The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-08

and still be to leeward of the Vulcan,
aiding the latter to use oil to advantage
where the rescuing boats began. From
the first the heavy laboring of the Teresa
gave the impression that she would founder
suddenly and that ali her people would be
overheard at any moment, either swimming
or drowning before our eyes. Continuing
Mr. Summers says:
Assistant Paymaster Robert H. Wood
was detailed to note the time that each sig
nal was sent and repeated. Oil was the
first requisite. Mechanics passed it up in
buckets from the hold; those on deck filled
small bags with it.. The effect was imme-
date In soothing 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 bovine was made in
every ropes end by which the men could
be hauled out of the sea. If the ship had
foundered before her people were taken off
1t was the commanding officers intention,
AFTER cutting the hawser, to place his ves-
sci TO leeward and then work up to wind
ward of the men in the water and pick
them up.
Half the charges were extracted from
some six-pounder shells and they were
htted 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. After the Teresa began 10 fill 1t
became impossible for the Vulcan 10 keep
her head to windward but being practically
waterlogged she made an excellent break
water for the boats, even after she fell off
Directed by Lieutenant Gilman the crew
and engineers force equipped two lifeboats
with oars, life preservers and oil bags. They
We're launched from the top of the deck
house and by means of long lines were
veered astern. in the hope that they would
reach the Teresa, but the heavy. sea. car
ried them far to windward: they fouled the
hawser and were finally cut adrift.
AT O'Clock in the afternoon the Mer-
rift wore ship just, astern of the Teresa
and came up under her lee just in time to
take off the first boatload of rescued per-
sons. The wreckers and volunteers from
the naval vessels had succeeded in lower
ing one of the two surf boats hanging from
davits on the Teresa's port side. Pulling
quickly clear of the ships side. the boats
crew. composed of the wrecker'S men, went
about saving the people in a systematic
There was less than four hours of day
light left in which to rescue, ia persons;
including eighteen Cuban coalpassers, and
such a sea was running as would have
daunted any lifeboat crew. To have at
tempted to go near enough to the great ship S
side to let her people climb down or drop
into the boats meant certain destruction 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 slung in the CEN
ter of this rope was hauled through the
water in most ca ses to the boat and then
tumbled in over the bow. 1t was slow but
safe process, aS the result proved, Tor by D
o clock every man, as far as we could see,
was safe on board the Merritt.
The force of the gale and height of the
sea may be best understood by the fact
that although only $50 fathoms of hawser
separated the Teresa from the Vulcan the
watchers on the latter vessel, owing to the
heavy seas. driving rain and spray were
only able to see the boats OF the resculng
party at long intervals. when they came out
of the trough Of the sea. Inc merritt n I
buried in the trough of the sea at times so
that only the ends of her mastheads were
visible.
''The first boat lowered made in all four
round trips between the Teresa and the
Merritt and the second made three trips,
so that to rescue all hands the poalS nau
10 make the passage through those heavy
combing seas fourteen times, and right gal
lantly those brave fellows accomplished the
work Lucky indeed was 1t for those rescued
that the boats were manned by paStmasters
at the oar and helm. For TWO hours men
with axes under the direction OF the execu-
tive officer had been stationed al ISauy
to cut away at moments notice the lines
that held the hawser, in case me Teresa tsa
should founder during the transfer oL net
mon Every Vulcan man watched the great
shin with an anxious eye as she plungsu
.forecastle under the head seas clear 10 tne
turret, coming out again with t tne wand and
showing the heel of her ram above the next
big sea. Forty-four shipmates OF theirs were
aboard the doomed vessel and II was yee
Heavy rain squalls beat the seas ;as down b1Hvn
a little
harder than ever. Struggling for loot
hold on the Teresa's rickety bridge, her
signal man. Crossett, wig-wagged 10 tne
Vulcan at 4 o'clock Don't cast on the Tow
line vet: two more boatloads will clear the
ship we replied: Ali right; VIII holo Oh
until the last
High up on the bridge. silhouetted against
the leaden sky and bracing himseh against
the fearful rolling of the Teresa as sne wal
lowed In the seas stood the man at the
wheel. He was alone and probably the last
nerson to leave his post, for 1t was not
until the final boat was receiving its quota
Of men that he dashed the wheel, came down
the bridge ladder and went aft to leave the
ship. -.
when Lieutenant Blow and his officers were
certain that the last boatload had been
taken off that the order was given to cut
aWay' Two blows of an axe severed the
lines and as the links of the chain brides
cut through the stern checks the Vulcan
crew led by Chief Engineer Gardiner G.
Sims United States navy. gave three ring
ing cheers as a salute to the stars and
stripes flying as if in defiance of the ele-
ments at the Teresa's backyard and also
to the bravery of the Merritts men who
had made such a gallant rescue of their
shipmates. Twenty minutes later it was so
dark that the Teresa was only black
speck against the horizon and at o'clock
nothing but the lights on the Merritt and
I,eonidas could be seen, while the gale
howIed and the sea rose higher than ever