The herald., 1897-02-09
BUNCE'S BIG DL0CkADERS
Reach Port After a Disastrous
Voyage
A BAD STORM ENCOUNTERED
Four Men Dead, Six Injured, One VesseI
Stove
BAD STORM ENCOUNTERED
A List OF Casualties and Damages Which Locks
Like Actual Warfare Rather
Thon Mere Practice
A ccoriated PrecS Cpecial Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
CHARLESTON, S. c., Feb 8.-Ad-
miral Bunce's blockade squadron reach
ed port today 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 and another was fatally in
jured and six others We're so badly hurt
that several may lose limbs. The de-
tails of the accident on the Marblehead
are not obtainable but it seems the
cruiser made bad weather of the blow.
Tonight, as she lies off the jettes, she
presents dismantled appearance. Her
heavy seas that swept over her decks
also carried away her searchlight, lower
port boom, smashed the rails and swept
overheard the lifeboats. Carpenter
Shawberle was crushed by the wreckage
and will probably die. The six seamen
who were injured are believed to have
been hurt at the same time, but the Of
ficers of the vessel are reticent as to the
details of the accident. 1T is under
stood that the injured men will be
brought ashore for treatment tomorrow
Carpenter Shawberle was buried at sea.
The other vessels Of the fleet show
marks of their rough voyage, their up
per works and deck hamper being dam
aged. The squadron weighed anchor in
the roads Thursday morning and put to
sea. Friday evening the weather thick
ened. and by night was blowing gale.
The Indiana returned to the roads, ow-
ing to the condition of her turrets. The
rest of the fleet, however, poked their
noses into the storm and headed south.
When about fifty miles off Hatteras the
fleet felt the full force of the blow. Open
squadron formation was maintained and
the vessels were put in order for a 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 sea came aboard which
cost three seamen their lives. The others
were rescued only by prompt and heroic
work A gang of men were ordered for
ward to make more secure the lashings
of the big guns. The deck was flooded
and the wind was freshening every mo-
ment. The men were a work with the
lashings when an unusually heavy sea
curled over her bows and swept aft Six
of the gang were picked overheard be-
fore they could escape from the wave
When the cry of man overheard" was
carried back there was a scene of mo-
mentary confusion, but in an instant the
splendid discipline of the crew was ap-
parent
Life buoys were cut loose and the or
der given to get a boat overheard The
high seas made this work one of peril
and difficulty, but boats crew under
Naval Cadet Walter Gherardi son Of
Rear Admiral Gherardi (retired), was
finally lowered, excellent seamanship
alone preventing the frail craft from be-
ing crushed against the sides of the big
battleship. While the engines had been
reversed at the first signal from the
bridge the momentum of the ship had
carried her some distance beyond the
spot where the seamen were swept over
bard and the set of the current was car
rylng them farther away every moment.
The ships crew watched the rescuers
as they pulled manfully in the heavy
seas. the waves running so high the lit
tie 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 man
aged to keep afioat until their mates
hauled them out of the water They
We're Seamen Hassel, Cronan and Free
man. The remaining three, Brown,
Nelson and Kogel, were not to be seen.
The life boaN cruiser back and forth over
the sea, but the brave fellows had given
up the struggle and met a sailors fate.
Cadet Gherardi and his boats crew were
highly complimented by the officers for
their brave work.
Friday night the fleet had heavy
weather of it, but managed to keep with
in signaling distance of one another
Towards morning the squadron was
hove to and weathered out the rest of
the gale in that manner. The officers
say it was one of the worst gales the
fleet has ever experienced.
The Fern made this port before the
worst of the gale, being forty~eight
hours ahead of her consort in making
harbor The Dolphin, which came up
from the south, arrived yesterday and
experienced severe weather A boat
from the Maine came up to the city this
evening with several officers. They
visited the collector of the port and filed
kilograms. A dispatch from WASH
ington was awaiting Admiral Bunce,
presumably from the navy department
in connection with the blockade maneu-
vesr.