The record-union., 1894-12-14
BATTLED WITH THE WAVES ELEVEN
DAYS AND NIGHTS.
Her Presence in Port Due to the
Heroic Work of Her Crew - The
Hurricane on sunday the Worst
Ever Experienced - Waves and
Rock Carried One Hundred and
ThIrty-SiX Feet Above High Water
at Tillamook Lighthouse.
Special to the REcoRp-uN1ox.

safety. She was heavily loaded with coal
when she left Nanaimo nineteen days
ago, and when shipmasters who were
lucky enough TO reach port told of the
awful gales that were blowing out at sea,
there was some apprehension felt Tor the
India. She was sighted far Oft the land
early this morning, and about noon she
was headed for the Golden Gate iii tow.
Great holes yawned in her bulwarks,
and her rigging was tangled. Ropes,
sails and fittings lay about the decks in
confused snarl, and the crew was hardly
able to make the tugs hawser fast when
they were taken in tow.
Captain Merrimau says he does not
know how they managed to weather the
storm, and his presence in port to-day, he
claimed. was entirely due TO the heroic
work Of the crew. For eleven days and
nights they stood continually at their
posts and never tlinched. The ship was
off Cape Blanco when the gale first struck
her. That was on Decembe lSt and the
long battle with the waves commenced.
Soon after the sea broke over her, and as
she rolled in the huge pillows seams in
her hull opened and water spurted into
her hold in many places. The pumps
were worked by donkey engine, and
they served TO keep the hold clear for
day or two, but during a particularly
heavy blow wave that broke on deck
smashed i'll the doors of the engineroom
and the fires under the boilers were eX-
tinguished. From that on the men were
compelled to work the pumps to keep the
ship from sinking. The decks were al
most continuously waist deep with water
and the men were compelled to lash
themselves in place to keep from being
washed overheard at every roll Of the
ship.
For six days the ship weathered gale
after gale. successfully, with the exception
of losing few sails, but on the seventh
the wind seemed to have joined forces
with all the gales of the preceding six
days, determined on destroying the ship.
The seas, too, rose and washed the ship
about more dangerously than before.
She rolled trighttuily, and Captain Mer-
riman said the Old collier actually dipped
| her yards IN the sea. in the blow sail
after sail was torn out of the hold ropes,
and before new ones could be bent she
was in the trough of the sea, thrown al
most on her beam ends by The gale. Her
cargo shifted to starboard, giving her a
heavy list She lay almost on her side,
with the starboard under water and seas
rolling over her, The men were called
from the pumps, and, headed by the Cap
tain, every man on board, with the eS-
ception OF one at the wheel, went below
$
they stayed below, at last succeeding in
righting the ship.
In the meantime the galley had been
washed clean, ana it was day after the
ship was again put on an even keel be-
fore anything could be cooked. The
men were faint for the want of food, but
kept at their work, aud the ship arrived
i IL port without further mishaps.
While the ship was in her greatest peril
the schooner General, Banning, bound
from Gray's Harbor for this port, was
sighted, aGd she was asked to stand by
until the danger was passed, but she had
all she could do to take care of herself,
and in a few hours afterward she was out
OF sight.
The last three days of the trip were
pleasant, but when the India was towed
III she had about four feet of water in her
hold.
The steamer Willamette came into to-
day from the Sound with cargo of coal.
She was nearly three days overdue, and
accounts for the delay by the storm. Off
Cape Blanco she was hove to for seven
teen hours, and her Captain reports the
storm the most severe OF any he has eX-
perienceu on the coast.
The steamer Walla Walla came in early
this morning from Puget Sound ports
nearly day behind time
Great anxiety Is being felt for the safety
of the steamer Monserrat, which was to-
day three days overdue from Nanaimo.
Captain Merriman says that if she got in
the same gale as the India she will never
reach TINS port, as she was heavily loaded.
News of the arrival of the ships St.
John and Glen Luis at Portland is being
impatiently awaited by the local agents.
Both vessels left in advance of the Scot
tish Dale, which was towed into Port
Townsend yesterday in disabled condi-
ton. 1t is thought the other two vessels
nj tarn a hoy
were III ballast. it is thought that they
have had rough experience.
PERIL OF LIGHTHoUSE-KEEPE
ASTORIA or, Dec. l3.-The lighthouse
tender Columbine returned at 6 O'Clock
this evening from TiIlamook Rock. hav-
ing left for that place at daylight this
morning To investigate the reported dam
mage TO the lighthouse from Sundays
hurricane. The sea was too rough to get
within speaking distance of the rock, and
it was found impossible to land any one
by means of the derrick and basket. The
Columbine went around tho rock several
times, and could easily see that consider
able damage had been done. The sharp
top OF the smaller rock at the south of the
main rock on which the lighthouse stands
is gone, and various other places show
that huge boulders have been torn off by
the force of the storm.
Chief Keeper Pessonen signaled that
they were ali well, and that he would
send his report off III bottle attached to
buoy. This he did, and it was soon
picked up by the waiting steamer. An
Associated Press reporter was shown the
statement by Lieutenant Blish this even
ing, upon the arrival of the Columbine,
and from its contents is learned the full
horror of the awful storm on the isolated
rock, and the dangers the men were sub
jected to.
Between ii 4. VI ana p. II. on Sunday
last the worst hurricane ever experienced
on the coast ragged around the lighthouse.
Great mountains OF water rolled in from
the southwest. and breaking against the
b.lse of the rock, would run up its steep
si0e and spend It's force on the building,
which trembled and rocked as if ready to
tumble into the raging sea. by noon the
storm was on in all its fury, aud the seas
rolled higher and higher.
\ great crash OF glass, shortly alter
noon, told of the damage caused by the
waves and fragments of rocks that had
been torn loose from the main rock, and
hurled against the outer glass that pro-
| tects the costly lenses. Examination
showed that the panes were all broken,
the lenses ruined, and the clock machin-
cry that revolves the light so badly dam
aged as to render it useless.
The force of the wind and waves can
be judged when it is known that the