The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-11
A DOG RESCUED IN MID-ocEAN.
The Newfoundland Left on the
Wreck Ernst safe I'm Port.

Wreck Ernst safe I'm Port.
From the New York Tribune.
When people read OF the brave rescus
Of the crew of tho German bark Ernst by
the men of the French line steamship La
BOurgogne. as told In the Tribune and
other morning papers last week, they nat
urally clapped their hands and cried
"Bravo! But one and all bemoaned the
fate Of the big Newfoundland dog, Kaiser.
who was the pet of the skipper OF the
Ernst and the jolly companion OF the en-
tire crew. The dog was left aboard the
bark, which, is was then thought, would
sink at any moment, because there was
not room for him In the small boats. The
last Kaiser's companions saw of him he
was standing In the bow with his FORE
paws on the rail, bowling dsmally at in
tervals and gazing reproachfully at his
old friends. as much as TO say with his
big eyes. II would never have deserted
you In such a manner"
The German sailormen never expected
TO see the big Newfoundland again, as
the bark was down by the head and had
ten feet of water in her hold, but Kaiser
was better skipper than they thought.
and he is now safely in port to tell of his
base desertion. Kaiser by the way, comes
or a royal line, as Is proper and has fire
in his eyes and action in his tan. Bravs
deeds of daring have been performed BY
the faithful brute, as his shipmates viii
eloquently tell.
The twelve men on the bark were taken
on early on the morning Of July %, leav-
ing the dog behind as skipper, mate and
crew. The intelligent animal did not
lower the distress signals which his COM
panions had left flying, nor did he at
tempt to alter the course OF the water
logged Ernst, which was then In the path
1t mrfar e.
is an old seadog, and, by transportation,
ne believed that Sin the midst Of death
we are in life and so II proved. Hardly
had the French ship showed hull down
on the horizon to the westward than, as
Kaiser confidentially told by ways of his
tail, the smoke of another steamship be-
gan to show above the crested waves to
the eastward.
"A sail saHY' thought Kaiser to him
self in wise dog-fashion. He jumped about
the deck in glee as he saw the distress
signals flying aloft from the masthead
OF the Ernst. The vessel, which proved
to be the German oil-tank steamship
Mannheim, gradually approached the
storm-tossed Ernst, and when, several
miles to the eastward, Capt Ockelmann
through his glasses, saw the signals OF
distress, he bore down toward the bark,
which he thought still had her crew OF
distressed sailors aboard. 1t was about
$50 p. m. that the skipper sighted the
Ernst which he thought alarmingly low
In the water. The disabled bark was
hove to under lower topsalls, and, as ths
experienced sailorman thought, In danger
OF capslzlng. The Mannheim bore down
toward the wreck and circled around
it several times, blowing the whistle con-
tinually. The only sign Of life that could
be seen from the bark was the big black
dog that was prancing up and down the
decks and barking vociferously. The dogs
action betokened life aboard the sinking
craft, and Capt. Ockelmann decided to
board her although heavy and danger
Gus sea was cunning at the time.
A boat was lowered from the tank and
with the mate and several men was rowed
close to the bark. whose decks were Just
awash. Taking advantage Of a favoring
lull, the small boat was run alongside and
the mate scrambled aboard her. The big
dog met him with a rough but hearty well
come. Following Kaiser the mate made
for tn ecabin, whe he quickly saw that
there was no one aboard the bark and
that she had been deserted recently. The
dog would hardly let the mate move
around the deck, so profuse was he in his
Of delight. The mate de-
cided that IL would be best to set fire to
the bark, as she was in the line of trans
atlantic liners, so he called the dog into
the boat, took all the ships papers that he
could md, and then ordered his men to
hre the vessel. This the men did by build
ing great fire in the captains cabin and
then taking to the boat When the Mann
helm again started on her voyage for this
port the Ernst was a red hot coal from
which poured masses of flames that lit
1p the surrounding sea for miles
Kaiser was one of the first to extend a
cold nose of greeting to the health officer
when the tank arrived at quarantine, and
the captain was pleased to learn that the
Newfoundland companions had already
been rescued by the gallant sailors Of La
Bourgogne.
There was another incident on the Mann
helm which was Of a more serious nature
than the saving Of a dog. The Mann
helm left Geestemunde on July o. and
among her fremen was Carl James SO
years old, of Germany. He was suffering
from intoxication at the time, and on July
81 he hanged himself in his cabin ana was
buried at sea the following day Museum
managers are already after kaiser.