The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-02-26
WARSHIP OHIO
IS RAMMED At
NEW ORLEANS
BRITISH STEAMER IN ATTEMPT
ING To PASS 5ATTLESHlP IN
THE RIVER HITS HER, PUTTING
TWO GUNS OUT OF COMMITS
SON..

AS a re suit Of her visit to New Or
leans, t. IA battIeship Ohio has two of
her six Inch guns out OF commission
and has suffered other injuries The
vessel W as struck by the British steam
err Athe rstone, which was trying to
pass the battleship in the river. The
Times-E emocrat Of yesterday contain
ed the Eollowing regarding the acct
dent:
Two sc the six-inch guns or the Z.
s. BATH sship Ohio were put out of
oommiss bon. one of them perhaps per
nanenti. y, Tuesday morning, when the
British freight steamer Atherstone'
raxnned tine portside of the warship.s A
steel ligi liter lying alongside the bat
tIeship rEs struck head-on by the
freighter. the impact swapping the big
hemp has Users and iron ropes Of the
lighter as IF they were sewing thread.
The steel. plates on the deck of the
tighter w sre badly damaged, and 1t was
set adrift in the strong current of the
river T he bow plates of the Ather-
stone we re only slightly damaged by
the impa ct, but the freighter was held
in port ending the completion OF the
fnvestiga ton and will put to sea this
Afternoon T.
"Tne ksmage TO the battieship viii
total sew eral thousand dollars. If the
iuVcSIbSa t10u OF the udNal inquiry
board dc Feiops that the two guns have
found fe Esible to repair the guns and
the gun carriages, the damage VIII not
exceed 300.
''The ! lighter, which belonged to W.
a. Coyle & Co., was damaged to the
extent of $4,000.
1.-THE q ccident was due to a disar-
rangemeI 1T of the steering gear and no
personal blame is attached to either
Capt Jel ikins of the Atherstone or
Capt Jol IN C. Bcwles. the river pilot
In charge of the frefghter at the time
THE Atherstone, with a general
cargo fol- Liverpool, weighed anchor
and start ed for the gulf at O'Clock
Tuesday morning. On approaching the
battleshipp Ohio. which Is anchored in
the river, near the Algiers side, oppo-
site the Oydras street wharf the AtI-
erstone W as forced to select the Algiers
side in r tassing the Ohio because of
an upbou nd steamer on the Ohio's
starboard. The steering gear Of the
Atherston e became unmanageable when
& came tliongside the battleship and
the stron current dashed II against
the side yf the Ohio. The high front
plates OF tho big freighter struck the
muzzles &C the two six-inch guns for
ward. the force of the blow being sum.
cient to t5rfve both guns against the
armored Classmates. The lighter was
struck enter blow. bending the heavy
steel plates and knocking a hole into
the bow. Tugs went to the rescue OF
the freigh ter and It was anchored near
the Algiers point.
THE force Of the collision pared
the big bsIttleship only slightly, but it
was suffic lent to cause some commo-
tion among the sailors. and within q
few minutes the decks OF the Ohio were
lined with tackles and officers, ready
for any em Urgency.
Ensign lMaclewslxi, officer OF the
deck, report sd the accident to Capt
Mexican, cor nmander of the Ohio, al
most as soorl as the blow was struck.
Capt. McKea Immediately appointed a
board of inq uiry, composed Of Lieuts.
Dowling. executive officer; Maudlin and
Fowler. The carriages Of both the six
inch guns that served as tenders in
wsrding the blow from the Ohio's hull
were found TO be seriously damaged.
The most serious damage was suffered
by the carriage OF gun No. IL, and it !