Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-13
FLEET DRAGGING
FOR LOST LAUNCH
Naval Officers Believe the Ill-Fated
Boat Was Run Down by
Tug or Steamer.

gale and choppy seas prevailing at the
time, only an official investigation will de-
termine. The stormy night, a gale and
darkness were factors in the tragedy.
That the launch was blameless for the
fate that overlook 1t and its human freight
seems to be evident from statements that
are made by two men attached to a dredge
engaged on channel work in Hampton
roads, and who heard at 1920 o'clock two
sharp blasts of a steam launch without
hearing an answer. Probably the next min
ute the collision occurred.
Charge It to a Barge.
Officially, it is stated, those aboard the
Minnesota reported the sinking of the
launch due to a collision with a barge,
though neither its identity nor that of the
tug towing it were established. The tug,
the report adds, stopped in the roads i'm
mediately following the accident, but find
ing no trace of the object which had been
struck or any sign of life anything in
the water resumed it's course. The pre-
sumption is that the launch sank imme-
diately in the darkness, the eleven occu-
pants being caught in their canvas-covered
craft with no possible way Of escape and
carried to the bottom drowning like rats
in a trap.
A second report, from the exposition
grounds is to the effect that officers COM
ing ashore from the fleet reported that an
excursion steamer with passengers out to
witness the illumination of the warships in
Hampton roads Monday night had, on re-
turning from Norfolk, struck an unknown
object in the roads. the object having no
light of any kind upon it.
Tugman Denies Report.
Newspaper dispatches show that the only
barses that reached Newport News Mon
day night, after having passed through
Hampton roads. were the Annie and Gwen
ME, which arrived in tow of the tug Eu-
reka. The officers and crew of the Eureka
say positively that their boat was not the
one that struck the Minnesotas launch and
that they knew absolutely nothing about
the affair.
Supervising Inspector of Steam Vessels
CAST says all excursion steamers out from
this port Monday night to view the illumi-
nation of the fleet in Hampton roads had
come in from the roads before the Mime
sofas launch left Discovery landing, and
he does not believe that any one Of them
could have possibly run down the Mime
sofas launch. He expressed the opinion
that the launch was not in collision, but was
overturned by heavy sea and the occu-
pants drowned. He added that the weather
and tidal conditions prevented a number of
steamers from landing that night at Old
Point and Deep Water pier, at Pine Beach.
No Chance for Escape.
1t is believed that when the launch is
found the bodies Of all of the eleven men
will be found in it, 1t would be almost
impossible for any of the bodies to get out
of the canvas-covered craft, even through,
the small opening in the front, though
smaller objects might float out. 1t was
raining when the party left the landing and
the only opening in the canvas canopy
which, covered the launch is supposed to
have been in the front just enough for the
coxswain, who was steering the craft to
see ahead. The crash is believed to have
been so sudden that not even the coxswain
had time to jump through the opening
The battleship Minnesota will not sail to-
day with most of the fleet, which is sched-
uled to leave then, but will remain in
Hampton roads for some little time.