New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-06-15
LAUNCH VICTIMS FOUND.
Located in Deep Water an Hampton
Roads-To7c Rope Tells Tale.

Newport News. Va, June 14-With canopy
frame crushed, but canvas still tightly fastened
down. the missing launch Of the battleship Min
hesota was located in twenty-seven feet of water
about sixteen hundred yards west by south of
Fort Wool. this afternoon about > O'clock
across the little craft tetale piece of
towing line. serving to convince the naval Off
GERS that they right in their theory that the
lauhch was run down by a float OF some kind in
tow of a tug
The diver. who went down to examine the
launch reported that the heads and arms OF
three men were protruding from beneath the
canvas covering, the men evidently having made
desperate fight for life when they were carried
down like rats in q trap.
IL Will he - o'clock tomorrow morning before
the launch can be raised. and at the present
time no one knows how many bodies will he
found. 1t * believed that certainly nine of the
bodies will he under the canopy. but the fact
that uniform capes of Mdshipmen Ulrich and
Stevenson were picked up il the roads indicates
that these two must have succeeded in getting
free from the boat before they were drowned.
Aboard the battleship Indiana tonight Captain
Maham SAID that all the facts had been sent to
Washington. and that official report would
he given out tomorrow. Searchlights from all
the American battleships are playing upon the
spot. around which two floating derricks. the
naval tUC Potomac and half dozen launches
and cutters are anchored. diver is at the
bottom or the roads. placing the cables with
which the derIfcks Will raise the launch. Officers
and men aboard the Atlantic fleet are waiting
anXiously for the raising Of the boat.
The lost boat found by the launches
of the battleships Ohio and Iowa, which were
dragging over a course laid out by the officers.
a diver from the Indiana was sent down soon
possible and. before darkness settled over the
roads, signals from ship to ship announced that
the search which had been in progress since
Tuesday at end
In looking for the boat the officers proceeded
on the theory that the launch. when il left the
jamestown exposition grounds at midnight on
Monday. started for the battleship Connecticut
put Midshipman Holcomb aboard that vessel.
t. which he belonged. It supposed that the
boat was run down somewhere between point
where she would have started across the main
channel and the battleship Connecticut There
the find was made. the spot being several nun
dred yards from where the Connecticut was
anchored and a short distance from the French
squadron.
It was learned here tonight that New York,
Philadelphia and Norfolk float passed
through the roads shortly after midnight Tues
day morning bound from Cape Charles for Nor
folk. The float arrived In Norfolk about ?
o'clock Tuesday morning, and is believed to have
been directly off the exposition grounds at the
time the launch went down in the place.
AS far as the diver could tell. the hull Of the
launch was not damaged. only the canopy frame
being crushed. This indicates that the boat
was not in collision With a tug other such
craft.
Naval officers are convinced that the boat ran
into a tow line and was thrown under square
end barge float. If this happened the launch
must have been literally mashed beneath the
water and the five midshipmen and six seamen
had no chance 10 escape.