Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1910-10-03
HARRISON MAN IN
LIST OF MISSING
FROM BATTLESH|P
Naval Officers Believe z9 Lost
Lives When New Hampshire
Launch Was Swamped.
MIDSHIpMAN CHEVALIER
HERO OF CATASTROPHE
River Has Not Yet Given Up
Bodies of Any of Its
Victims.

NEW YORK, Oct. 3.-Included in the
list given out today by Rear-Admiral
Charles e. vreeland of the second di-
vision of the North Atlantic squadron,
and Captain Charles c. Rogers, of the
New Hampshire, as those missing from
that battleship following the swamping
of the ships cutter Saturday night, Is
that of ]. Van Peer, fireman. second
class of Harrison; Coxswain ]. A. Bon
ner, of Green Creek, N. j., and Fireman
c. c. Thompson, of Bloomingdale, are
also unaccounted for. Up to this time
the river has given up none of its dead
While forty-one men are down as
missing, the rear-admiral and captain
are not convinced that more than twen-
ty-nine were drowned when the ships
launch was swamped. These twenty
nine were seen on the launch. The
twelve others may have been on BOARD,
or it may prove they simply over
stayed their shore leave and will show
up at the ship later today.
kilograms of notification were sent
to the families and friends of the twen-
ty-nine men. In speaking of these men
Rear Admiral yreeland said
"In giving the list of the probable
dead it is realized that it will cause
some to suffer, but on the other hand
the agony of others will be set at
rest"
Regarding the list of missing men
the admiral said:
ut is not at all certain that these
We're drowned, as two of those on the
original list of fourteen have returned
for duty, They had overstayed their
leave"
Probing the Disaster.
officers of the fleet were agreed to-
day that Saturdays accident will prove
to be one of the most costly in lives in
the history of the navy, without the
loss of ship. The accident still is un
explained. No officer on the New
Hampshire or of the fleet could offer
reasonable explanation of it. Sugges-
tions that it was due to the overload
ing of the launch We're emphatically
denied by officers of he New Hamp-
shire.
A board of inquiry sat most of yes
terday and far into the night on board
the Louisiana the flagship of the sec
-cnd division, bearing testimony of the
sailors regarding the disaster. Rear
Admiral Seaton Shredder, in command
of the Atlantic Squadron, has ordered
a rigid investigation.
Midshipman Godfrey de Courcelles
Chevalier, of New Bedford, Mass. who
was in command of the launch, and
who stripped off his clothes and saved
twenty men from drowning, has been
commended for gallantry by Rear-Ad-
miral Vreeland and Captain Rogers.
He will appear before the board of in
quiry today.
Midshipman Hero.
This young midshipman undoubtedly
would have lost his own life in his cf-
forts to save others of the drowning
seamen had he not been restrained.
When his strength was exhausted ne
fought to dive into the river again. He
would have been before the Board of
Inquiry yesterday, but his condition
was too hysterical to permit 1t. The
ships surgeon said it would have been
cruel to have him give testimony.
The midshipman's fellow officers ex-
pressed the belief that the board of in
uuiry would find him blameless and
4, that he would in all probability be ad-
vanced several numbers in recognition
of his remarkable feat of lifesaving-
the rescue of not less than twenty
men.
He was graduated only this summer
from Annapolis and was assigned to
duty on the New Hampshire in July.
He had been most popular at the naval
academy, and he became popular
young officer
"The men like him and the officers,
including myself, have always held
him In high regard" said Captain
Rogers. "He proved efficient in every
task ever gave him..
While dragging for bodies Of the
drowned sailors the police today re-
covered the body of Joseph v. Studley,
a coal passer, who had been missing
from the Panther since Wednesday,
September %.