Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-13
Naval Officials Fear Tug and
Crew Are Lost.
SMALL HOPE OF RESCUE
Vessels Are Cruising Of Atlantic
Coast Searching for Trace.
REGARDED AS MERE PROBLEM
Commander Of the Missing Steamer
and Chief Boatswain's Mate
Are Washingtonians.

Somewhere off the Atlantic coast be-
tween Norfolk and Boston a little tug
boat is wallowing in the great ocean bill
lows with broken machinery, awaiting
the arrival of any one of eight govern
ment vessels that are speeding toward
the place where she is supposed to be.
Bad as is that prospect. such Is the best
hope Of the officials at the Navy Depart
mept. The alternative is that the little
hull is lying on the bottom Of the sea,
with just bare chance that her crew
has been taken off by some passing
merchant vessel.
A week ago last Sunday morning. at
$50 O'Clock. the naval tug Nina steamed
out Of Hampton roads bound for Boston,
She had just safely towed from Boston
| to Norfolk couple OF submarines and
was on her homeward voyage. Before
the day was far advanced a stiff north
west wind sprang up. forming what sal
lors call nasty sea- But no alarm
was felt for the safety of the Nina at
that time for the gallant little tug. built
In the closing days of the civil war, had
! weathered many a worse blow than the
ooiC SlIuCh IoT dIIcT Sne Ipft the
Chesapeake capes.
Washington Men Aboard.
The commander of the missing tug
is Chief Boatswain John s. Croghan, and
the chief boatswain's mate Is Clarence
Ellsworth Fowler, both of whom are
Washingtonians.
1t was stated last night at the resi-
danna nf Of
w street northwest that his wife, Mrs.
Annie w. Croghan, had received a letter
from nj mlast Saturday, which had been
| written two days before he left 1.orfolIS
for Boston.
No reference to his intended trip to
Boston was made in the letter to his
Wlfe Although members of his family
are greatly alarmed over the failure or
the tug to report, they are hopeful of
receiving news of her arrival at some
| port.
Chlef Boatswain Croghan was born in
New York. but was appointed to the
naval service from the District of Co
,,d,ln, ,umuaa, ne entered the navy as q
| before the mast. He rose to the grade
| OF Doatswain by faithful and efficient
! service, and was licensed master of
! ocean vessels In May 1898 In Nav
| l9Ol. he was promoted to his present
grade He was placed In command of the
| missing tug in December. 1905. and ba :
| served In that capacity ever since. His
w street address ~
clarence Ellsworth Fowler Is a son of
~. l.. Fowler of 40 10th street south
east. was stated at his fathers res
,he ,hence p.,ia iast night that he had been in
.nat his mother had received a letter
from him last Monday, which had heen
mailed at Norfolk before his departure
| for Boston.
Serious Apprehension Aroused.
Under ordinary conditions the tug
shouid nave arrived at the Boston navy
yard last Tuesday, but it was only yes
terday that the naval officers here began
to feel serious apprehension for her
safety. When no word Of her arrival
reached the department yesterday 1t was
| decided that immediate search should be
made for the vessel. and that the public
| should be advised of the situation to en-
| list the aid of merchant ships plying be-
| tween coast ports. So telegrapnic orders
| were flashed to several navy yards to
| start relief expeditions.
| From Norfolk went the swift scout
| cruiser Salem and the battleship Louis
/ lana These vessels were instructed to
| cruise as far as Cape May along the
1
the collier Culgoa started on a cruise.
| and she will be followed shortly by the
| tugs Apache and Pontiac. These three
| vessels will make the search between
| Cape May and Nantucket. The destroyer
| Lamson will cruise off the Delaware
capes. The gunboat Castine and the col
| lier Caesar steamed out of the Boston
navy yard to search the waters between
| Massachusetts bay and the Nantucket.
| Then the revenue cutter service came to
| the assistance of the navy and orders
| were flashed to the cutters Acushnet and
Gresham, at Boston and New London, to
join the searching party.
Search Problem"
OF course. the search would have been
much simplifed IL the Nina had been
equipped with a wireless outfit, but the
Navy Department has not gone as far
down rs tugs in supplying such equip
ment.
So the problem presented in this case
is similar to what is known as a search
problem in laval strategy. and it is at
tackled by the division of the surface of
the ocean into squares. a certain number
being assigned to each of the searching
ships for investigation
Between Norfolk and Boston lie two
marine triangleS. One Is not far off the
Chesapeake capes, and the other is south
and forth on well established lanes"
on the sides of these triangles, but ex-
cept under stress of storm or broken
machinery few vessels ever get far with
in the triangles.
Theory Of Naval Authorities.
1t is the theory of the naval officers
here that the Nina broke shaft or
dropped a propeller on her cruise and
was blown off the shore by the north
west gale into one of these deserted
spaces At any rate, that is the basis
OF the present search. 1t is possible that
the little vessel foundered. but, unlike
her unfortunate sister tug, the Nezin-
scot. which turned turtle in Massachu-
setts bay last summer, she had no heavy
deck load: and was, indeed, in light, tom
mage when she sailed from Norfolk.
Moreover the Nina had an able COM
mander in the person of the chief boat
swain, John 8. CrOghan, who had served
nearly eight years as an enlisted man
before becoming warrant officer, and
as warrant officer he had served six
wears and eleven months at sea and
three wears and six months ashore He
had been in command of the Nina since
l9O3 and was regarded as thoroughly
conpetent navigator. He was born I'm
New York. and received his warrant in
this CITY in 1893. His father, mother
and wife reside in this city.
The Nina Is an iron tug of schooner
rig, 357 tons displacement, 1877 feet long.
. n