Show FATED JILL FATED VESSEL CLOSED TO WAR AR Thirty six six Thiry-six Hours More and Japan and America Would Have Met Met ACCIDENT LIKE THE MAINE Wreck of the Matsushima Could Have Brought About Hostilities New York Oct 21 One One I One wouldn't wouldn t think that not so soN v N iery ry long a ago o America and Japan were within 6 46 hours of ot war when reading tho the accounts ac oc- ac- ac counts count of or tho the welcome that tho the fleet has ha received In Japanese waters I sid un officer of or the United States State battleship Alabama which has ha ar arrived or- or ar- ar rived at nt the Brooklyn navy yard after ater a n world encircling voyage It I was rather rathel a startling statement to make that make that the tho United States and Japan were so close cloRe to hostilities hostilities- but bul it i was nevertheless 8 true for Cor had tho the training ship Matsushima re remained remained remained re- re Just 36 hours longer longcr In fn Manila ba hay bay th the tho explosive that destroyed herIn her herIn In iii the harbor of oC hang Ma-hang Pe Pescadores Islands would have happened in Manila ba bay on April Apri 30 and tho ho ill ill- 1 fated Maine incident would have havo been exactly repeated but with tar far more mora harrowing resul results s. s For several erl e days tho the training training squadron of which tho Matsushima was a member Jay lay in the waters of Manila Mania bay On the morning moring of ot April Apri 29 23 tho the Japanese admiral gave orders to weigh anchor and the squadron stood out to sea headed northward The Tho following night they came to anchor at Just north of ot the Philippines A few hours later that thatIs Is Is eight minutes after 1 4 oter o'clock upon tho the morning of ot April Apri 30 an explosion occurred In the stock magazine of ot the Ill fated I ship that demolished and sunk Bunk her and killed Oj of oC her of officers of- of and men Not Anxious for Var nr Officers of ot the Alabama however declare that Japan la is il not at all al anxious to go JO to war with the United States and rind that her pretensions In a naval way at least are taken more or 01 le less s as asLI asu a u LI joko Joke b by the American officers The fact that she selected 16 of or her battleships battleships battle battle- batte- batte ships ship to match ship for tor ship the American fleet Jeet Is interpreted by the Alabama's officers as a a piece o of f bravado bra The They might have said ft explained one of ot tho the officers right t out In open court that had we brought brough t over a hundred ships they would have duplicated the tho fleet Heel ship for ship The Tho cruise of oC the lie Alabama In many mony respects respect wilt will wi go down lown In history as asmore asmore a s more tore marvelous than that of ot any other othe sr r battleship that participated In th the tho e world voyage for Cor she made the entire e distance in a n crippled and entre eve even n dangerous condition One of her hig high h pressure cylinders had developed d de cracks even cven before tho the start was made mad e from Hampton Roads Roads Had I Patched Cylinder Before the leet reached Trinidad Trinida d upon the first leg of the cruise th the e officers of ot the Alabama Alabama began t to o worry worlY over o er the tho condition o of th tho oe e cylinder which had been l patched u up p temporarily They communicated communicate d their feelings and apprehensions t to o Admiral Evans E That thought though t things were looking bad but li he e thou thought ht It ft would look worse to th tho e powers to have ha c ono one of or tho the fleet tur turn n en from tram tho the voyage before It ft ha had d fairly begun besun so 50 ho he said sid td the tho officers hac s of ot the Alabama If I you OU can mi cn keep her up for Cor or Gods God's s sake salte do it it It And with wih n a nerve an and a grit typical l grI of ot Americans the officers of ot the shi ship p kept her going It I certainly was a nervy nen thing to do O and and is comparable e only to the old time trick often oren In IndUlged In- In in by Mississippi steamboat t captains who used to make a negro o sit upon the safety valve stet whenever r other othor there was vessels a possibility of a raco wit with wih h |