The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-01-08
Two Go Aground and Two COL
Tide In New York HaIbor.
KENTUCKY IS BADLY DAMAGED
Adverse Wind and Tide Causes Disaster to
Fleet Starting for Hampton Roads
on Winter Cruise

New York Jan. s.--The battleship
squadron OF the United States navy got
itself all tangled up In the lower bay yes
terdsy morning. Before the tangle was
Strengthened out the Kentucky and Kear-
sarge went aground and the Alabama had
struck tho Kentucky glancing blow on
the starboard quarter. damaging her so
badly that sho will have to go TO the
Brooklyn navy yard for repairs. The
Alabama herself was damaged a little
The accident happened while the
squadron was trying 10 get out OF New
York haTbor on its way 10 Hampton
Roads.
The squadron, consisting Of Ave first
class battleships. the flower OF the navy,
left Tompkinsville at 11:1O o'clock i'm the
morning for the Roads and a winter
cruise Rear Admiral Evans on the
Maine. WAS I'm command and Rear Ad-
miral Davis commanded the second diyi-
sion. They proceeded I'm the following
order. Maine, Kentucky Kearsarge, Ala
hama and Illinois The Maine leading.
was the only vessel that carried a pilot.
She flew the signal. Follow the nagship.'
In close formation. 400 yards apart,
they turned into the main ship channel.
l2-lSnot speed OF their screws TO about II
knots a good wind was blowing from
the west This gave them "A tendency 10
swing toward the east bank. a rather
sudden shoal with a mud bottom. Ine
end OF this bank reaches into the channel
at a point between Swinburne island and
Coney Island Point.
The tail end OF tho squadron. extending
out like a string OF barges. had swung
Ffst.
passed it but the Kentucky suddenly went
aground and was jarsYned tight In the
mud before her engines could reverse
The Kearsarge. only 1900 feet behind.
saw the Kentucky stop suddenly and go
aground She herself was too far 10
the east TO risk turning westward into
the main channel AZ tho event proved,
she would probably have struck the Ken
tucky had she tried TO do so. Her navi-
eating officer sheered her to port. She
avoided a collision. but she, too, went
aground.
Behind this tangle came the Alabama,
Admiral Evans flagship. Capt S. =.
Comfy in command The Alabama's navi-
eating officer saw the two vessels stop
before him and saw that they were
aground He turned out into the open
water 10 starboard. hoping TO clear. Tho
space was too short.
Wind and tide were against hlm lie
passed clear of the Kearsarge. which had
gone farther inshore before she grounded,
but his port bow caught the starboard
quarter Of the Kentucky and raked IL. Just
the fraction Of a second In the turn OF
the wheel prevented him from rammng
the Kentucky at IL knots That would
have been something 10 tell about
AS IL was. the Alabama made the Ken
tuclSy look as IL she had been In action.
She carried away the kentucky's port
rail and all belonging to H. from the stern
TO the superstructure; tore away tho
davits OF the captains gig. even 10 the
heavy steel stanchons into which the
davits are set
OF the gig itself II left nothing but
piece of the bow. 1t bent In the upper
steel plates OF the hull for distance OF
about 10 feet. The steel doors which
close the port OF the after six-inch gun
in the broadside went by the board. There
was probably some additional damage TO
tho hull and screw,