Evening star., 1898-11-07
HOW THE TERESA WAS LOST
Graphic Story Of the Abandonment of Cap
tured Cruiser

wind Was Blowing Gale md Sen
| Was Running High ut
| the Time.
A dispatch to the New York Herald from
| fortress Monroe yesterday says: From Off
| GERS OF the repair ship Vulcan, which reach
| eo mere late last night, additional details
nave been learned of the laundering of the
| cruiser lnfanta Maria Teresa 80 miles north
| northwest from San Salvador, in a strong
northeast gale on last Tuesday night. En-
| sign James c. Summers of New York. who
| was officer of the deck on the Vulcan when
the Teresa went down with Old Glory snap
ping from her signal yard, said tonight:
we ofncers and men of the Vulcan shall
never forget the dramatic scene presented
| by that sinking ship, which we were towing,
and the gallant rescue of her crew by the
tug l: J. Merritt during the afternoon of
Tuesday. The gale in which the Teresa
was lost began with a fierce squall i've
minutes before l o'clock the morning of
November L. Wind and sea rose at j O'Clock
FROM the Teresa's bridge came the wig
Was signal by lamp, Signal Merritt to steer
u Windward.' The Merritt at changed
her course to north-northeast. 1t had been
north To US the fact that the Teresa must
be kept head to was in itself considered
omnous. All signals were made to us by
wig-wag flag from the Teresa We re-
peated them to the Merritt or Leondas.
AT noon the gale had increased in vic
lence and all three vessels labored heavily
in the sea. The Teresa plunging deeply.
took much water on board over the bows,
and often when reeling she shipped seas
amdshps. Her starhoard engine only was
being used. 1t was turning thirty-eight
| revolutions when last reported. The for
ward wrecking pump, was sending out a
large stream over the port bow.
First Intimntion of Danger.
AT ten minutes past noon the Leonidas.
then fully a mile ahead was signaled, Do
| not go so far ahead. Thirty minutes later
| the Teresa signaed, Can Merritt run to
| Watlings Island safely The Merritt an
swered No promptly. This was the first
intimation of the real danger at hand.
Almost simultaneously with the Mer-
| ritts next signal, Give your orders came
| this from the Teresa. Tell Merritt to cast
| off and come within hail.. This was done
and her crew hauled in the hundred
| 1athoms OF haWSer while on the way to
| assist the Teresa The latter then sig
| nailed. We shall abandon ship Tell Leoni-
| das stand by US to wipdWard. Do not cast
| off our lines The Vulcan answered, we
will hold on until the last and U.s. OIL to
"n1Sn .asha the N,oas Teresa replied, Many thanks
| George P. Blow. United States navy, irne-
| dtately planned the Vuicans part in the
scheme Of rescue. 1t was uncuestionably
I
vessel. Being almost sure that the Teresa's
| starboard engine would be kept working
| until the last, it was decided to hold on
| to the hawser, thereby giving the Teresa
| sufficient steering way to enable ner helms
| man to keep the heavy her starboard
| bow and still be to leeward of the Vulcan
| enabling the latter to use oil to advantage
| when the reScuing in boats began.
Sudden Sinking Expected.
From the first the heavy laboring of
| = -I,r
would founder suddenly, and that all her
| people would be overheard at any moment,
! either swimming or drowning before oGr
| eyes. Everything was done, therefore, dur
| ing the first hour with that thought upper
| most, and officers and men in every de-
partment Wed with each other in obeying
! orders.
| assistant PaymaSter Robert H. Woods,
| United States navy, detailed to note
| the time that each signal was sent and re-
peated. Oil was the first requisite. Me-
| chanics. directed by Passed Assistant Engi
neer John l.. Cow, United States navy,
passed it up in buckets from the hold;
| those on deck filled small bags with 1t.
! This work was intrusted to Lieutenant
| Smith The effect was immediate in smooth
| ing the heavy seas near the wreck.
Rubber life belts were brought on deck
and filled with air, ready to throw to men
in the water A bow line made in
| every ropes end. by which men could b.
hauled out of the sea If the ship had
foundered before her people were taken
| off 1t was the commanding officers inten-
| ton after cutting the hawser, to place his
| vessel to leeward and then work up to
| windward of the men in the water and pick
| them up.
| Half the charges were extracted from
| some 6-pounder shells, and they were fitted
| over the ends CT oars, to which small lines
| were attached. These We're to have been
| fired from the gun across the spot where
| the man might have been seen in the
| water Navigator G.. L. Holsinger, u. S. N,
directed this and other important work.
The Merritt's Good work.
| after the Teresa began 10 fill il became
| impossible for the Vulcan to keep her head
! to windward, but being practically water
logged she made excellent breakwater
| for the boats even after she fell off into the
| tlcugh Of the sea.
| DIRECTED by Lieut.. Gilmer, the crew and
| engineers force equipped two Hfeboats
| with oars life preservers and oil bags.
| They were launched from the top of the
| deck house. and by means of long lines
We're veered astern, IN me ,s nope .I mat that they
| carried them far to wrhdward; they fouled
the hawser and were finally cut adrift.
AT in the afternoon the Merritt, splen-
! didly handled by her eaptain, David VOL
| colt wore ship just astern of the Teresa,
and came Up under her lee just in time to
| take off the first boatfoad'aof rescued per-
| sons The wreckers and volunteers from
| lie naval vessels, presumably directed by
CAPT John L. Chittertien' and Lieutenant
| Commander Harris, had succeeded in low
| ering one of the two SURF boats hanging
| from dayits on the Teresa's port side. Pull
| ing quickly clear of the ships side. the
boats crew. composed of the wreckers'
men, went about saving che people in a
| systematic way.
| There was lees than four hours of day
| light left in which to- rescue ia persons,
| including eighteen Cuban coal passers, and
| such a sea was running would have
daunted any life-boat crew To have at
tempted to go near enough to the great
| ships side to let her people climb down or
| drop into the boats meant certain destruc-
| ton to the rescuing party. So, while the
| boat was towed by its painter from the
| ships lee quarter and was kept clear by
| two men at the oars and by the steersman
| in the stern, another line was used TO send
| down the men from the ship
| Each man sIung in the center of this
| rope was hauled through the water in most