The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-06
~ SIDNEY EspEY.


Of the New York Navy Yard. To cele-
brate the homo coming OF Colonel
Roosevelt tho Hercules broke loose
from her moorings and while the
cheering crowds were making New
York howl with the strenuousness OF
their welcome to the ex-president the
floating crane ran smuck and nearly
made history by barely missing its ef.
forts TO wreck the big battleship, Flor.
ida, now being constructed.
The Hercules also damaged the dry
dock alongside OF which she lay, a
concrete structure which is the larg.
est on the Atlantic coast and In which
the Nebraska was locked when I'M
dergoing repairs.
The New York Navy Yard force evil
IDENTIFY has not yet learned how to
handle the Hercules In a heavy wind
oven after its thrilling experience
with the old Jonah in December, 1904.
At that time the Connecticut was be-
ing built and the Hercules was lying
alongside OF her. delivering steel. At
the luncheon hour heavy wind blew
from the northwest into the channel
where the Hercules was lying. The
workmen had all left. The wind tore
her loose from her moorings, and aid
ed by a strong flood tide sent her rap
idly up the channel.
Across from the Connecticut, an.
chored at the Cobb dock, were the
Kentucky, the Kearsarge. the Illinois
and other big ships OF the Atlantic
fleet. II Just happened that Naval
Constructor william J. Baxter, who is
now building the Florida, and who
was then building the Connecticut.
was on the floor OF one of the dry
docks, instead OF being at luncheon.
He happened to look up and caught
sight of the giant steel arms of the
Hercules moving swiftly up the chan
mel. He looked at his watch and not.
cd that at that hour the Hercules
ought to have been somewhere else.
He jumped to the conclusion that
there was something seriously wrong
and dashed up the slippery steps Of
the dry dock to find the Hercules
making a direct line for the old bat
tleship Texas. Gathering together a
few men who happened to be within
call. they made a moose Of a rope and
with . skillful throw caught a stan.
chion of the Hercules. The moose
held and making the other end fast
TO Q bollard the mad career OF the
Hercules was checked, but as she
swung around she gave the Texas a
glancing blow which stove a hole In
her side requiring her to be taken to
might have gone down.
BY this time the yard was in a
state of great excitement. Whistles
were blown from all the shops to
sound the alarm for the workmen to
man their posts. as II was seen that a
shift OF the wind would take the Her
cules across the channel and she
might rake the Kentucky and her sis
ter ships lying there, and either sink
OF UcIIOuSIy O6m0k6 Nucu.
The Hercules Ia now such a wreck
that congress has appropriated $115..
900 to repair her. In the meantime.
In order not to delay work on the
Florida. q seventy ton floating crane
has been towed from the Boston
navy yard and has taken up the work
the Hercules was performing.
a. ~
Hercules caused great CONSERVATION
In naval circles for the telegram
from Admiral Leutze, commanding
the New York Navy Yard made 1t ap.
pear as II the Florida and not the
Hercules had turned over.
The dry dock Dewey at Manila is
proving to be another Jonah. She. too
has a mystery attached to her and
congress has had to make another ap.
preparation OF $4,000 to raise and re.
pair her. Assistant Secretary OF the
Navy Winthrop said today that just
what recently befell the Dewey can
not now be explained and probably
will not be known until labored cor.
respondence has been had with the
naval authorities at Manila and a full
report received from the board Of in.
quiry.
The Dewey after being lowed
across the Atlantic. Mediterranean,
through the Suez canal. the Indian
ocean. the China sea and into the Pa.
cific to the Philippines. a bit OF sea.
n,anship that attracted world wide at.
tention and applause. has had a run
Of hard times. Her sinking a month
or two ago prompted the spreading OF
alarming reports that the acciden,
was the result Of righteousness on
the part OF Japanese employed to
work on the craft. When she went
down II was first denied in naval cir
cles that there had been an accident
II was said then that she would be
speedily raised as her stop cocks had
been left open.
Although not Officially reported 1t IL
known that the Dewey has a hole in
her side. How this hole come there
no one seems To know. The naval Of
ficials have cabled from Manila ask
ing that the first amount OF $4,000
necessary to raise and repair fhe