The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-22
SHIP MANY MONTHS AT SEA.
THE T. Il. CAKES $50 DAYS FROM
HONG KONG TO NEW YORK.


man at the wheel Eight Hours on
"A Stretch without Food or Drink.
Started Her LuckIess Voyage by
Being struck by Two TyphOOns.
Quarantine, S. l.. N. Y, March 21.-The
long overdue ship T. L. Cakes, which left
Hong Kong July 4, 259 days ago, with a
general cargo for this port and which
had been given up as lost, was towed
into this port this morning by the Brit
ish tank steamer Kasbek, Capt. Muller,
which picked her up last Thursday in
latitude SS;1O, longitude 6S:4i
The KasbeS was bound from Philadel-
phia for Fiume, Austria with a cargo of
oil, and left the former port on Saturday,
March 10. On the following evening at
II O'Clock the blue lights were seen, and
Capt. Muller ordered the steamers course
| altered. and bore up for the distress Sig
| nails. At l o'clock she was close along
side the ship and stood by until day.
| break, when signals were observed flying
from the ship asking that a boat be sent
alongside, as the ships crew were so dis
abled as to be unable to man their own
| boats. Chief officer c. p. Holahem and
three seamen at once put off in the Kas-
| bek's yawl, and when within speaking
distance heard tale of suffering and sick
ness from those on board the ship such
as made them shudder. Capt. Reed Of
the Cakes reported that his crew were all
laid up with scurvy and that the pro-
visions were well-night exhausted. He
was unable to navigate the ship with the
hands at his command, and begged that
| he be at once supplied with fresh food
and vegetables, and to be taken in low
for the nearest port The boat returned
| to the Kasbek with the message, and
| Capt. Muller at once decided to take the
vessel in tow.
The weather, which had been threaten
| ing, now became boisterous and norther-
| ly gale sprang up. Nevertheless prepara-
| tons were made to pass hawser to the
| Cakes, at the same time that the boat
| load of provisions was sent. A manila
| hawser was paid out over the KasbetS
| stern to the yawl, but tremendous wave
washed 1t into the propeller, which was
| turning slowly at the time and before the
| engines could be stopped the screw was
! so entangled that it stopped suddenly and
| all the power of the engines was not suf-
| ticient to move 1t.
An effort was at once made to free the
screw, but as it was SO deeply submerged,
| ana the sea running so nlBns IL was IOutlu
| to be impossible. For eight hours the en-
gineers' staff labored to clear the propeller
and finally disconnected, the shaft and
| found that by placing a small block of
wood between the couplings the screw
could be made to turn.
BY that time the Cakes had drifted out
| of sight and Capt Muller, despairing of
| being able to tow her with his disabled
screw determined at least to find her and
| supply her with provisions All night he
| searched the horizon for traces Of her,
and at o'clock Tuesday morning she was
| again sighted. The sea was boisterous
at the time, but Chief officer Hosham
again volunteered to attempt to board her,
| and, as the engineers reported the pro-
peller to be working well, it was decided
! to send a hawser aboard. Accordingly a
line was dragged by the boat, and after
a deal of hard work two hawsers were
made fast, Mr. Holsham and his boats
crew of three doing most of the work
They found only the second and third
mates able to help them. The provisions
they brought were a Godsend to the
| scurvy-stricken survivors and they be-
gan to gather hope that they might live
to see the land From last Thursday
| morning, when the hawser was passed
aboard, until the Sandy Hook bar was
reached a o'clock last evening, no in
cident of importance occurred. The Cakes
| was anchored on the bar and again taken
in tow this morning.
Capt. Reed, of the Cakes, when inter-
| viewed at quarantine on his arrival this
| morning, told a story Of suffering and pri-
walton. The Cakes left Shanghai on May
II last, and after completing her cargo
at Hong Kong sailed from that port July
| 4. The crew were apparently in the best
| of health with the exception of Capt
Reed who had been ailing for some time,
but who under the careful nursing OF his
wife thought himself on the high road to
| recovery.
When six days out In the China sea a
terrific typhoon was encountered, lasting
several days, during which the fore and
| main topmasts were sprung.
The vessel was obliged to run before
| the gale. which had no sooner blown it,
self out than it was followed by a second
| typhoon, which blew with great fury for
| twenty-four days. The vessel was now
well out in the North Pacific and so far
off her course that Capt Reed decided to
shape his course via Cape Horn rather
! than by the Cape of Good Hope, hoping
thereby TO make better time. The wealth
er remained fine, nothing but light airs
and Gains were experienced until Cape
| Horn was rounded le7 days out
In the meantime the Chinese cook had
| been taken down with a severe cold and
died on Nov. II. Afterwards. a seaman
named Thomas King was taken down with
what appeared to be scurvy and died Dec
taken IN and died Jan. u.
Thomas Judge, another seaman, was
now taken 81 with cancer Of the stomach
and later Mate Stephen 6. Bunker showed
| symptoms Of scurvy The latter died Feb
(, and was quickly followed by George
| King an old man, who died on the 9Th. on
the 18th. Judge succumbed, making In all
| six deaths.
one By one, the other sailors were oblig-
ed 70 quit work. until on March l. nobody
was left except the second and third
| mates.
The captain and his wife were nigh ex-
| hausted and when a strong northerlv
gale sprung up on that day. the brave
woman was obliged to take the wheel for
| eight hours without relief and without
as much as a drink Of water she kept the
| ship on her course. The provisions were
running short. although a supply had been
| obtained on Jan. y, from the American
| ship Governor Robe, from New York for
| Melbourne when or the island OF Trln.-
/ dad, and the crew were left without other
| than the barest necessities. A sharp look
| out was kept for passing vessels, but
| ..tl.f,a, vvua aapn upffI tho Y ae,.ls t,s.. a..