OF
| the subject and the departments sense OF
Its Importance.
Material Facts.
The materia! facts in the case, as dis
closed by the evidence. may be briefly
stated as follows: Five battleships belong
Ing to the United States Atlantic fleet were
proceeding on January from Tompkins-
vile. 8. l., to sea. The flagship Maine led
and the Kentucky. Kearsarge Alabama and
illinois followed. in the order named. The
signals of the commander-in-chdefr required
the last-named four battleshfps to follow
course and motions of commander-in-chief.'
and prescribed exact formation speed
OF twelve knots and a distance Of 400 yards
lfOm snip 10 snip. VI THESE orders, II Is
sufficient to say that the speed did not per-
nit of trustworthy soundings and that, II
the distance had been 800 yards instead OF
400. the evidence indicates that the coiii-
sion would probably not have occurred
Nevertheless, the department fully concurs
In the view of the bureau of navigation
that all these matters were fully within the
discretion of the commander-in-ehief,a and
nnds no reason to criticise his exercise OF
that discretion. On board the Maine there
was pilot. None of the other ships had
pilot aboard. and under the circum-
stances and In view OF the orders received.
none of the captains seem to the depart
ment open to any criticism by reason of
this fact. The course taken by the pilot
on the Maine Is commented upon rather
unfayorably by some of the witnesses be-
fore the court of Inquiry. but, inasmuch
as the Maine had a greater draft of water
than any other Of the five vessels. and as
she passed safely through the channel. it
would seem that IL these vessels had all
followed the course the pilot laid ou.. they
would have met with no injury. A few
minutes before noon the Kentucky the
second ship In the line. swerved from her
course by reason of the error of an In
competent heimsman. He was Immediately
replaced. and the ship regained or at
tempted to regain her proper position, but.
for some reason which Is not rendered per-
fectly clear by the evidence she grounded
few minutes later. The KearSarge, to
avoid colliding with the Kentucky, ground
ed Intentionally little to the eastward OF
the other side. colhded with the Kentucky
and caused the latter some damage. She
suffered none of consequence herself and
neither of the other vessels were appre-
ciably injured by grounding.
Wind and Tide.
1t seems to be clear that the wind and
tide were such at the time as to make
unusually low water in the channel trav
ersed. and that these three causes combined
to make the battleships steer badly and
respond slowly to their respective helms.
These circumstances were all known and,
so far as possible. the attendant dangers
were guarded against by the several COM
manding officers. 1t does not appear that
any precaution was omitted which Is re-
quired by the regulatio or usual in prac-
tice. Some of the witnesses intimated
belief that the Maine had grounded mo-
mentarily just before the accident to the
Kentucky. but there seems to have been
no foundation for this Idea beyond the
fact that good deal of black mud was
stirred up by the Maine in passing over
that part of the course, a circumstance
readily explained by the very slight depth
of water underneath the several ships. Al
ter very carefully considering the opinions
of the numerous experts, who either testi-
fed in the case or took part in the find
ings of the court, or in their revision, the
department is led to the conclusion that
slight error on the part of the commanding
officer of the Kentucky in determining his
proper course, In obedience to the orders
OF the commander-tn-chief, was responsible
for the grounding of his ship. To deter
mine a question of this character. amid
conflicting opinions by very competent au-
thorities. is always a matter of some diff
Guilty, but the conclusion above announced
seems to the department sustained by
decided preponderance of probability.
The commander-in-chief,i in his review OF
the findings of the court, comments upon
a supposed delay on the part of the Ken
lucky in indicating to the vessels follow
ing her that she was aground but the de-
partment finds in the evidence no sufficient
ground to believe that any such delay oc-
Cured. The action of the commanding OF
ficer of the Kearsarge in SO handling his
ship after the Kentucky grounded as to
avoid a collision Immediately seems to
the department to merit the commendation
1t received from the court of inquiry, but
the department finds no sufficient warrant
in the evidence to sustain the courts find
ing that the grounding of the kearsarge
was due to an error of judgment on the
part of her commanding officer. the evil
dence to say the least. suggesting grave
doubt as to whether such grounding was
not inevitable. to avoid collision
Kentucky and Alabama Collision.
with respect to the collision between the
Kentucky and the Alabama. the depart
ment. after weighing all that is said on
the subject by the court, the commander
in-chief and the bureau. fnds no reason
for censure of either commanding officer
in connection Herewith except In 80 far as
1t was due to the grounding OF the Ken
lucky and this may have been caused, as
hereinbefore set forth. by a slight error
on the part of her commanding officer.
The Injuries to the several battleships.
which constituted the subject matter OF
inquiry in this case. appear to have been
due to a combination of circumstances In
volving no element of cuipability the
part of any of the officers concerned. SO
far as the department is informed by the
record the responsible officers in the sew
eral ships all complied with the terms of the
regulations and each of them tried to dis
charge his duty according to his best lights.
A mistake was made as to the proper
course of the Kentucky. and there is room
for difference of opinion as to the adj
visibility of some OF the orders given by
each of the several officers involved. but
there Is nothing which calls for censure
the part OF the department.. and there
is obviously still less room for more pro-
nounced disciplinary action. The depart
ment. therefore. concurs in the recommen-
dalton OF the court OF inquiry. already sue
cessively approved by the commander-in-
chief and the bureau Of navigation, that
zf.~-~, H. Il.