The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-18
Story Circulated Here That Bat | tleship Connecticut Was Blown Up in Rio
 Harbor.
ORIGIN MYsTIFIES FLEET
Striking Scene in the Bay When Six Boats of the Torpedo FlotiIla Join American and Bra
 zilian Warships.

Rio Janeiro, Jan 17,--The American battleship fleet was joined to-day in the harbor of Rio Janeiro by the tor pedo boat fiotilla, numbering six ves- sels, which arrived from Pernambuco and anchored near the sixteen big bat tleships at S:45, o'clock this afternoon. The fotilla left Pernambuco January 1S and met/with good weather on the voyage to this port Some delay was occasioned by the machinery of the Lawrence, but few hours sufficed to make temporary repairs until the re- pair boat Panther could make the work permanent while in port here.
 Lieutenant Commander Cone reports that the health of the men of the flot- fila is generally good, though there are some cases of malaria among them, The vessels under his command will sail for Buenos Ayres as soon as coal ing is finished, which will probably be on January 2l.
 The scene in the harbor to-day was a most striking and picturesque one, Never before were so many warships anchored in this port at one time. Be- sides the sixteen battleships there was the fleet of Brazilian warships, the German cruiser Bremen and finally late In the afternoon the six American torpedo boat destroyers to swell the great fleet. Scores of small boats ran to and fro between the warships and the shore carrying thousands of the men who had been granted leave for the day, while the officers were still being feted by the government, the city and the people of Rio Janeiro. Moth. Ing occaue.l to break the absolute peacefulness of the scene in the harhol and the enjoyment of the men ashore. There was considerable surprise and not little amusement among the of, ficers of the battleship fleet and among the people of Rio Janero over numel' ous inquiries cabled here from the United States during the day. for infor nation regarding reported disaster to the battleship Connecticut, Admirai Evans flagship. At first the inquiries were nlystifylng to those to whom the, were addressed, for the rurnor of { mishap to the Connecticut did not orig mate here and at the time fren2ied in quiries were being telegraphed iron the United States, all the ships of th fleet were lying peacefully in the har bor in plain view from the shore Fin ally it became clear that the rumo of an accident originated in the Unit ed States, and having been widely cir culated occasioned considerable alarn there.
 The torpedo boat destroyer Hop kns will go into drydock to have new propeller put into place. The col Her Arethusa. which is due at Rio to morrow. will leave for Buenos Ayre ahead of the torpedo f1otilla. It said by Lieutenant Commander Con to-day that the fotilla will remain a Buenos Ayres four days
 The police arrested two men wh said they were attempting to deser from one of the American colliers no' in the harbor because they could nc stand the bad treatment they wer being subjected to. No importance attached to their charge and the were sent back to their vessel.
 The above dispatch from Rio Jan eiro thoroughly establishes the falsit of a rumor circulated in many Amer
 can cities to-day as to grave ca tastrophe to the American fleet Tn report originating in unscrupulou quarters was systematically distribute from Boston to San Francisco and
 number of newspapers were misle into printing it It not only ws groundless. but was calculated to c, cite the gravest alarm among tr friends and relatives of the thousand of officers and men aboard the Amer can ships.
 Tle Journal-C Courier office was kel
 bug for some time last evening al sYsring telephone inquiries and den. fg the rllnor