Evening journal., 1898-11-07
A TWICE SUNK SHIP.
Story of the Final Loss Of the
Maria Teresa.
BRAVE WORK OF CREWS RESCUERS.
Admiral cervera's Flagship Goes
Down with the stars and
stripes Flying at Her
Masthead.

graphic account of the sinking OF the
lnfanta Maria Teresa, which went down
off San Salvador Bahamas, last Tues
day:
I'VE officers 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 five minutes before
! o'clock on the morning OF Nov. /.
Wind and sea rose at / o'clock. From
the Teresa's bridge came the wigwag
signal by lamp Signal Merritt to steer
to windward' The Merritt at once
changed her course to north-northeast
II had been north. To us the fact that
the Teresa must be kept head to sea
was In itself considered ominous. All
signals were made to us by wigwag flag
from the Teresa. We repeated them to
the Merritt or Leonidas.
AT noon the gale had increased in
violence, and all three vessels labored
heavily In the sea. The Teresa, plung-
| ing deeply. took much water on board
over the bows, and often when reeling
she shipped seas amldships. Her star
board engine only was being used. It
was turning 3S revolutions when last
reported The forward wrecking pump
was sending out large stream over the
port bow.
AT ten minutes past noon the Leoni-
das, then fully a mile ahead was sig
nailed. DO not go far ahead Thirty
minutes later the Teresa signaled. Can
Merritt run to Watiings island safely?"
The Merritt answered No promptly.
This was the first intimation of the real
danger at hand.
Almost simultaneously with the Mer-
ritt's next signal. Give your orders,
came this from the Teresa, Tell Mer-
ritt TO cast off and come within hall
This was done, and her crew hauled IN
the 100 fathOms of hawser while on he
way to assist the Teresa. The latter
then signaled: We shall abandon ship.
Tell Leonidas to stand by to windward
DO not cast of our lines The Vulcan
answered. We will hold on until the
last and use OIL to which the Teresa
replied Many thanks
"'The Vulcan's commander. Lieuten-
ant George p. Blow. II. S. N, imme-
dlately planned the vulcan's part I'm the
scheme Of rescue. It was unquestion-
ably approved by those on board the
sinking vessel. Being almost sure that
the Teresa's starboard engine would be
kept working until the last, 1t was de-
cided to hold on to the hawser, thereby
giving the Teresa sufficient steering
way TO enable her helmsman to keep
the heavy sea on her starboard bow and
still be TO leeward of the Vulcan, ena-
bling the latter to use oil to advantage
when the rescuing in boats began.
From the first the heavy laboring OF
the Teresa gave the impression that she
would founder suddenly and that all
her people would be overheard at any
moment, either swimming or drowning
before our eyes. Everything was done,
therefore, during the first hour with
that thought uppermost, and officers
and men in every department We'd with
each other in obeying orders.
Assistant Paymaster Robert II.
Woods. u. S. N, was detailed to note
the time that each signal was sent and
repeated. OIL was the first requisite.
Mechanics, directed by Passed Assist
ant Engineer John L. Cow, u. S. N,
passed it up in buckets from the hold
those on deck filled small bags with il.
This work was intrusted to Lieutenant
Smith. The effect was immediate in
!
wreck.
Rubber life belts were brought on
deck ard filled with air, ready to throw
TO men in the water A bow line was
made in every ropes end. by which men
could be hauled out Of the sea. II the
ship had foundered before her people
were taken Off 1t was the commanding
officers intention, 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 six FOUNDER Shells and they
were fitted over the ends of oars, to
which small lines were attached. These
were to have been fired from the gun
across the spot where the men might
have been seen in the water. Naviga-
tor G. L. Holsinger u. S. N. directed
this and other important work.
After the Teresa began to Ill IL be-
came impossible for the Vulcan to keep
her head to windward, but being prac-
tically waterlogged she made an excel
lent breakwater for the boats, even aft
er she fell off into the trough Of the sea.
Directed by Lieutenant Gilmer, the
crew and engineers force equipped two
lifeboats with oars, life preservers and
oil bags. They We're launched from the
top OF the deckhouse. and by means Of
long lines were veered astern in the
hope that they would reach the Teresa,
but the heavy sea carried them far to
windward, they fouled the hawser and
were finally cut adrift.
at in the afternoon the Merritt,
splendidly handled by her captain. Da-
vid Wolcott, wore ship just astern Of
the Teresa and came up under her lee
just in time to take off the fifst beat
load OF rescued persons. The WI eo,sers
and volunteers from the naval We sells,
presumably directed by Captain John L.
Chittenden and Lieutenant Commander
Harris. had succeeded in lowering one
OF the two surfboats hanging from dav-
it's on the Teresa's port side. Pulling
quickly clear OF the ships side. the
boats crew, composed Of the wreclers'
men, went about saving the people IN a
systematic way.
There was less than four hours of
daylight left In which TO rescue ia per-
sons, including is Cuban coal passers,
and such a sea was running as would
have daunted any lifeboat crew. To
have attempted TO go near enough to
the great ships side to let her people