The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-26
The Awful Experience Of Sailors
Aboard the Walmea.
YHE EXPLOSION OF FIREWORKS
Seriously Damages the ship and Causes
n Death--One Of the Men Totally Dis
appears as Though He Had Never
Existed.

Boston. Aug. 26.- "A blazing day In the
southern tropics. Not breath of wind
fippling the Atlantic plain. The sun a
red hot, glowing focus, slowly traversing
the coppery dome Of the sky. And In the
center Of this laudless desolation large
bark. the stout Waimea, Captain w. w.
Reston, master, Of the New Zealand Ship
ping company, hound from Wellington,
N. d., to Boston With a cargo of native
hax 4 Was Aprh es and dead calm
prevailed.
The sailors OF the Wsiwea were grouped
under the shadow Of the sails, DOING and
smoking. Aft, ths hetchwsy was open,
bnd What skAin tho door leading to
the lazar3Ne storer6om. was open. Down
In the1azsrette the steward, James Han
sab, and Saler named Frank c. Clement
were clesAins out the storeroom. 1t was
park and mufky apd lamp and candle
illuminated the place.
Soon after 10 o'clock the steward made
his way to the galley to confer with the
cook concer9ing the weighty problem Of
dinner, leaving the sailor Clement to
nnish the work. Suddenly q peculiar
Waimea jump to his feet and look stern.
ward. 1t was mufIied. vicious
QRAckls snd Bang
which. .cameyrom the lazarette It was
followed by Another and another until 1t
seemed;as thShRhsa fusilade OF musxstry
were peing fred In the depths Of the hold.
Captaif RestOn, who had been writing
htsthS ,ckb{A table, rushed through the
doorw9y an3glNhced down the hatchway.
He .renem beftd that the ships rockets
and powder supply were stored in the
lazarerte. The bombardment kept on and
cloud of blue smoke poured out. Down
belowithe captain saw q swarm OF fiery
serpents Kissing, ,coiiing and sputtering
fire. Smother i'll Smother itl' he
shouted TO the sailors, who turned to
grasp sails and anything to check the
blaze.
But almost before the sound Of the cap
tain's voice had died away the deck
heaved beneath his feet, the stout planks
were torn asunder. and with an ear
splitting report, a vivid fash and the rend-
ing Of timbers the whole after part Of the
Waimea was
Torn Into . splintered Ruin.
The vessel shook through all her length
phuroi,s' smoke arose from where the
hatchway had been. s'
For moment discipline was overcome
by panic, but the crew quickly rallied.
The hose was attached to the hand pump.
pnd water was soon being poured into the
crater.
Captain Reston was horribly burned,
bis throat and face being literally black
fned by the explosion. Hair and moustache
were gone and he was totally blind.
Seaman David Wilson was working be-
low and was found groaning with pain.
He was also burned severely, and In being
blown through the poop deck his hip
Joint was dislocated.
But Clements, who must have been ac-
countable for the explosion,
Had Vanished,
vanished as completely as though he had
never existed. No drop of blood, no frag.
ment Of clothing, no part of his body
could be found. A few shattered beams
and planks floated on the swell alongside,
but no vestige Of the lost sailor was ever
discovered.
When the confusion on the Waimea
had abated it was found that there was no
fire on board. But the force of the explo-
sion had completely wrecked the stern
bud cabin of the bark. Fortunately the
fudder and steering gear had escaped in
Jury. First Mate Alexander took charge
of the vessel and the more gaping holes
were patched up somehow and the ships
course laid for Rio Janeiro, then distant
fortnight's sail.
1t was perilous voyage. The calm
gave way to a violent gale, through which
the disabled Waimea was with diflicuity
navigated. Water poured into her shat
tered hull. flooding the remains of the
cabin and threatening to sink the ship.
The blinded captain lay on pile of old
sails, suffering intensely, and the plight
of the sailor, Wilson, whose dislocatel
bone no one could set, is too painful 10
contemplate.
However, Rio was at length reached.
THE injured were treated at the hospital
and the shipwrights set to work to repair
damages. iaa -
Arrival In Boston.
The Waimea, salt-rimed and dingy, af-
ter her many months buffetings with the
ocean, dropped anchor in Boston harbor
yesterday, and Captain Reston came
ashore to report to the consignees, Henry
w Peabody 81 Co.
The captain is a typical British ship
master. He Is stout and sturdy In physique,
with light hair, inoustache and whiskers,
ana years OF seafaring have impaired that
singular deep red tinge to his skin that is
always associated with the traditional
sailors complexion.
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