New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-16
SAFE IN PORT AT LAST.
THE DISABLED MONITOR PURITAN AT
THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

THRILLING EXPERIENCE OF HER OFFICERS AND
CREW IN THE rEMrEsr-A BOATS CREW
LANDED on DECK BY wAVE-RE-
PAIRING BROKEN ENGINES
UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
After having been the cause Of a great deal OF
anxiety on the part of naval men ana citizehs
generally the monitor Puritan. the most power
full vessel Of her class in the Navy. came 10 'he
harhor gates Yesterday forenoon in tow of the
cruiser Columbia. which. after seeing her ais
abed companion well in to Sandy Hook, cast OH
tho his steel hawsers which held them together
and stood out to sea. The monitor came under
her own steam slowly past Sandy Hook. and was
pcked I'D by the Navy Yard tugs Narkeeta ana
Nina and Just before o'clock in the afternoon
was tied UP at the Navy Yard wall.
The experiences of the vessel in the terrihe gaze
she encountered on her way from Charleston u
New-York were enough 10 convince the men OH
board that while she might be perfect! sea
worthy as far as her powers of foatne were
concerned. she long way from oe,ns coh
Portable ship when storm tossing her about
on the broad Atlantic. On the morning OF AHrcn
z she started for this port. and three days later
ran into such tempest that she was compelieu
20 anchor off Southport, ~ c.. her engines nav
ing given way in the struggle against the Storm
Everything was battened down. ana In the
sthng heat Of the iron box. with only three OF
four feet Of freeboard. the men in her engine
room worked 70 get the engines in cond'uoh 10
resume the trip. The clumsy craft rolled ana
tossed and pitched in a way which gave rise 10
many doubts 10 her ability to keep ahoat' ou'
the toilers down in her hold never ceased 'heir
efforts In the raging OF the storm two OF her
Pinch guns. in the after turret. began TO work
loose and 1t became necessary TO send pnen on
deck and shore them up and make them fast
rhjs was done with the greatest diffculty, as the
waves were making clean sweeps over the deck
of the vessel and there was little TO break the
fury OF their sweep.
On The 9th il was decided TO make another
attempt 10 get the vessel under way Inc en-
gines were started. but before long the bearings
became heated. and Il was found that the star
board engine was entirely useless and the port
engine only a little better Captain Barueu
then decided the ship being short distance
away from Hatteras Inlet that he would come 10
anchor and if possible. send for heip both
the heavy anchors were let go. and once more
the unmerciful pitching and rolling began IN
heavy sea Signal flags were hoisted hut were
apparentlv not seen. At any rate no response
was received and. last resort. Lieutenant
l. NJ Helm took volunteer crew in whale
one Of the utmost difficulty and peril but
landing vas made at Hatteras and brief dis
match telling Of the trouble the ship was in
was sent to Washington
SWEPT ON BOARD Pr WAVE
This accomplished. Lieutenant Helm started
for his shin again. and nearing her II was
seen that the danger of smashing the pod'
against the iron walls Of the monitor Was eH
IRENE, and il took good sailor work 70 orine
,allt nIxx ard Of rolling
This was done however. and the boat gradu-
ally drifted down toward the monitor she vas
lifted BY a great wave and borne on its crest
straight on TO the deck Of the hig vessel. with
lifelines all in tangle and men all IN neap
The wave dropped the boat on the deck ana
passed off 10 leeward without dong any udni-
age leaving one of the most remarkable escapes
on record as its share of the storms work
Al o'clock A m. of the 10Th the columbia
came in sight. and soon a. the sea was sur
fcientIv stilled Ia permit cOmmunica ton he
tween the two ships further than ny signals. TWO
great steel hawsers were stretched between mem
and the slow pull up the coast began ms Worh'
although tedious. was without especial incident
and ended when the two ships were off the High
lands Of Navesink
AN INFERNO AFLOAT.
In spite Of the terrible shaking UP which all
hands on the monitor experienced, no man was
injured except boatswain. who had his fin
gers slightly damned in scme Of the cables The
condition Of affairs in the interior Of the vessel
al the height or the storm Is described ny thoSe
who we're working for their lives something
frightful. Fresh air was a luxury which could
be had only through the danger Of a flood or
salt water coming in through ventilation apert-
ures and the grinding Of machinery and the
grooming Of the ship together with the heat and
smell of machinery and oil and all the other
odors which arc generated in confined space
under such circumstances. made A combination
which added greatly 10 the misery OF the men
in charge OF the machinery.
Various causes assigned yesterday for
the breaking down OF the monitors machinery.
among them being the trouble noticed in The
Tribune some time ago. caused by the careless
ness of men who were boring holes through the
deck above the engines and allowing the borings
10 fall into the machinery but the most valid
reason appears to he the fact that her engines
are of an antiouated type. that her boilers are
old and poor and incapable of standing steam
pressure sufficient TO give her the horsepower
needed 10 fight a tempest Her deficiency in
this respect Is shown by the fact mat the 90
iumbia which towed her to port. is only 200
tons heavier than the Puritan. but she has
1880 horsepower. as against 3.tW for the
Puritan.
The monitor. which In spite of her rough eX-
perience ie not materially damaged will go into
The new drydock test Of its strength be-
fore the end Of the present week, but II Is not
likely that she will go TO sea again until she
has been fitted with more powerful boilers and
engines or until the season Of mild weather and
smooth seas sets in for time Captain Bart
lett and his officers and men, who were ex-
hausted by their labors during the storm, had
a little rest after the Columbia started with
them for home and have about recovered from
the effects Of the Puritan's first trip 10 sea
A DISCI SSION ABOUT TRUSTS