The San Francisco call., 1896-01-24

land, fell from the foretopsail yard to the deck
and was killed.
August %, B. G. Palm. native of Denmark,
fell from the foretopsail yard overheard and
was lost.
August %. kept the ship off for Montevideo,
having but eight men on deck. Could not
Arrived at Rio September 16 and put sixteen
OF the crew in the hospital, and sailed again
October %.
Had strong easterly gales to 40 south. From
thence to Cape Horn had variable winds and
line weather. Was thirty days from so to so.
Had strong westerly gales west of Cape Horn.
Got the southeast trades in 33 south and 90
west and had them strong and carried them to
8 north.
Was nineteen days from so south 80 west to
the equator. Crossed the equator in the Pa
cifc January in III west. Got the northeast
trades in $40 north and carried them to %
north 12S west. From there to the Farallon
Rocks had southerly winds and fine weather,
with very heavy swell from the southwest.
Sighted Farallon Rocks January 81, 81 days
from Rio and 213 days from New York.
When the Roanoke was reported there
was fiutter in the quarantine Office, and
DIR. Chalmers at once notified the Board of
Health. The vessel was known to have
been in Rio de Janeiro, and in that port
both yellow fever and smallpox were
epidemic. DR.. Williamson responded to
the quarantine officers call, and together
they visited the ship. Not a single case of
sickness was found on board, and in spite
of the troublous times and the storms she
had passed through the vessel looked
more like a yacht than the biggest
American merchantmen afioat. Captain
Hamilton reported that while he lay in
Rio de Janeiro there had been six deaths
from yellow fever and 141 from small
pox, but as the vessel had been eighty
seven days on the way here and there was
no sign of disease aboard it was decided to
allow her to enter.
Thu Roanoke took in no cargo Mt RiO
and as nearly all that she has aboard is
railroad iron for the San Joaquin Valley
Railroad there could be no fear of infec-
tion from that source. The entire crew
was also revaccinated before the ship
sailed again.
From the day we left New York until we
reached Rlo de Jane1ro we had nothing but
hard luck. said Harry Jones, one of the orig
inal crew, yesterday.
When Dobbins fell from the migzen-royal a
few days after we were at sea all the old
timers said the ship was going to have bad
luck. For couple of months, however, there
was nothing to bear out the assertion, and
then by all tnat's glorious if it did not come on
us in heap.
1t was along in August and the ship was
making heavy weather OF it,. We were under
snug canvas, but wave after wave was break
ing aboard, and the watch on deck had hard
work of it dodging the water it swept from
stem TO stern. Suddenly a heavier one than
usual came rolling along, and just as the warn
ing cry came from aft il broke aboard, and the
entire starboard watch was washed into the
scuppers. When the watch below had been
called and the disabled men cared for it was
found that only three out of the eight were
able to get around. Even those three had to
take to their hunks next day, and they had to
be left behind at Rio.
Our troubles seemed to have only Just begun,
however. as two days later Spennert and Palm
were lost from the foretopsail yard. Spennert
fell to the deck and was killed instantly, while
Palm fell overheard and was never seen again
After that we into succession of gales,
and when we did finally reach Rio de Janeiro
sixteen of the men had to be sent to the
hospital. more battered disconsolate look
| ing set of men / never saw leave ship. The
captain and the American Consul did every
thing possible for them, and they will reach
home all right. 1t was the most disastrous
and hardest voyage l ever made around the
Horn, and / don't want another one like it.
Strange to say the ship was damaged very
little, but the crew made up for her escape.
The Roanoke is built on exactly the
same lines as the Shenandoah, and is the
largest American merchantmen ahoat.
She is 3539 tons gross register, and can
carry over 5000 tons dead weight. Her
| length is 81 feet inches, breadth 40 feet
inches and depth 20 feet inches. She
was built in 1892 in Bath, Me-. and is
owned by Sewell & Co. of that port