The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-22
LESS CREW SAFELY THROUGH
GALE.
EIGHT HOURS AT THE WHEEL
THE STEAMER KASBEK RESCUES A
VESSEL GIVEN UP FOR
LOST.
TALE OF HORRIBLE SUFFERING.
Ship II. f. Cakes Over Eight Months
at Sea When Picked Up-PrOyis-
ions Nearly Exhausted.

NEW YORK, March 21.-The long
overdue American clipper ship T. F.
Cakes, which left Hong Kong on July
4, 259 days ago, with a general cargo
for this port, and which had been given
up as lost, was toWed into port this
morning by the British tank steamer
Kasbek, Capt. Muir, which picked her
up last Thursday in latitude 38 10 long
itude 68.44. The crew We're sick with
scurvy and six had died. Saturday
night, March Is, blue lights were
seen, and Capt. Muir ordered the
steamers course altered, and the steam
er bore up for the distress signals. At
midnight she was close alongside the
ship and Chief officer Helshem and
three seamen at once put off in the
Kasbek's yawl and within speaking
distance heard a tale of suffering and
sickness 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 provisions were we'll nigh ex-
hausted. He was unable to navigate
the ship with the hands at his COM
mand, and begged that he be at once
supplied with fresh food and Yegeta-
bles and taken in tow for the nearest
port. Capt. Muir at once decided to
take the vessel in tow. Accordingly a
line was dragged by the poat and after
a deal Of hard work, owing to a bois-
ferrous sea, two hawsers were made
fast.
Capt. Reed. of the Cakes, told ter
rible story Of suffering and privation
-W hn
kong the crew were apparently in the
best of health, with the exception of
Capt. Reed, who had been ailing for
some little time, but who, under the
careful nursing Of his devoted wife,
thought himself on the high road to
recovery. When about six days out IN
the China sea a terrific typhoon was
encountered, lasting several days, dur
ing which the fore and main topmasts
were sprung. The vessel was obliged
to run before the gale, which had no
sooner blown itself out than it was fol-
lowed by second typhoon, which blew
with great fury for twenty-four days.
The vessel had then got we'll out III
the North Pacific, and so far off her
course that Capt. Reed decided to
shape her course via Cape Horn rather
than by the Cape Of Good Hope, hoping
thereby to make better time The
weather remained fine, in fact, nothing
but light, battling airs and Gains were
experienced until Cape Horn was
rounded, 1877 days out In the mean
time the Chinese cook had been taken
down with a severe cold and died on
Nov. IL. Afterward a seaman named
Thomas King was taken down with
what appeared to be scurVy, and died
Dec. rs. In quick succession Seaman
Thomas Olsen was taken iii and died
Jan. Y. Thomas Judge, another sea-
man, was taken i'll with cancer Of the
stomach, and later Mate Stephen G.
Bunker showed symptoms of scurvy.
The latter died Feb 4, and was quickly
followed by George King, an old man
who died on the 9Th. On the 18th Judge
succumbed. making six in all. One by
one the other sailors were obliged TO
quit work, until on March nobody was
left except the second and third mates
the captain and his wife. All were well
nigh exhausted, and when a strong
northerly gale sprang up on that day
the brave woman was obliged to take
the wheel, and for eight hours, with
out relief and without as much as
drink of water, she kept the ship on
her course. The provisions were run
ming short, although a supply had been
obtained on Jan. II from the American
ship Governor ROBBIE, from New York
for Melbourne, when off the island of
Trinidad, and the crew were left with
out other than the barest necessities
sharp lookout was kept for passing
vessels, but nothing was seen until the
KaSbek hove in sight