Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-07-01

sometimes q spar viii snassci 81 euN
break eff just at the eyes OF the rig
ging, and again everything holds fast.
This may be caused by the torpedoes
not lying close TO the mast.
BREAKING OFF THE FoREMAsr.
Next we tackle the foremost, rigging
a strip around her iorestays. We make
fast another torpedo. lowering 1t down
to the deck, sliding ii along until 1t
reaches her head boom. On pulling
away and exploding this torpedo the
same az the other, We find it bringing
up lot of her deck planking and bull
warks. The only results of the explo-
sion are that the jib and topmast stays
hang loose. This indicates that some
thug has been broken, and We get
ready To blow the foremost out OF her.
Now that her masts are blown up
and floating on the surface, we look
them over and over and hnd the pest
place to plant our next torpedo, wnlcn
is generally in the "douollngs, so as
to break off her ''cross trees" and at
the same time blow of her lower rig
ging.
This rigging sinks to the bottom ana
leaves bare the lowermast. The torpe-
do which blows out the foremost shat
tiers her topmast in many cases. Inc
large lowermast is now blown up oy
placing two or three small or exercise
torpedoes in close contract and all nreo
at the same time. This explosion Nils
the air with small splinters, looking
much as if cyclone had struck
toothpick factory. Sometimes an iron
band may be on a spar, and when blown
in the air will descend with noise
similar to that of Sound steamers
whistle" and has at times fallen dan
gerously close to the whaleboat
Now that all that had appeared above
water has been destroyed we make
soundings all over the hull to learn II
there is enough water 10 insure safe
passage OF vessels over her. The five
wrecks after the first were easily shat
tered.
After nearly exhaustilg our supply
OF torpedoes We put into Norfolk
Navy Yard for a fresh supply. Our
next work was off Cape Hatteras.
Here many an unpleasant gale is en-
countered which makes wrecking work
very perlous Our last wreck was
completed with our search light"
working on US on Frying Pan" Shoals,
off Cape Fear.
The night was dark, the wind high
and water rough. The search light had
greater effect upon the work. In this
case we used oil to quiet the water,
being done by our first dingy" work
ing to the windward, or weather"
side, of us and supplying torpedoes from
the ship.
HOW THE WRECKS ARE FOUND.
The photographic Office in Washing
ton publishes monthly report OF
wrecks reported by masters of the mer-
chant marine. These reports are sent
TO the Navy Department and forward
ed TO US with the instructions TO de-
Stroy all that can be found. When the
captain receives these reports he plots
them on his charts. In many cases we
fail TO fud them where they were last
reported. This can be accounted for
by the breaking up and disappearing,
or by the captains OF merchant vessels
making errors in their reports TO the
photographic Office. We have found
on these monthly reports, when plotted
on the chart, as many as three and four
of these wrecks within radius OF ht-
teen TO twenty miles, and it makes IL
look as If this circle Is the entrance 10
"Davy Jones locker" II captains Of
merchant vessels In sending In these
reports would get the bearings cor
rectly we would have less trouble in find
ingthem and would rid the coaJt OF
these dangerous distractions.
II we are working on wreck on
Thursday we never fail to have our fish
dinner on Friday, also our green turtle
soup, "Vesuvius" style. Oar chef is
not OF the "Delmonico" order, but he
makes a soup which the sailor men en-
Joy. With the explosion of every tor
pedo many FISH are killed or stunned,
aud all that is necessary is to pick them
up out OF the water. which is generally
done by volunteer crew in one Of our
small boats.
A SIGNAL OF DISTRESS.
While hurting for wrecks one Sun
day afternoon we sighted the small
fishing schooner Ids L. Miller, OF New
York, flying the signal OF distress
the Stars and Stripes, union down, at
her main. We bore down upon her and,
the schooner lowering a dory, the crew
pulled toward US. reporting her captain
injured, having broken his leg. They
asked US for assistance. We sent our
doctor aboard the schooner. He
thought the injured man would rest
easier on our ship than upon his little
"kcker," as he called her, and brought
him aboard the Vesuvius. The captain
was sent to the hospital on our arrival
at Hampton Roads.
While our doctor was resetting and
bandaging the schooner captains leg
the crew OF our vessel received as
present from the crew OF the schooner
fifty Of the largest bluefsh they had