Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-11-09
NEWS AT WASHINGTON,
Official Notification of the Founder
ing of the Teresa.

Washington, D. c., Nov. 5.-The navy
department has received a dispatch from
Lieut. Commander Harris, who was with
the Maria Teresa when she left Caima-
nera, saying he reached Charleston last
night on the Wrecking tug Merritt with
the officers and ffty-eight men formerly
the crew of the ,sersa.
The cruiser was lost about thirty miles
north of San Salvador Tuesday last in q
northeast gale of exceptional violence.
This is all the advices received by the
department up to = O'Clock p. ~.
The news of the loss of the Spanish
cruiser came to the navy department in a
telegraph dispatch from Lieutenant-Com-
mander Harris, received at 10 o'clock this
morning. Secretary Long being tempo
rarily absent from the department, the
officials of the navigation bureau, acting
under a strict construction Of official Ell
quette, refused to make the dispatch pub
lie until the secretary had given his CON
sent. Consequently the publication of the
official news was delayed until this after
noon. When finally published the dis
patch read as follows:
Charleston. S. c., Nov. 5.-Secretary of the
in steamer Merritt with all the crew of the
Infanta Maria Teresa, abandoned in heavy
northeaster November l, thirty miles north
of San Salvador. Have ffty-eight enlisted
men. HARRIS.
Upon the receipt of the news the naval
officers attached to the navigation bureau
Immediately consulted the charts to locate
the scene of the disaster. The first glance
satisfied them that the last had been seen
of the Inflated Maria Teresa. AS near
as they could calculate the vessel lies in
about 26OO fathoms of water or nearly
three miles. The location is "a degrees
north latitude by 74-3O west longitude,
about 235 miles distant from Nassau. At
the time the Teresa sunk she was about
80 miles distant from Caimanera, the
port from which she started a little over
two days before.
Looking at the chart it was not difficult
for the officers at the department to see
how the ship had foundered in the heavy
northeast gale reported. She had just
emerged from the Crooked Passage and
to make her course was obliged to lay
with her head about northwest. This
would bring the heavy sea fairly over her
forward side and under such severe
pounding the vessel must soon lave sue
cumbed. There was no alternative. On
her lee lay the rocky Bahamas and in-
Vulnerable shoals with shallow water in
every direction except straight ahead or
directly astern.
To have turned about and sought an
other passage would have been an ex-
tremely p~erilous undertaking to begin
with, and even after getting safely about
the vessel would nave been obliged to
travel many hundred miles more than in
tended in order to have picked up another
course, this time closer to the North
American continent and with the added
danger that proximity to the Florida
shoals might bring.
1t is said at the navy department. that
Lieut. Commander Harris will be ordered
at once to Norfolk, where the rescued
seamen will be placed aboard q serving
ship.
Tho Uroo taSt roora+ uac oynroccod -,
official circles regarding the loss of the
Maria Teresa. Secretary of State Hay
said that he was indeed sorry to hear
that it had been found impossible to
bring the vessel to the United States.
when everybody was so much interested
her. He expressed qualification that
!, loss of life vas reported in conse-
quence of the disaster.
Acting Secretary Allen of the navy said
the loss was much greater than any in
trinsic value represented in the ship. She
was the link that connected the great