The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-06-15
severe Loss TO THE
united States NAVY
SIX YOUNG MIDSHlPMEN ARE
DROWNED IN THE NIGHT AT
HAMPTON ROADS.
Crew Of Five Also Lost-Steam
Launch of Battleship Minnesota
Missing from Norfolk and Undoubt.
eddy Went to the Bottom

Washington, June 12.-The loss at
one time of six bright young midship-
men, fresh from the academy at An
napolis, and a boatswain and four
enlisted men attached to the big bat
tleship Minnesota-11 men all to-
gether-as reported briefly to the
navy department Tuesday, was one of
the most severe blows that has fallen
upon the personnel of the navy since
the Spanish war, in the estimation of
the officials. :,
The first news Of the calamity
reached the department through dis
patches from Norfolk. Acting Sec
rotary Newberry and Admiral Brown
son, chief of the navigation bureau,
and the seasoned. naval officers who
make up the staff hoped that there
had been a mistake because they had
received no word from Admiral Ev-
ans, the commander in chief of the
Atlantic fleet, who was present In
Hampton roads. A wireless message
was dispatched from the station at
the Washington navy yard directed to
the fleet lying in the road. inquiring
into the accuracy of the report. With
in a half-hour the answer came from
Admiral Evans and it dissipated the
last hope that had been cherished.
Evans Gives Up Hope.
In the evening Admiral Evans sent
the following dispatch:
"a ditty box belonging to fireman
of the Minnesota's missing launch has
been picked up afloat near berth 81
and am forced to conclude that
launch with all on board is lost. Have
ordered board of investigation. Steam
err last seen at exposition pier about
midnight last night
In the opinion of the officials of the
department, Admiral Evans had de-
layed sending this sad message until
lhe had exhausted every means Of
finding trace of the missing men.
Undoubtedly he had swept the nearby
waters with the small boats of his
fleet and it might fairly be expected
that the captain of merchant vessel
would be glad to land so many invol-
untary passengers as made up the
crew and passengers of the launch be-
fore going into deep water.
Names of Those Lost.
Because of their youth and very
recent entry into the naval service,
the young officers who were lost were
not widely known outside of the naval
academy. Midshipman Henry c. Aur-
| fin, Jr, was a native of Ohio and a
member of the second class at the
naval academy. Like the others he
had been sent aboard the battleship
Minnesota for summer course of in
struction, to afford the practical edu-
cation necessary to supplement the
theoretical work at the naval acad-
envy. Philip H. Field was midship-
man from Colorado who belonged to
the first class Of the academy. Mid
shipman Walter Ulrich, of the second
class, was from Wisconsin. w. H.
Stevenson, Of North Carolina, was a
member of the same class. Mid
shipman F. P. Holcomb was at
tached to the Connecticut and is
supposed to have taken passage on
the Minnesota's missing launch He
was member Of the second class and
was appointed to the naval academy
from Newcastle, Del. His father,
Thomas Holcomb, is employed as a
clerk in the comptrollers Office at the
treasury department in this city and
resides at 1919 Nineteenth street
| northwest.