The Portland daily press., 1894-11-23
THE SARMIENTO.
Capt. Charles Hutton Was in Town
Yesterday.

The Full Story of the Thrilling Experience
of Her Crew of Portland Yankees when
the Bark Was on Her Beam Ends
Seventeen Out of Twenty Sails Blown
Away.
Captain Charles Hutton, of the bark
Sarmiento, of this port, the prop erty OF
r. lewis & Co., has been in Portland the
past day or two, and left yesterday for
Boston, where the disabled vessel has
nearly discharged her caro- of hides, and
from whence she will soon be towed TO
Portland to be repaired.
Her disaster at sea as serious one and
afforded the crew thrilling adventure
that they will never forget. 1t will be
remem bered that the crew of the bark
on this trip was made up mostly of Port
land Yankees, rare thing nowadays.
The following were from Portland Cap
tain Charles Hutton, First Mate William
Burns, Steward John Jones, seamen
Herbert c. Hight, William johnson,
Chester Sears. and Edward Mcdonald.
The secon nd mate, man named Mar
tin, and two seamen, James Clark and
another Edward Mcdonald, were not
from Portland.
1t was on the 18th of October that the
Sarmiento when 60 miles southeast OF
Bermuda, from Rosario to Boston. with
hides, met with her disaster. The gale
commenced. on the 10th, and about noon
of the 18th, blew so furiously that the
staunch vessel, though running before
it, could not be kept straight in the
great waves, and finally went into the
trough. At $50 she was hove on her
beam ends, and remained there till
o'clock, when the gale decreased and she
partially righted.
With the deck at an angle OF % de-
grees. sleeper than the roof of an ordina-
ry house. and the lee side under water
as far up AS the lee side of the hatch,
the crew chung to the roof of the after
house, the highest place on the deck.
There is skylight running along the
middle of it, and with their feet braced
on the upper side of that, and holding
on to ropes fastened to the windward
rail high above them, with the angry
W alter surging over the lee rail below,
into which misstep might precipitate
them, they held on for three hours and
wheel to hold the rudder from Stating
back and forth as the waves struck it,
for that would break the gudgeons. All
the rest of the deck was washed by the
waves. The bobstays under the bow
spirit were carried away, and so were the
port bowsprit shrouds. That left the
bowsprit loose, it being fastened only by
the jibboom guys, consequently the top
gailant-forecastle WIS loosened, and
would be lifted up from the deck two
feet every time the vessel jumped. The
swaying of the loosened bowsprit caused
the foretopmast to break, and hang ov-
er the side.
Of the twenty sails chat were bent on
the bowsprit and the three masts, only
three were saved, the rest being blown
away. The three were the maintop
gallant sail and the spanker and gaff
topsail ON the mizzenmast.
Had the storm lasted two hours long
err, the bark must have fonndered. The
loosened bowsprit was straining tire
knightheads very badly, and thus
threatenin g not only to open the ship in
the bow, but be carried away itself. In
that case it must have stove hole in
the vessels side.
The brig Victoria, that was disabled
in the same gale and foundered two
days after. the crew having been taken
off just in time, labored so in the storm
and was so disabled that the crew cut
away all the masts. It is understood
that the Sarmiento will be sold on her
arrival here.