The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-05
FATE FOLLOWED THE UNDIHE.
THE FLEETEsT BARK EVER BUILT
LIES IN THE MID OFF FIG
ISLAND.

The Battered Hulk THAT Forms "A
Part of spur Dam Below the City
once the Pride of the London
china Tea FIeet-HI Luck Came
UpOn Her and Disaster After
Disaster Ended in Her Wreck.
Many Lives Lost on Her Decks by
Wind and Wave-Her Last Voyage
in 1898.
Few people know that the old hulk of
the Austrian bark Undine, which lies
buried in the sand at the entrance OF
Back river. near Fig island training wall,
and acting as a spur dam, was once the
fastest ship of her class that ever fioated.
When Capt S. W. Harmon Of the Brit
ish bark Balaklava, arrived in port few
days ago, he recognized the old hulk as
the remnant Of a vessel, upon which he
had some exciting and interesting ex-
per.ences. It brought to his mind many
"reminiscences OF days gone by, and it
made him sad to see such a stanch craft.
as she once was, doing duty as spur
dam, with the waves washing over her fore
and aft. and lying like a log sunk IN the
mud, incapable Of Offering any resistance.
From Capt. Hammond some of her past
history has been learned.
The Undine was built in 1867 by William
Pyle & Co. of Sunderland, England. She
was a three skysan yard ship, sailing I'M
der the British flag, at the time. and was
owned by ]. r. Kelso OF Shields. who was
engaged in the tea trade between China
and England. He had several vessels do
points. All of his vessels were clippers
of the very best construction.
The Undine was built specially to beat
any ship in the trade and in 1858, in the
famous race between several of the fast
est clippers in the world, from Shanghai
10 London, was won by the Undine This
fact has gone on record, and accounts of
the race have been repeatedly published.
After that memorable trip she began
q series of Inflated voyages. During the
following ten or twelve years she en-
countered many storms, and although she
received no serious damage, there were
many peculiar incidents connected with
her voyage that made her conspicuous in
the line of disaster. On two or three
occasions men lost their lives by being
washed overheard from her decks and
drowned. The most noted occurrence in
her history while she was under the
British flag was in 1882 while she was on
a voyage from Tyne to ColumbO She was
in command of Capt. w. NJ. BristOW al
the time, and Capt. S. W. Hammond, now
master of the bark Balaklava, was chief
mate.
1t was on Sunday night, Dec 10, 1882,
while in latitude a. south, and longitude
65 east, that she was caught by a heavy
gale. The captains watch was on deck,
while the chief mates watch had turned
in. About o'clock the mate was startled
by a terrible crash on deck, followed by
a tremendous sea that washed over the
vessel. Rushing to the deck to ascertain
the trouble, the mate discovered that there
was no one at the helm, and that the
spokes of the wheel had been carried
away. He called to the captain that the
wheel " demolished n 4
not a soul was on deck. The sea had
washed everyone overheard. He made
his way to the forecastle, as best he could,
and called to his watch below to come
on deck. Just as he was going back to
the stern of the vessel, the foresail blew
out Of the rope bolts and came near car
ance of his men he succeeded in heaving
the ship and lowering the main topmast
All during the night there was terrible
gale; Everything was awash, the bull
up to the main hatch.
In the morning the body of a seaman
was discovered floating about the main
decks, but It was washed overheard be-
fore 1t could be secured. A little later
the body of Capt. Bristow was found
damned between the water tank and the
decks. It was bruised and swollen. They
buried Capt BristoW at sea- and Cant
Hammond took command of the ship. He
succeeded, after much difficulty, in reach
ing his destination. He remained master
OF the snip until 1883, when she was sold
TO merchant of Trieste, and was con-
verified into bark, and put under the
Austrian flag
The vessel continued in the China trade
Tor some years afterward, keeping up her
usual number of Inflated experiences. and
made her last eventful voyage from Port
an Spain, arriving at the Savannah quar-
antne Feb 49, 1893
Unluckily enough, on the thirteenth dav
after her arrival, she was being towed TO
the city by the tug Jacob Paulsen
short distance from the wharf 1t breezed
up fresh and she took list. All hands
TOOK to the weather rigging. She re-
manned keeled over for a minute or so.
and then righted and went along ali
right for about fifteen minutes when she
again took a list and went over on her
beam ends. She sunk shortly afterward
IN midohannel, at the upper end OF Long
tsIand The crew was rescued by tho tug.
boat before the vessel went down.
me aecldent was very serious matter
70 navigation, as the obstruction was in
me path Of passing vessels After lying
IN this dangerous position for six months
with the owners showing no disposition
70 raise the vessel, the United States en-
siueerlng department took the matter in
hand. She was floated about Aug. 20. 1t
was thought that the mud that had set
ued IN her would be taken out and the
eSSel repaired to enter commission
again, nut the government concluded that
she was worth more as a spur dam, than
Inc price she would bring at public auc-
tlon and so decided to tow her to the en-
trance of Back river.
Slngularly enough the career of tbis
eVenttul vessel was ended on Aug. 81. the
very day that the great storm of '93 pass
ca over this section, delving devastation
lot many miles around.
The old Undine had Just been pIaced IN
Hef IaSt resting place, buried deem in the
sdhu, from which no storm can move her
nor do her further harm.
THE PARK GATE suETIs