The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-07
HHE RHODE ISLAND AVLOAH.
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ahe fHsH HRsppta swtHsF N me WautH n
Sssh Hites aWd 0erst ~ ssampssa asaes
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ms, N tay Was Set Neswat.sW Staht

NoMrutH, w Nay the tnlt~I a,s'ss
i~mttNahlp Hhosic iaisnd vas shoss satIn
tonight sitter having tFen aground NJ fhs
mou,h ~ The tofh Hivet since eafiy -.
tef,lsy morning. N wa due "a thu eHot,s
N fo,f powerful naval tugs, lhc taras.
wahnrts. ~itercuIra and MohsWh. That m,
bla wafahip was drawn from ,ho stndbaf.
Tho uhitei states cruieer Minneapolis
sloosl w and saw tho Rhusic island pull~i
from ahual water a. q N o'oloch, and would
have taken q hand IN the preventing hue
for tho nahiity 10 Get . haws~r aboaFi
the tattlsahip.
when tho naval tugs reached the stranded
war.hip after q thirty mile run from the
Norfolk IVY Yard they found tho Rhode
Islands nose poked high on the bar nj ths
eastern entrance 10 the York River. Fairly
this morning the cruiser Minneapolis en-
dea to get a line aboard the Rhode
Islands stern with tho assistance ~ tho
naval tug Uncas. In mannuvring the
uncas was In collision with the Rhode leland
and carried away part Of her rail. Later
tho Mohawk went aground alongside the
Rhode Island while passing a hawser aboard
thnt vessel, hut eventually got afioat.
Efforts 10 float the Rhode Island az high
tide this morning were futile. At low
tide to-day the fact was disclosed that thu
battleship was drawing twenty-four feet
Of water aft and eighteen feet forward.
Water was pumped from the forward tanks
aft and every piece Of portable material
was shifted from the forward part Of the
ship with a view Of Ii tightening thatquarter.
This afternoon the naval tugs tandemed
up for a strain at the battleship at high
tide.
Their efforts were successful. Thu Rhode
Island then dropped anchor in the mouth
OF York River and will come to Hampton
Roads tomorrow morning.
IL IL believed that the course Of the war;
ship was laid too far to the eastward in
entering York River.
The Wahnets, Mohawk and Hercules
returned to the navy yard tonight. leav-
ing the Uncas standing by the Rhode Island.
1t is not known tonight the extent Of the
injury TO the ship.
II develops that no native pilot was taken
aboard the battleship when she entered
the capes. The Virginia pilots say that
one was offered. but refused. No other
pilot would have undertaken to take the
ship to York hay.
The battlcship is supposed to have passed
in tho Virginia capes at 440 O'Clock yes
terday morning. 1t took her probably
three hours to get from the capes to the
point at which she ran aground, and II
, that be true she went ashore at high water.
There was fair weather at York Spit
yesterday morning and no sea was rum
ming. The wind at Cape Henry at 8 O'Clock
yesterday morning was blowing from the
southwest four miles an hour.
The Rhode Island is commanded by Capt.
Perry Garst. 1t is his first battleshtp
command. Capt. Garst has had nearly
%forty-three years service in the navy. or
this period he served twenty years on sea
duty. He served one year and five months
under his commission as commander.
Prior TO taking command Of the Rhode
Island, when she was commissioned re-
Gently, he had been On shore duty since
February, 1902. He became a captain in
June, 1901. and the Rhode Island was his
first command under that commission.