Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-02-18
Gunboa ts In a Gale.

AuullTul DlOChuuinS cYuuuiOh
reached port Monday at Charleston, s. O.,
after a disastrous voyage from Hampton
Roads. Three men were lost overheard
from the battleship Maine during the gale
of Friday, one man was crushed to death
on the cruiser Marblehead. another was
fatally injured, and six others were so
badly hurt that several may lose limbs.
The details of the accidents on the Mar
blehead are not obtainable.
Monday night. as she lay off the jet
ties. she presented a dismantled appear
ance. Her forecastle was stove in,
portion of her superstructure and two
matches carried away. The heavy seas
that swept her decks also carried away
her searchlight, lower port boom, smash
ed the rails and swept overheard the life
boats.
Carpenter Shawberl was crushed to
death in the forecastle when it was wreck
ed by a monster wave and Plumber Hick-
ey had his skull crushed by the wreskage
and probably will die. The six seamen
who were injured are believed to have
been hurt at the same time, but the officers
of the vessel are reticent as to the details
Of the accident. Carpenter Shawberl was
buried at sea.
signs of Rough Voyage.
The other vessels of the feet show
marks of their rough voyage, their upper
works and deck hamper being damaged.
The squadron weighed anchor in the
Roads Thursday morning and put to sea-
Friday evening the weather thickened
and by night was blowing a gale. The In
diana returned to the Roads owing to the
I.s.1 L. Nh. nff hn
Heet, however. poked their noses into the
storm and headed south. When about
| fifty miles off Hatteras the feet encoun-
tered the full force of the blow. Open
squadron formation was maintained and
the vessels were put in order for siege
| Of weather.
The battleship Maine rolled in the big
| seas, the water washing her decks at
| every plunge. 1t was late Friday after
| noon when the accident took place which
cost three seamen their lives, and three
others were rescued only by prompt and
heroic work. A gang of men was ordered
| forward to make more secure the lash
ings, when an unusually heavy sea curled
| over her bows and swept aft. Six of the
gang were picked up and carried over
board before they could escape the wave.
Sailors Are Lost.
When the cry of "Man overheard" was
carried back there was a scene of momen-
| tary confusion, but in an instant the
| splendid discipline of the crew was ap-
parent. Life buoys were cut loose and
| the order quickly given TO get boat over
board. The high seas made this work one
Of peril and difficulty, but n boats crew
| under Naval Cadet Walter r. Gherardi,
son of Rear Admiral GheRrdi, retired,
was finally lowered. excellent seamanship
alone preventing the frail craft from being
crushed aginst the sides of the big bat.
tleship.
While the engines had been reversed at
the first signal from the bridge, the mo-
mentum Of the ship had carried her some
distance beyond the spot where the sea-
men were swept overheard, and the set
Of the current was carrying them farther
away every moment The ships crew
watched the rescuers as they pulled man
fully in the heavy seas, the waves run
ming so high that the little boat was at
times hidden from the vessels deck as it
rushed down into the trough. Meantime
the drowning men fought bravely, and
three of them managed to keep afoat until
their mates hauled them out of the water.
They were Seamen Hassel, Cronan and
Freeman. The remaining three-Brovn,
Nelson and Kogel-were not to be seen.
The lifeboat cruised back and forth over
the sen, but the brave fellows had given
up the struggle and met n sailors fate.
Cadet Gherardi and his boats crew were
highly complimented by the officers for
their brave work.
Boats Keep Together.
Friday night the feet made heavy
weather of 1t, but managed to keep within
signaling distance of one another. To-
ward morning the squadron was hove to
and weathered out the rest of the gale
in that manner. The officers say il was
one of the worst gales the feet has ever
experienced Beyond the loss of the three
men there were no further accidents.
The Dolphin, which came up from the
south, arrived Sunday and experienced
no severe weather. A boat from the
Maine visited Charleston Monday after
noon with several officers. They visited
the collector of the port and filed tele
grams. A dispatch from Washington was
awaiting Admiral Bunce, presumably
from the Navy Department in connection
with the blockading maneuvers. Inquiry
among officers of the Navy Department
In Washington failed to elicit any infor-
nation regarding the feet. The Marble
head Is one of the second-rate cruisers
recently constructed. She Is sister ship
70 the Montvomerv and Detroit Che In