The morning call., 1894-03-30
SIGHTED BY THE KENNEBEC.
The Story of Her Tedious and
Eventful Voyage.
HER CREW WITHOUT PROVISIONS
The Big Ship Is Out 146 Days, Much
of the Time Battling With
Tempest and Storm.

SEATTLE, March 29.-The ship Kenne-
bee, Captain Sawyer, eleven days sailing
out from San Francisco, reached this port
this afternoon. She brings the unlocked
for news that the big British ship Somali
is still above the surface of the ocean.
Captain Sawyer reports that about s
o'clock on the morning of the 23d inst,
when 300 miles north of San Francisco, in
latitude SO deg. 10 min. north. longitude
129 deg. min. west, a vessel was sighted,
bull down, on the lee bow of the Kenne-
bee.
Through his glass Captain Sawyer OBJ
served some sort of signal flying from
one of her mastheads. On the first dis
cOvery Captain Sawyer was too far dis
tant to discern what it meant. Knowing,
however. that it was an unusual thing to
signal of distress.
The weather was fine, with a light
easterly wind blowing, just sufficient is
keep the sails full The Kennebec kept
off and bore down toward the stranger.
BY II O'Clock the hull appeared above the
ter line, and CAPTAIN Sawyer saw that
she was merchantmen signaling for as
sistance, and he continued toward her.
Two hours later he sighted a small boat
fully manned, coming in the direction of
the Ke bee, and it soon came alongside.
One of her crew handed up card bearing
he name of First Officer Morgan of the
long-loo oked-for SOmali.
Otflcer Morgan was taken aboard, and
told of the Somali's terrible voyage. He
wanted provisions he said, as those aboard
his vessel were starving. With the excep-
ton Of rice and tea. which composed the
cargo, the Somalfs crew bad had nothing
to eat for many days.
Officer Morgan, relating the expert
eDces of the Somali. said she was laden
with rice and tea, and sailed from Hong
kong for San Francisco on November 3,
in ch rye of Captain Hannaway. They
encountered rough weather al the start,
and had week after week of tornado and
storms. Tremendous seas boarded the
ship, sweeping everything not made fast.
The mem 6ers of the crew had many mar
row apes from being washed overheard
The sails split and were blown 10 shreds,
and after weeks of such weather Han
naway went south, hoping to fare better.
He sailed down the China coast through
Lombok Passage, and had fair weather
through the Indian Ocean, skirting the
Australian coast. They encountered
rough weather again, however, and con-
tlnuous toruadOes broke upon them.
while great seas washed over the ship.
The Small kept to the east, sailing around
the Polyneslan Islands and stopped at
Pitcairn Island. where an unsuccessful
effort was made to get supplies.
They then set course northwest for
f1Va WaaEc and eipaa liant n N ha IN hao ~
tack and not vessel had been spoken
until the Kennebec answered their flag OF
distress.
The run from Hong-Kong consumes
from IS to so days, but the Somali has been
out 40 days before spoken by the Kenne-
bee. 1wenty-one days after her departure
she was spoken in latitude deg. south,
longitude 100 deg. east.
The long absence of the SomalI had
caused the belief that she had foundered
in one of the tornadOes known to have
swept over the sea, and insurance compa-
MES would not take the risk of reinsuring.
The vessel did not appear much damaged.
and Captain Sawyer of the Kennebec sup
piled her with ten days rations, which
were thankfully received. Three rousing
cheers were given the Kennebec as the
vessels parted company.
The SOmali is the largest sailing vessel
flying the British flag and tie largest
carrying ship in the world She was
launched in 1892 from the yard of Russell
& Co.. at Port Glasgow, on the Clyde. and
has not yet completed her maiden trip, and
her record, all things considered, Is re-
markabe one.
She first sailed from Penarth, Wales.
for Singapore, and the voyage was COM
pleted in 135 days, very tedious passage.
Here her captain was taken sick and re-
turned to England. First Officer Morgan
succeeding to the command. From Singa-
pore the big ship sailed for the Philippine
Islands. but typhoon in the China Sea
nearly sent her TO the bottom, and by
chance she fell in with a passing steamer,
which towed her into Hong-Kong little
better than a wreck.
1t was on May 10 last that the typh oon
struck the Somali. Almost immediately
the fore ana main lower topsails were
blown clean out OF the bolt-ropes. Ten
minutes later the mizzen lower topsails
followed. The ship was now under bare
poles, and was almost on her beam ends.
Soon after the foretopmast gave way above
the lower cap. bringing down the main
and mizzen topmasts with it with a mighty
crash that was heard high above the awful
din of the storm. The main masthead
gave way just above the caps of the lower
rigging. and went by the board. The miz-
zen topmast snapped close to the lower
cap. and the wreckage hung over the ships
side, dragging aud humping the bottom as
the vessel was hurried through the water
by the fearful gale, under bare poles. All
hands were ordered TO cut away the hang
ing wreckage, and at midnight row of
stumps stood along the deck where taper
ing spars had proudly reared their t ps to
the sky. Everything was lost but the
foreyard.
On the following day staysails were bent
on the jury stays and all available canvas
was set, but the ship would not answer
her rudder and was altogether unmanage-
able. In this plight she drifted about In
the China Sea for four days. until picked
up by the steamer Carmarthenshire and
towed to Hong-KOng.
She sailed from Hong-Kong for San