The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-05-20
Topeka 5 PER|LOUS TRIP
HAD FOG, FIRE AND A MUTINOUs
CREW.
Once Came Near Going to the Bottom
Commander Had Only Two Men
He Could Trust.

reported at one time ndu Deen Sunh
in collision in the English channel,
had hard trip across the Atlantic.
Her crew were sailors picked up hur-
riedly in London, Weymouth and fal-
mouth, and thought or pretended to
think that the Topeka was bound on
some piratical cruise. She set sail
from Falmouth at dusk, April 10Th.
Lieutenant Knapp knew that the
Topeka was in danger. kilograms
from London had informed him of the
presence of Spanish warships in the
Channel ready to pounce upon the
unarmed cruiser. Two cruisers and
torpedo boat destroyer were said to
be lying in wait for the Topeka, Lieu
tenant Knapp knew that he was in a
tight place. 1t was bad enough to
have to go to sea in an unarmed third
rate cruiser. with two armed cruisers
lying in wait for him: it was worse
to have only two men on board in
whom he could trust-the surgeon and
the sailing master. The crew. with
the exception of the fremen from the
st. Paul, were fit for a pirate ship.
The morning after leaving Fail
mouth the ships carpenter was told
to make a place for one of the six
FOUNDER guns on the poop deck. He
had not been at work half an hour
when Lieutenant Knapp saw the
deck hands holding a meeting for
ward. They were talking in low
tones and pointing to the carpenter.
Suddenly they rushed forward and
carried the carpenter bodily from the
poop deck. Lieutenant Knapp with
cooked pistol in hand. ran forward.
At sight of him the men skunk away.
well, what's the matter now?" he
asked.
I'VE don't want no guns up here,
/ sir" spoke up blear-eyed fellow.
Surgeon La Monte was for shoot
ing the mutinous deck hands if they
interferred with the carpenter, but
Lieutenant Knapp concluded that he
needed all the men he had, and order
ed the carpenter to stop work. The
sea was running high and breaking
over the bulwarks.
The sailing master said he had
been all over the world, but he had
never seen such weather. Lieutenant
Knapp believed that any Spanish war
ships which had started after them
would put back in such weather, but
he and the surgeon alternately stood
on the bridge.
From tho Banks to Fire Island light
neither ciu,ed his eyes. They believ-
ed Spanish cruisers would be waiting
for them. They ran through the fog
off the Banks at full speed, not even
slowing down at night.
But it was on Friday that the most
serious trouble occurred. Just before
dawn the lamp lighter knocked at
the surgeons door.
'Smoke coming out of the forward
engine room hatch, SIR" the man re-
ported.
Surgeon La Monte hurried to the
engine room and found that the coal
was afire between the boilers and the
magazine bulkheads. The Topeka has
five transverse bulkheads. The forward
magazine, shell rooms and gunner's
storeroom are separated from the en-
CINE room by the third bulkhead. The
surgeon could not hold his hand on
this bulkhead because of the heat.
The fire had not reached down to the
lower deck, and the magazines We're
not in immediate danger. Coal was
shoveled out of the narrow space of
the boilers, but the fire increased. and
in the magazine the temperature went
above 200 degrees. At noon the order
was given to flood the magazine The
carpenter was told to turn on one
cock. Within short time Surgeon
La Monte found that the carpenter
had turned on all the cocks and that
there was four feet of water in the
hold. In little while the ship would
have been sunk. One hundred and
sixty cases of ammunition were soak
ed. The fire burned the whole day.
After hard fight it was put out.