The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-03-22

NEW YORK March 1.-THE long over
due American clipper ship T. +. Cakes.
which left Hougkong on July 4. - 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 kasAeck. Capt
Muir, who picked her mp last Thursday
In latitude Ss-le. longitude SS.4A The
crew were sick with scurvy and six had
died.
The Kas5eck was bound from Philadel-
phia for FIume. Austria. with a cargo of
oil. and left the torme- port on Saturday.
March IS. On the following evening at
II O'Clock blue lights were seem and the
steamer bore up TO the distress signals.
At ! O'Clock she was close alongside the
ship. and stood by until daybreak. when
signals were observed asking that boat
be sent alongside. as the ships crew
were SO helpless as TO be unable 10 man
their own boats. Chief Officer c. p. Hell
shem and three seamen at once put Off
in the Kasbecks yawI.
Capt Reed. OF the Cakes. reported that
his crew were all laid up with scurvy and
that the provisions were well nigh ex-
hausted- He was unable 10 navigate the
ship with the few hands he had at his
command. and begged that he be at once
supplied with fresh food and vegetables
&aAA tShUQ III TOW loT the nearest port
The weather, which had been threat
ening, now became boisterous and a
northeriy gale sprang up. Nevertheless.
preparations were made 70 pass a haw-
ser 10 the Cakes, when the boat with a
load or provisions was sent. A MANILA
hawser was played out over the kas-
beck's stern TO the yawl, but tremen-
dous wave washed IL into the propeller.
which was turning slowly at the time.
and k.aF H.
the screw was so entangled that the en-
gines with the full power Of steam could
not move IL again An effort was at
once made TO free the screw but as il
was SO deeply emerged and the sea run
ming so hlgn IL was found impossible.
For eight hours the engineers STAFF labor
ed to clear the propeller. and finally dis
connected the shaft and found that by
placing "a small block of wood between
the couplings the screws could be made
10 turn.
BY that time the Cakes had drifted out
OF sight, and Capt. Muir. despairing of
being able to tow her with his disabled
vessel, determined at least TO find her
and supply her with provisions. All
night he searched the horizon for a trace
of her. and at a. m. Tuesday she was
again sighted. After a deal OF hard
work the hawsers were made fast
When the Cakes sailed from Hongkong
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 re-
coyery. When about six days out in the
China sea a terrific typhoon was encoun-
tered, lasting several days. during which
the fore and aft main topmasts were
sprung. The vessel was obliged to run be-
fore the gale, which had no sooner blown
itself out than II was followed by a sec
ond typhoon. which blew with great fury
for twenty-four days. The vessel had then
got well out in the North Pacific and so
far of her course that Capt. Reed decided
10 shape his course via Cape Horn rather
than by the Cape OF Good Hope, hoping
thereby to make better time.
The weather remained fine until Cane
Horn was rounded, 1s7 days out In the
meantime the Chinese cook had been taken
down with severe cold and died on No
vember H. Afterward a seaman named
Thomas King was taken down with what
appeared TO be scuryy. and died December
IS. In quick succession Seaman Thomas
Olsen was taken III and died January q;
Thomas Judge. another seaman, was taken
Ill with cancer OF the stomach. and later
Mate Stephen Bunker showed symptoms
OF scurvy. The latter died February 4. and
was quickly followed by George King. an
Cd man. who died on the 9th On the
18th Judge succumbed. making in all six
deaths.
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 north
erly gale blew mp that day the brave
woman was obliged 10 take the wheel and
for eight hours. without relief and without
as much a drink of water. she kept the
ship on her course. The provisions were
running short, although supply had been
obtained on January u from the American
ship Gov. Robbie, from New York for Mel
bourne, when of the island Of Trinidad
and the crew were left without other than
the barest necessities. a sharp lockout
was kept up for passing vessels. out moth
ing was seen until the Kasbeck hove In
sight The only vessel previously sighted
during the entire voyage, with the excep-
ton OF the ship Gov. Robe was a north
bound Lamport e. Holt steamer which
passed the Cakes of Pernambuco, but was
too far of TO distinguish signals.
The Cakes IS a three-masted ship built
by the late Commander Gorrine al Phila-
Gelphla IN 1888 She registered 1897 tons.
On March IS she was re-insured at 30
yHfueas uranium