New-York tribune., 1891-10-16
THE ATLANTA Is HERE.
HER TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN THE STORM
OFF THE JERSEY COAST.
TWO OF THE SIX SAILORS INJURED BY THE EX-
PLosIoN MAY DID-THE TROUBLE CAUSED
BY BROKEN HAwsE PIPE.


BY BROKEN HAwsE PIPE.
The United States cruiser Atlanta arrived here
last night. after seriPs Of adventures WHICH I
have tested both the ship and her officers ana
crew. The Atlanta lying at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard last Saturday, having come down rom
New London to have her engines repaired. In the
evening, after all the employees Of the yard hau
gone home and the machine shops were closeo'
Captain J. w. Philip, who commands the cruiser
received a telegram from the Secretary OF the
Navy, ordering him to so Immediately TO tle as
distance Of the Despatch, stranded on 'Assateague
shoals Portions Of the Atlantas engines were IN
the machine shops but the shops were opened
the crew brought the pieces to the ship, ana the
engineers and machinists went to work TO put
them in their proper places. They WORKED all
night and part of the next day. and at p N. on
Sunday the Atlanta steamed out OF the harbor.
gale had been predicted and at o'clock
Sunday night when the cruiser was below SANDY
Hook, the gale came bowling out Of the north
cast The ship steamed south until o'oclocK
Monday morning. She was then fifteen miles east
of Absecom Light, and the gale had increased
almost to hurricane force, blowing straight toward
the Jersey beaches. Captain Philip considered
il imprudent to run south any longer, and hove the
shin TO with steerage way on, with the seas ABOUT
two points on the port bow. The tury OF the Wlhu
and seas was now terrific. The rain was driven
in solid sheets over the laundering waves thae
dashed upon the ship. One continuous cataract
of water poured upon the cruisers forward deck
and even dashed at times over the supersructurc.
No one could see the length of the ship for the
darkness, the rain and the flying waves
At $50 o'clock Monday night water
was reported in the yeomans storeroom
~, ,,irat tiOO
found that the forward collision compartment,
which is used as lower paint-room, was full OF
water. which was making its way through the oil
room Just abaft into the storeroom. The pound
ing of the waves upon the forward deck had
loosened the hawse pipe where it joined the deck
and with every wave which came aboard the water
found n way around the loosened hawse pipe into
the paint-rOom, a compartment just Delow the
forward spar deck on which the waves were thun-
dering There is a hatch leading from the paint
room TO the collision compartment below, which
should have been tightly screwed down so that
even if the paint-room were! fuh OF
water none could find its way below. But the
sailor who had charge of securing this hatHh
properly was violently seasick and had neglected
to screw 1t down tight
Here was nice state of things-a man-of-war
| struggling with hurricane with her largest
| forward compartment full Of water and lee
shore not many miles away. Everybody went
to work with will The leak around the hawsc-
pipe was stopped partially; the hatch between the
paint-room and the collision compartment was
screwed down tightly and handy billy pump
was set at work to pump out the flooded com
partment. Shortly after midnight the
| commandment was free Of water. 1heh
| James Monahan, a blacksmith, lowered
light down into the collision compartment
through hatchway in the berth deck, lust aoal'
| the paint room, to see if the water was all OUT.
In en- instant there was terrific explosion ana
great fame shot UP through the hatch"aS'
The men standing near were tnroMH
down and severely burned; so severely that
two of them will probably die. The hame that
came out of the compartment lasted only an
instant and no fire followed it. 1t seemed TO be
an explosion of gas. There is hatchway III the
spar deck nearly over the one from whlch
| thc fame shot out. Had it been
! directly over it the latch would
have been blown off. allowing the seas which still
nourcd upon the deck, to find a way below, and
this story of the Atlantas safe arrival would never
have been written No boat could have lived
| in that night, and the seas would nave
dashed out the life of a man cllngng to
wrecage As it was the % GamagG was 5U%reG D%u o6
| the head and shoulders and with their clothing
| torn and burned from -iem. Their shipmates
carried them into the sick bay, where their wounds
| we're dressed as best they could be with the snip
nluncing and rolling. The injured men were
Frank Craven James apprentice; James Monahan,
! hlnrEsmith: Henry IIelja, seaman Aloic Nowac,
andsrlan; John Edward Eli private private Of MAJ marines a
| Wonaban may die. The others will recover.
| The Atlanta kept up her fight with the storm
until II o'clock on Tueeady night, when the gaze
somewhat abating, she ran in toward the shore
| and sighted Absecom at 0 80 o'clock the next
morning Then she ran down to Delaware Break
| water TO repair her engines. which were working
noorly. From there it was Captain Philips m
| tention to continue out to Assateague, but at II
o'clock on Wednesday night a dSpatch was
| received from the Secretary OF the navy
| ordering the Atlanta back to NeW-i ork S'he leII
! Delaware Breakwatcr at daybreak yesterday ana
anchored of Redlow's Island at o'clock last night
Captain Philip said last night: The Atllnta Is
the best ship in the Navy to go to SEA m except W
Roston. She is a splendid sea boat She behaved IN
manner which delighted everybody. Inc AZ
| lanta is expected to go TO the Navy 1ard 'o-uay'
where her engines will be put in order
| Captain Philip could not give reason lor
the explosion. or the painting materials stored In
The forward collision compartment, IN whlcn the the
cyposion took place. only one package was Io4ht 4l
brpkcn when an examination was maze, ana uhaU
was package of dry japan