Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-27
REPORT SPREADS RAPIDLY
Utter Nonsense" Naval Station
Commandant Says.
INQUIRIES AT DEPARTMENT
Messages Fly Along Atlantic Coast
Carrying Suggestion of Disaster.
Star Telephones Busy.

GU GUANTANAMO, March 2t.-COmman-
der Charles H. Harlow. commandant of
the United States naval station here.
when asked as to the report current in
the United States that the battleship Mis-
sissippi had met with a serious mishap
declared that the report was utter non
sense, a the Mississippi Is in this vi
cinity with Admiral Arnold on board ma
neuvering and being inspected.
Various reports flew along the wireless
stations on the Atlantic coast to the naval
stations and to the Navy Department this
morning that the battleship Mississippi
had been blown up in Guantanamo bay.
Cuba, and tfat all on board were lost.
The report was discredited almost as
soon as 1t spread around, for the reason
that the Navy Department. which Is In
direct cable communication with Guam
tanamo had heard nothing Of it. Inquiry
of the department officers soon showed
that there was no truth whatever In the
rtIC,;.
Fo- time, however, there was a good
deal of scare. 1t started when the wire
less Statlor. at Pensacola reported TO the
wireless sts stion at Key West at $3.50
O'Clock that a cable message received
from Guantanamo had said that the Mis-
sissirpi had been blown up and that all
on board had been lost.
1t may have been this message that
caused all the trouble. If it was 1t spread
in all directions like lightning. 1t WAS
heard at st Augustine, at Tampa, at
Norfolk. at Richmond, and from there
partmsnt was bombarded with message:
asking about the reported disaster. A
flood of inquiries also poured into the
navy yards wherever located.
Department Receives Assurances.
The Navy Department has assurance:
that the report Of the accident was base
less That the rumor was utterly with
out foundation was made apparent whel
| the department heard direct from Guam
| tanamo. This message, received a con
siderable time before the explosion wa
| said to have occurred. WAS that the gun
boat Eagle had arrived there. Nothing
| was said about any accident. and tina
was taken as disposing of the rumOrs.
The rumor spread quickly in Washing
ton and all the morning the telephone
| lines into The Star Office were kept busy
with inquiries concerning the details o.
| the reported disaster. AT II o'clock The
| Star received by wire an authoritative de-
nal of the report and placed an an
board.
The Mississippi. of which Capt. Johl
| c. Fremont Is the commander. is con
| nected with the third Atlantic squadron
| to Cuban waters after the battle fee
| was disbanded at Hampton roads follow
| ing its round-the-world tour.
The third squadron Is composed Of the
Mississippi. the Idaho, the Maine. the
New Hampshire and the North Caro-
| lima.
A weird feature of the general rumo
was that the battleship Tennessee wa!
| also destroyed. The Tennessee is at ar
get practice in Magdalena bay, on th'
other side Of the continent.
Advices at Norfolk.
| NORFOLK. Va, March 27-The Nor.
| folk navy yard was advised of the rumors
that a serious explosion occurred aboard
the United States battleship Mississippi al
Guantanamo bay, Cuba, and every pos.
sibIe effort was made by the governmen,
wireless telegraph operators at Norfolh
and other stations along the south At
lantic coast to get in touch with Guanta
namo the efforts. however, being futile.
The armored cruiser Montana, now Oh
the way down the coast, also tried to OBJ
tain wireless information concerning the
reported disaster. The wireless station al
Diamond Shoals. near Hatteras, sought tC
communicate with Guantanamo, either by
direct communication or relay through
Jacksonville and the tower Florida coast
The Montana sailed from Norfolk yeSter-
day to join the Mississippi and other yes.
sells Of Arnold's squadron at Guantanamo
bay for spring practice.
Savannah Hears Rumor.
SAVANNAH. March 27.-A rumor tha,
the United States battleship Mississippi
had been blown up at Guantanamo gained
considerable currency today. The nava
authorities at Guantanamo, in answer to
an inquiry, denied that anything Of the
kind had occurred.