The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-22


in q sinking condition, and as the via
lence Of the storm showed no signs of
abating the order was given to abandon
ship. First the men. then the officers,
got into the small boats, not Without
difficulty, but with no loss of life. They
were taken on board the Merritt, the
Teresa's towline was cast of and she be-
came derelict upon the surface OF the
Atlantic.
Cervera was not numbered among the
survivors. His loss was sincerely
mourned by the many men and officers
who knew him and his remarkable MS
tory, and il was with deep regret that
they learned he had been forgotten in the
hurry of abandoning the sinking Teresa.
When the cat however saw every one
tumbling into the boats. he easily guessed
the cause of she excitement, but decided
that SO far as he was concerned the Teresa
would not be forsaken. He believed she
would float, and lived up to his ccnyie.
tions by remaining aboard. Encouraged
by the discovery that the leakage nc
longer gained, he assumed command OF
the ship, and very naturally headed her
for Cat Island, where he arrived Nov. =,
two days later, grounding her on the
windward coast about mile from the
shore.
The Vulcan. after the abandonment of
the Spanish cruiser, continued on her
homeward course in the full belief that
the latter had foundered at sea. Arriving
at Norfolk, she was met with the news
that the Teresa had been sighted aground
at Cat Island, and returned at once to
the Bahamas, conveying Board of Sur
vey to examine and report upon the con.
dition of the wreck. The Teresa was found
where Ceryera, assisted by the trade
winds, had guided her, fast upon coral
reef, hopeless ruin, with great holss.
through which the sea rushes in and out.
torn in her bottom by the sharp coral.
The devastation which war, fire, tempest
and rock failed to accomplish has been
completed by the islanders, who have
plundered her of all her woodwork and
removable fittings, leaving her the pic
tur5 of desOlation.
she now lies on the eastern side of the
is and, with nothing but the broadAtlan-
tic between her and the country she wai
built to defend. If the contention is true
that Columbus landed at Cat Island in
stead of San Salvador, as is generally sup.
posed, the Maria Teresa's last resting
place is nearly within sight of the spoR
where, in 1892, the Santa Maria first cast
anchor in the waters of the New World.
The once magnificent cruiser is now a
most melancholy spectacle. Her soul has
taken flight. Nothing but skin and skele-
ton remains. The seas break over her
decks and assault her unprotected sides
causing her beams and joints to groan
dismally. Continually from deep within
her hold come sounds of waiting, as il
the ghost of the faithful cat, still loath
to desert, mourned for the loss of the gal
liant craft, while the whistling of the
wind through her framework lends addi-
tional force to the uncanny impression.
These depressing sounds, however, pro-
coed from natural causes and not from
the ghost of Cervera for he is still alive
and enjoying the repose to which his
unusual experiences entitle him The
following item is clipped from the
Bahama News of NaSSau,s printed unGer
date of Nov. 10:
ut was the master of the Sea Hound
who told us about the cat, He 4 says. ii
was the only living thing aboard the saip
and the last thing he saw of it was When
it was tied up and carried ashore by ao;sie
Cat Island man.
The cat was then, of course. tnert Il
regarded as a castaway, his identity nj,
being kno Wn to the master or the Sea
Hound, the correspondent OF the Bahama
News or the Cat Island man VINO
brought him ashore.
The tug Potomac, which arrived at shs
scene of the wreck before the Vnican did
learned of Cervera S capture by the island
err and gave the information TO the
officers of the latter vessel, who had sup
posed he persisted in the storm. Word
was Immediately sent to the beach that it
was desired to purchase the animal.
The news rapidly spread throughout the
vicinity that the Yankees we're buying
cats. The duties of the day were set aside
by the natives in favor OF cat hunt,
which was prosecuted with such success
that in a very short space of time, some
twenty cats of assorted sizes and charac-
tiers were gathered together at the waters
edge Glasses on the deck OF the Vulcan
revealed a considerable assemblage OF
people engaged in trying to keep these
" re a
small row boat until it could be launched
through the breakers. Ensign McNeely
suggested that SO many cats paws COM
ing over the water looked like a coming
squall. The significance OF his remark
was fully appreciated when the expostu-
lations OF the cargo struck the ear as the
small boat drew alongside. The craft
contained all the varieties of cats in Cat
Island, with the addition of Ceryera who
was promptly identified by the officers
and ransomed for rs cents.
The board of survey having completed
its Investigation, the Vulcan aga1
steamed northward, entering theV Virginia
Capes on Thanksgiving Day. The Spanish
prisoner was incarcerated in a soap box
with Stats nailed over the top. and con-
signed by express to the home OF Asslstan0
Surgeon WIS. Thomas in New York CITY,
where he is now enjoying a mucn needed
rest. Ceryera's controlling desire peing to
run away, he is compelled to occupy the
subterranean apartments of tho family
stronghold in company with another cat
and two dogs, all Of whom have repeated
ly acknowledged his superiority as an
officer and master OF his weapons his
jailer has twice prev ed him from COM
hitting suicide by jumping into fur-
mace when it was opened for coaling pur-
poses. But he is becoming reconciled to
his confinement, and only occasionally
pow do his lamentations resound through
the house in the midnight hours. Regret
ting that better fortune has not attended
his efforts as mascot, he has retired
from the profession. AS hoodoo he
would undoubtedly have been bowling
success.
It was the intention of Cervera's captors
to present him to the Zoo in Central
Park, but the authorities there, having
no facilities for taking care of the smaller
members of the cat family, refused him
adnittance. He will probably be seat to
Ensign G. L. Holsinger's home in KAN
sas, wbsre he can complete his years in
pastoral peace, with nothing more than
an occasional cyclone to disturb the
serenity of his existence and awaken
recollections of his eventful past