Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-22


days ago. with n general cargo for this
mort. 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
I'm latitude 3S10 longitude 6S.H. Ihe crew
was sick with scurvy, and six mad died.
The Kasbek was bound from Philadelphia
for Fiume. Austria. with a cargo OF OIL
and left the former port on Saturday
March 18th.
on the following evening at IL O'CLOCK
blue lights were seen. and Captain Mulr
ordered the steamers course altered ana
the steamer bore up for
THE DISTRESS SIGNALS.
At one o'clock she was close alongside
the shin and stood by until daybreak'
when the signals were observed flying from
the shin asking that boat be sent along
side. as the ships crew were so heIp'esS
as to be unable to man their own boats
Chief Officer C. p. Helshem and three sea-
men at once put off in the Kasbek yaWl,
and when within speaking distance heard
a tale of suffering and sickness from
those on board the ship such as made them
shudder. Captain Reed. Of the Oakes, re-
ported that his crew were all laid up with
scurvy. and that the provisions were
WELL. NIGH 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 taken in tow for
the nearest port.
Mate Helshem returned to the Kasbek
with the message. and Captain Muir at
once decided to take the vessel in tow.
The weather which had been threatening.
now became boisterous. and hortherly
gale sprang up. Nevertheless prepara-
tions were made 10 pass a hawser to the
Oakes. when the boat, witt. load of pro-
visions. was sent. A manila hawser was
paid out over the Kasbek's stern 10 the
yawl, but
A TREMENDOUS WAVE
washed it into the propeller, which was
turning slowly at the time, and before
the engines could be stopped the screw
was so entangled that the engines with
the full power of steam could rot move
II again. An effort was at once made to
free the screw, but as it was so deeply
submerged and the sea running so high,
it was found impossible. For eight hours
the engineers 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 Oakes had drifted out of sight
and Captain Muir. despairlng of being
able to tow her with his disabled screw,
determined at last TO find her ard supply
her with provisions All night ne searched
the horizon for trace of her, and at a.
m. Tuesday she
WAS AGAIN SIGHTED.
The sea was rough at the time. a1d Chief
Officer Helshem again volunteered to at
tempt to board her. and as the engineers
reported the propeller TO be working well
II was decided TO send a hawser aboard.
Accordingly line was dragged by the
boat. and after a great deal OF hard work
two hawsers were made fast
Mr.. Heshem and his boats crew Of three
did most Of the work on the shin. They
found only the second and third mates
able to help them. The provisions they
brought were a God-send 10 the scurNy-
stricken survivors Of the ships crew. ana
they began to gather hope that they might
live to see the land again. From the time
the hawser was passed aboard Until New
York was reached. no incident of import
ance occurred.
Captain Reed. of the Oakes. told
A TERRIBLE STORY
Of suffering and privation. When the
Oakes sailed from Hong Kong. the crew
we're apparently in the best of health with
the exception of Captain 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 20
recovery.
When about six days out in tie China
sea a terrific typhoon was encountered
lasting several days, during which the
main and main top masts We're sprung
The vessel was obliged to run before the
gale. which no sooner bowed Itself out
than It was followed by
A SECOND TYPHOON,
which blew with great fury for twenty
four bou-s. The vessel had then got well
out in the North Pacific. and 50 far off
he. course that Captain Reed decided 90
shape his course via Cane Horn rather
than by the Cape of Good Hope. hoping
thereby to make better time. The wealth
or remained fine: in fact. nothing but
light. battling airs and Gains were eX-
perienced until Cape Horn was rounded
one hundred and sixty-seven days out
In the meantime the Chinese cook had
been taken down with a severe cold and
died on November 11th. Afterward n sea-
man named Thomas King was taken down
with what appeared TO be scurvy. and
died December 26th In quick succession
Seaman Thomas Olsen was taken i'll and
died January 18th. Thomas Judge. an
other seaman, was t-kcr iii with cancer
Of the stomach. and later Mate Stephen
G.. Bunker showed SYMPTOMS Of scurVy.
The latter died February 4th, and was
quickly followed by George King. an old
man. who died on the 9th. On the l'tn
Judge succumbed, making in all six
deaths. one by one the other sailors
were obliged to quit work. until on March
1st. nobody was left except the second
and third mates. the captain and his wife.
All were well-night exhausted. and when
a strong northerly gale sprung up on that
day
THE BRAVE WOMAN
was Obliged to take the wheel and Tor
eight hours without relief and without as
much as drink of water, she kept the
shin in her course. The provisions were
running short. although a supply had been
obtained on January 18th from the Amerl-
can shin Governor Robie. from New YORK
for Melbourne. when of the island oI
Trinidad. and the crew were left without
other than the barest necessities. a sharp
lookout was kept for passing vessels but