The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-02-09


The Indiana returned to the Roads,
The rest of the fleet, however, poked
their noses into the storm and headed
south. When about fifty miles off Hat
teras the fleet encountered the full
force of the blow. Open squadron for
nation was maintained, and the ves-
sells 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
afternoon that the accident occurred
which cost three seamen their lives,
and three others were rescued only by
prompt and heroic work. A gang of
men were ordered forward to make
more secure the lashings of the big
guns. The deck was deluged and the
wind was freshening every moment.
The men were at work with the LASH
ings when an unusually heavy sea lit
over her bows and swept aft. Six of
the gang were picked up and carried
overheard. When the cry Of "man
overheard" was carried back there
was scene of momentary confusion,
but in an instant the splendid disci-
pline of the crew was apparent.
Life buoys were cut loose and the
order quickly given to get boat over
board. The high seas made this a work
of peril and difficulty, but boats
crew under Naval Cadet Walter r.
Gherardi, son of Rear Admiral Cher
ardi, retired was finally lowered, ex-
cellent seamanship alone preventing
the frail craft from being crushed
against the sides of the big battleshp.
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 overheard, and
the set of the current was carrying
them further away every moment.
The ships crew watched the res
cuers as they pulled manfully in the
heavy seas, the waves running so high
that the little boat was at times hid
den from the vessels deck as it rushed
down into the trough. Meantime the
drowning men fought bravely, and
three of them managed to keep afloat
until their mates hauled them from
the water. They were Seamen Hessel.
Cronan, and Freeman. The remain
ing three. Brown, Nelson and Kogel,
were not to be seen. The lifeboat
cruised back and forth over the spot,
but the brave fellows had given up the
struggle, and met a sailors fate.
Friday night the fleet made heavy
weather of it. but managed to keep
within signaling distance Of one an
other. Towards morning the squad
ron 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.
and all unite in praising the seagoing
qualities of the vessels. Beyond the
loss of the three men there were no
further accidents, and the fleet bears
little mark of its tempestuous voyage
The Fern made this port before the
worst of the gale, being 4S hours ahead
of her consorts in making harbor.
The Dolphin which came up from
the south, arrived on Sunday, and sex-
perienced no severe weather. A boat
from the Maine came up to the city
last evening with several officers. They
visited the collector of the port and
filed kilograms. A dispatch from
Washington was awaiting Admiral
Bunce, presumably from the navy de-
partment, in connection with the
blockading maneuvers.
In addition to the three men lost
overheard from the 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 sew
eral may lose limbs. The details of
the accidents on the Marblehead are
not obtainable, but it seems that the
cruiser made bad weather of the blow.
She presents a dismantled appear
ance. Her forecostle is stove in, por-
tion of her superstructure and two
matches carried away. The heavy seas
that swept her decks also carried
away her searchlight, lower port boom,
smashed the rails and swept over
board the lfeboats.
Carpenter Shawberl was crushed to
death in the forecastle when it was
wrecked by a monster wave, and
Plumber Hickey had his skull crushed
by the wreckage and will probably
die. The six seamen who were in
jured were believed to have been hurt
at the same time. but the officers of
the vessel are reticent as to the de-
tails of the accident Shawberl was
buried at sea.
The other vessels Of the fleet show
marks of their rough voyage, their
upper works and deck hampers being
damaged.