The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-09
TO SAVE THE TERESA
TWO VESSELS ORDERED TO PRO-
CEED TO CAT ISLAND AT ONCE.
The Vulcan and the Potomac VIII At
tempt to Pull or the Stranded
Former Spanish Cruiser.
HER HULL MAY BE INTACT
NAVAL OFFICERS THINK WATER EN-
TERED THROUGH THE DECKS,
And that Instead OF FOundering She
Drifted on "a ShOaI Beach in
the Bahamas.

WASHINGTON. Nov. S.-A message re-
ceved at the Navy Department to-day from
Captain Crowninshield chief of the Naviga-
ton Bureau, who is in New York, called at
tention 20 the report that the Spanish
cruiser Maria Teresa had been seen off Cat
island. The captain expressed his belief in
the accuracy of the report and suggested
to the department that the repair ship Vul-
van, now at Norfolk. be sent at once to
make search for the derelict. The depart
Taent acted at once on the suggestion. A
telegram was sent to the commandant of the
Norfolk navy yard directing him to place
the Vulcan in command of Captain McCalla.
the captain of the yard. and send her with
all dispatch to look for the Teresa. A SIM
liar order was cabled to Captain Converse,
at Guantanamo directing him to send the
big wrecking tug Potomac from that place
northward on the same quest. She goes in
charge of Commander ]. E. Craven, and
the department says that she will be in the
vicinity Of Cat island within thirty-six
hours. The Vulcan was one of the vessels
which was towing the Teresa when she was
supposed to have foundered, and the de-
partment believes that she will reach the
scene of the wreck in about forty-eight
hours after leaving Norfolk
Cat island lies about thirty miles south
west of the spot where the Teresa was last
seen, and it is said at the department that
If the vessel did not founder outright within
very few hours after having been cut
adrift she would almost certainly be fetched
up on the shoal beach off Cat island, for
the wind and tide set directly on the beach
of that island. If so. the location is much
more favorable for saving the ship than
the position occupied by her off Santiago,
Where the bottom was covered by rocks
and the wreckers worked at great disadvan-
tage. Captain McCalla was selected for the
task because of his great energy and abiI-
ity for this particular class OF work, and
the officers declare that If any man can
bring the Teresa into port he can.
ltsis the belief of naval constructors that
the Teresa took water aboard almost al
together through the decks. and not through
the hull, as would appear from the first ac-
counts of the loss of the ship These decks
were rude, temporary constructions and
We're entirely unsuitable for rough weather
The fact that the reports fail to indicate
that the ship sank by the head and that
the water ran into the coal bunkerS and
thence in to the fireroomS goes to bear out
the constructors story. 1t tends to give
color to the theory that the ship may not
have foundered at once but may have drift
ed ashore on Cat island. 1t is presumed
that the wrecklng company which had the
vessel in hand will take immediate steps to
recover the ship if possible in order to Sc
cure the large salvage, which was almost
within its grasp when the ship was cast off,