New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-27
u. S. Destroyer Rams
Sister Ship as U-Boat
Allen and Duncan Each Supposes 1t Is Sole
Escort of Disease-Infected Battleship When They
Clash-Allen Later, in Dock, Topples on the
Guthrie, Killing One and Injuring Seven

From stan Correspondent o. The Tribune
Philadelphia, May 26.-Two Ameri-
can torpedo boat destroyers, the Allen
and the Duncan, are undergoing re-
pairs in the navy yard here. In saying
this The Tribune is disclosing to the
enemy no information regarding the
whereabouts of American warships
which he does not already possess.
A service newspaper, "The Army
and Navy Journel," told that they were
here, when, in it's issue of May II, it
described how, when they were docked
here. one of them proceeded to fall on
another ship and that ship on the other
destroyer, for all the world like row
of blocks topping over. The Army
and Navy Journal" describes this lat
est of a series of accidents, blunders,
and bungles thus:
1.-THE United States torpedo boat de-
stroyer Allen while in drydock at the
navy yard, Philadelphia, Pa, May 10,
fell against the coast guard cutter
Guthrie, also in dry dock. o. c. Had
lock, Yarmouthville, Maine, electrician
on the Allen, was killed. The injured
are: Joseph Cemish. of Luzerne, Pa;
L. E. Knapp. ships cook, Owasso,
Mich. Ralph f. Davis, fireman, Phila-
delphia; j. Andrews, seaman; j. F..
Sapp, fireman; n. Beychich, seaman,
and ]. J. Carl, quartermaster.
"There were three vessels in the
dock. The Guthrie was on the middle
blocks, and the destroyers Allen and
Duncan on either side with the ends of
the vessels overlapping one end of the
of the, Guthrie. While the dock was
being flooded rope broke on the Allen,
which caused her to strike the Guthrie,
and the latter fell on her side"
Destroyers Ram Each Other
This tumbling of one ship on another
was preceded by an accident that was
much worse. The destroyers Allen and
Duncan were escorting battleship
along the coast. each supposing itself
10 be the sole escort. They discovered
that there were two escorts by the ex-
perimental process Of one of them
raining the other in the night and
cutting her nearly in two. This sent
them both here for repairs where, as
already related, they proceeded at once
to fall upon each other and on the
Guthrie.
And back of this lies the errand on
which the Allen and the Duncan were
engaged. Months before the war began
the Navy Department was urged TO pro-
vide barracks and training grounds for
naval recruits in case the navy should
ever be recruited up TO its full
strength. The department procrasti-
mated.
When the call for recruits came and
the still further call for more recruits
10 raise the force TO war strength was
added to il there was no means OF
housing or caring for the rush of pa
triotic young men who responded.
Recruits in Freight Cars
Conditions among recruits here were
so bad that a committee of leading citi-
zens went quickly TO Washington a
month or so ago to urge that something
be done to protect the health of the
Young volunteers, housed as they were
in freight cars and on piers without
proper clothing and blankets. for the
Navy Department had no clothing or
blankets for extra men, who we're ex-
posed 70 the sharp weather OF early
spring.
The department could do nothing and