The sun., 1910-06-19
GUMOU FOR FLORIDA SUNK
~ WASHINGTOV TOLD THE BlT-
TLENHIP HENT IDRITT.

~ the Yard They sbs~ Her Al Ilsr ISocb
and saS o. RAs Oniy thr Fleatins
CraRe uerruies Thai Ip,et m ihs
sqRall After lirraklnS Ter Cahies
Washington vas disturbed last nigh;
I ny report that appeared 20 b. acoeptosi
~ Official that the new hattlsship Floril
the biggest II our collectiOn. had heen
torn away from her dock al the Brooklyn
navy yard in the squan and had grounded
m tho Wallab0ut Channel Nith some tam,
age 10 her sursrstricture and the loss
of soue arnor plates overheard Il looks
a. u an Official despatch had beeu mixed
In transmission
The reporters made Tor the navy yard
Ia haste and the yard displayed 20 them
the Florida IN her usual position. with
gangDianka across % tho d0ck and no
siEn Of damage aboard What had hap
pened in the squall. eiid The yard with
a good deal of emphasis. was this
The floating crane Hercules. which vas
working on the port bow u the Florida,
vas mpaiRsd IN the Wallabout Ia the storm
md IS stuck In the mud fhe Hercules
n a 1oat about 50 by - fert and measurus
about i7S feet high from the watsr line
70 the top % her crane
She was h0isting arnor plate aboard the
Florida " hon tho storm broke u sesuAsd
hast q get her away ~ prevent any pos
Sbility II he baing driven against the
s,Sie u tho vessel Toe towing job was
delegated to two tugs
The crane had besl hauled only about
iiftosl feot Az from tbs battlo.hip when
the two steel has ssrs snapped. Nith that
tho Wind carried the t0phoavy craft 0O0
feet or - up tho channel. where there
were three soows tied up The Hercules
bumped up against the scowa wabbled
cround for a minute and thea went over
She stuck her top into the mud As she
vent over Il is said two pisces ~ A-unr
plate which we're intended for the Florida
and weighed soma forty t1ns aid Un into
the channel The only damage % the
Florida that was noticed wAs the smashing
u two bow lines which the Herc'ilos hit
before ahe could be got out % range
Sin men were on the crane at tn time
Thess Jumped verboard aud swan ashore.
a matter % ouly twenty-five teet or ~.
On one of the Ecows WIS a marine showing
tha sights of the yard % several wonsn
friends He got his companions and him
self ashore Just hefOre the Hercules hit
ths scow
4 Merritt Chapman Vrecking tug went
to work on the crane az soon A. the storm
Vt up Il was said that it would take
a week to Cle1n her ont of the channal
Her superstriCture which is tbs i'm
portrait thing about a doltng c-tns. is
pretty BADLY lent and battered Becau-.
Of ths position IN which shs n lylng tAs
exact damage 10 her Is not easily deter
mined.
C0nslderabl. curiosity was expressed al
the yard a. % the source Of the infoTma-
ton sent - Washington Rear Admiral
Leutze. the commandani. wa not visible.
but several officials of the yard declared
hat nothing more had hapUs 10 the
Florida than above stated
WASHINGTON. June H. As-is'ant Secre-
'ary of the Navy Winthrop to-High,
ordered Rear Admiral Lcutle. retired.
of the New YOrE yard "a
make an immediate report To the Navy De-
nartment Il the reported damaga to tho
Florida II b, probable 'ha' court q
inquiry Will ~ convened - invest gate
the ncrtdent " w rrohable that one
Il he hoAtinR cranes nov ~ tho Bdst On
Navy Yard will ba srrt 90 New York %
recover the armor plaies which fell over
board
Th- de~Dat-h from thu yard rnDort-
iRg the FLORIDA adrigt waa gnod with
admiral lautzrs nam and cam by
slagrtph 0rt wiral.ss O. IN" Navy
D-part meut Although q was brief
y did NJ appear o. b. ambiguous If'
her. las b--nu % ful=ttk. flp On - prob
thlo eKpllngtipu 10 that tho report Wis
.nfsEfr Cflv trauaFnftF-d