Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-18
AS bis corse to the rampant we hurried,
Not soldier discharged his farewell shot

of Corunna, then SO familiar TO me in ali its
details, made my short stay there most inter
esting.
| Having refitted in the harbor Of Corunna,
we steamed and sailed for the Cape of Good
Hope, touching for coal at the island Of st.
Vincent. After leaving the cape We followed
| the sailing ships course, and keeping in the
trades" ran before them for several days at
rapid pace.
There is always heavy sea about the
thirty eighth degree of southern latitude, es-
pecially near the islands of st. Paul
and New Amsterdam, the polat at
which sailing ships bound for India
generally quilted the trades and made
north for the Bay Of Bengal As we
neared those islands, we came in for ter
rife weather. the seeming to roll noun
tains high Not long after we changed our
course to the north, a very heavy storm
pursuing US all the time, we were caught in
cyclone. In the twinkling Of an eye our
great heavy nlainyard snapped in two, and
every yard OF canvas we had been carrying
was not only rent into ribbons, but disap-
peared altogether.
The Transit strained and groaned as if each
moment were TO be our last No boats
could have awaited US anything in such
sea Our lives depended upon the badly
built and badly rugged troop ship that heaved
and moaned beneath US as IL she We're some
huge sea leviathan in its death agony.
The men were ordered to the pumps, and
so it WAS 10 longer any secret that some
thing very serious was the matter. The
steam pumps worked well, and during one
long and dreary night and day our men
worked the hand pumps for their lives, all
ranks helping in relief Of five minutes at
the. Since leaving the cape the donkey en-
CINE had pumped night and dey to keep the
water down in the after part of the ship,
where, owing TO an injury 90 our stern port
received at the cape, the ship made much
water every hour.
In that one long, very long, day and night,
we pumped over 500 IONS of water outof the
ship. In the ships strainings while the cy-
clone lasted we had sprung a very serious
leak. For the distance of over twenty feet
it extended subsequently to about thirty feet
the rivets had broken off, and when the
ship heeled over toward the opposite SIDE this
rent CAPPED, and tons of water rushed
through the opening. Had this terrific gale
lasted another day nothing could have saved
us.
Although we hadlto face extremely heavy
weather and very great sea for about
I week afteTward, Mren the cyclone passed,
and all pressing and iun1ediafs danger was
at On end, the reliff was great TO al on
board-to sailors as we'll as soldiers There
had been nocookiHg while thecyclone lasted,
and our first 'sseas piei'-the common dish in
excessively bad weather-was "a real lord
mayors feast to most ofus. Almost all the
military on board We're very young, and
thanks to the hghthearte1neSs and hopeful
ness OF n1en under 81 should say our aver
age age was about 22-the dangers Of the sea
had not sat very heavily upon us
AS we neared the Straits of Sl,nda, be-
tween Java and Sumatra, we had lovely
/ weather and calm, sunny sea, which soon
made all forget the dangers and ~discomforts
we had experienced We had still TO depend
upon our steam pumps to keep us afloat for
although many sails and blankets had been
expended in trying TO Sop up the leak, the
ship still made water
Having steamed through the Straits of
Sunda, we changed our course still more TO
the northward, keeping close in to the shores
of Sumatra, intending to run through the
Straits Of Banca to Singapore. We entered
the Straits of Banca about daybreak July 10,
1857, with sea like glass, no ripple even on
its surface.
We had just,finsshed breakfast, and 1 had
gone ON deck and was lighting my morning
cigar from thatof a brother, officer, when 1
was ierked off my legs quite suddenly, and
the deck on which stood heaved and shook
violently beneath me. l looked up, and the
masts seemed to bend forward 'at a danger
Gus angle; FOR one moment, they looked as if
they would topple over. Ia'heaEd the officer
on the bridge, shout: 'tStop her." down the
speaking tube which communicated with
the engine room, but as far as the III fated
ship was concerned the order was unneces-
sfry, for she was already at adead stand
still.
For a moment there was a dead silence,
each man lookingat the other~as much as to
say: WHAT next2' The soldiers were below
tidying up She mess tables after their break
fast The first tendency of every human
being under such circumstances is TO get on
deck There always seems tobe a strong
prejudice against heing drowned in the dark,
and sort OF general impression that there is
less danger IN The open air during, moments
of great peril than when shut MP anywhere.
Had the Ship been carrying eight hundred
ordinary passengers, instead Of that number
of disciplined soldiers, ali would have reshed
on decR in moment, and the confusion
would have hfndered, if not prevented. the
sailors In the measures necessary for saving
those on board
Tie major who commanded the detach-
ment of my regiment on board was man
beloved, respected and booked up 10 by all in
the corps as the best officer in it. He WAS
soldier 10 the tips OF his fingers, tighiy edu-
Gated professionally rHze thing then-snd
a man Of greatcoolness and presence of mind
He fell near me IN actiona few months after
ward, when the queen lost one of her most
faithful servants and Islost.the best friend /
had in the army.
When the Transitstrtrck he was writing in
his cabin on the MUM deck. The men were
OF the point of rushing up the ladders when
heappeared suddenly among them, and hold
ingup his hand 10 attract attention said, in
his usual clear, calm voice, ''its an right,
men; sit down where you are"
The result was instantaneous Men onsthe
point Of a panic sat down and stayed there
as quietly and oEHdiently as If on parade.
The officers werra1 al olsce ordered down TO
stay with their Inen.
During the voyage one company took it in
turns, week about, toafye An forward com
partnent on the lower deck 1t was a horri-
bic place, into which no daylight and eS-
treuaely Ettle fresh air could penetrate and
the only light Was from two or three wretch
oily POOR candle ianterns
It Twas nnY connBnvs week IN tins horrible |
den. ran as hard as could 10 get down 20
it, and ash scanpesed along the nam deck
| could see tiiat the stokers who were en-
gagged in trying TO DRAW the 6res.n were
already padding about in water over their