Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-22
SHIP T. F. OAIxEs RESCUED AFTER
MANY PERILS.
HAD BEEN GIVEN UP FOR LOST.
SAILED FROM HONG KONG FOR NEW
YORK ON JULY 4, 1896.
After "a Terrible Expefaence WITH
storms and sickness She wns
Sighted and Towed Into
Port by the British
Steamer knsbek.

New York. March 2i.-The long overdrs
American clipper ship T. F. Oakes. which
left Hong Kong On July t. 80 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 Kasbek. Captain Muir. who picked
her up last Thursday in latitude $50 lon
Gitude ss.t. The crew were sick with sour
Wy and six had died. The Kasbek was
bound from Philadelphia for Fiume. Aus
tria. with 4 cargo of oil. and left the form
er port on Saturday, March Il.
On the following evening at IL o'clock the
blue lights were seen.and Captain Muir
dered the steamers course altered and
the steamer bore up to the distress signal
At l o'clock she was close alongside the
ship and stood by until daybreak. when
signals We're observed flying from the ship
asking that boat be sent alongside. as
the ships crew were so helpless as TO be
unable TO man their own boats.
Chief Officer c. p. Helshem and three
seamen at once put of in the Kasbeks
yawl. and when within speaking distance
heard a tale of suffering and sickness from
those aboard the ship, such as made them
shudder. Captain Reed. of the Oakes. re-
ported that his crew were laid up with
scurvy, and that the provisions were well
nigh exhausted He was unable to navigate
the ship with the hands he had at his COM
mand. and begged that he be at once sup
piled 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 threatens
ing. now became boisterous. and norther-
ly gale sprang up. Nevertheless, prepara-
tons were made to pass hawser to the
Oakes, when the boat with a load of pro-
visions was sent A MANILA hawser was
paid out over the Kasbek's stern to the
yawl. but a tremendous wave washed it
into the propeller which was turning SLOW
ly a the time. and before the engines could
be stopped the screw was so entangled that
the engines with the full power of steam
could not move 1t again. An effort was at
once made to free the screw but as IL was
so deeply submerged and the sea running
SO high 1t was found impossible. For eight
hours the engineers staff labored to clear
the propellers and finally disconnected the
shaft and found that by placing a small
blccl, 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, despairing OF
being able to tow her with his disabled
screw. determined at least to find her and
supply her with provisions. All night he
searched the horizon for trace of her. and
at 6 a. m. Tuesday she was again sighted.
The sea was rough at the time, but Chief
Officer Helshem again volunteered to at
tempt to board her, and as the engineers
reporter the propeller to be working well,
1t was decided to send a hawser aboard.
Accordingly line was dragged by the boat
and after a deal of hard work two hawsers
were made fast
Mr.. Helshem and his boats crew Of three
did most of the work on the ship. They
found only the second and third mates
able to help them. The provisions they
stricken survivors of the ships crew, and
they began to gather hope that they
might live to see land again. From the
time the hawser was passed aboard until
New York was reached no incident of i'm
portance occurred
Captain Reed. of the Oakes. told a terri
BILE story of suffering and privation. When
the Oakes sailed from Hong Kong, the
crew were apparently in the best of health
had been ailing for some little time. but
who. under the careful nursing of his de-
voted wife, thought himself on the nigh
road to recovery. When about six days
out in the China sea a terrific typhoon was
encountered. lasting several days. during
which the fore and main topmasts were
sprung. The vessel was obliged to run be-
fore the gale which had no sooner blown
itself cut than it was followed by sec
ond typhoon, which blew with great fury
for twenty-four days The vessel had then
far OFF her course that Captain Reed de-
cided to shape his course via Cape Horn
rather than by the Cape of Good Hope.
hoping thereby to make better time. The
weather remained fine. in fact, nothing but
light battling airs and calmS were expert
enced until Cape Horn was rounded. Isl
days out. In the meautime the Chinese
cook had been taken down with severe
cold and died on November H. Afterward
a seaman named Thomas King was taken
down with what appeared to be scucvy.
and died December 26. In quick succession
Seaman Thomas Olsen was taken i'll and
died January 12. Thomas Judge. another
seaman. was taken i'll with cancer of the
stomach. and later Mate Stephen G. Bunk
er showed symptoms of seurvy.
The latter died February 4 and WAS
quickly followed by George King, an old
man. who died on the 9Th On the 1Tth
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 welinigh
exhausted and when strong northerly
gale sprung up on that day the brave wom-
an was obliged to take the wheel and for
eight hours. without relief and without as
much as drink of water, she kept the
ship on her course The provisions were
running short although supply had been
obtained on January Il from the American
ship, Governor Robie. from New York from
dad, and the crew were left without other
than the barest necessities. A sharp look
out was kept for passing vessels. but noth-
ing was seen until the kasbek hove in
sight. The only vessel previously sighted
during the entire voyage. with the excep-
tion of the ship Governor Robie was u
north bound Lamport and Holt steamer
which passed the Oakes Off Pernambuco,
but was too far off to distinguish signals.
The Oakes is a three-masted ship. built
by the late Commander Gorrine AT Phila-
delphia in 1883. She registered 1887 tons.
On March 13 she was reinsured at 90
guinaaS Dremium