The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-11-10
MARIA TERESA LOST.

MARIA TERESA LOST.
The Ex-Flagship OF Cervcra,s squad-
ron Sinks In q; storm While
ON Her Way to Americas.
Charleston. 8. G., Nov. THE for
mer Spanish cruiser Maria Teresa, the
flagship of Admiral Ceryera's feet,
which was raised by Naval Constructor
Hobson, was lost in the storm which
ragged off the Bahama islands on Tues
day afternoon. The cruiser was aban-
doned by the crew only short time be-
fore she went to the bottom. Every
thing was lost. The crew, however, was
rescued without the loss of man.
The Teresa had been leaking ell of
Tuesday, and it was found that she was
going under despite the work of the
men at the pumps. AS soon as this was
known, all energies were devoted to
saving the crew. The Teresa's men
were put into the sea by means of
sings and afterward picked up by surf
boats from. the wrecking tug Merritt.
The Teresa left Guantanamo bay last
Saturday night in tow of the l. j. Mer-
rift and the United States steamer Vul-
can. The Vulcan accompanied the
cruiser as a special convoy. The
weather was favorable at first and there
was not much indication of a storm.
On Monday, however, the winds began
to rage and a storm broke on the ships.
At the time the tug was towing the
Vulcan and the Vulcan in turn was tow
ing the cruiser. The engines in the
Teresa were only working slowly and
the three ships, strung out in line, were
going at moderate rate of speed.
Tuesday morning the Teresa was TAX
ing water. The gale was blowing at
the rate ESQ qiles an hour: and it was
seen thai, the cruiser was I'm trouble.
BY ten o'clock on Tuesday morning the
water had reached THE engine-room and
the engineefss had to quit. The fires
were extinguished and all the time
more Water was pouring in. xEhe newly
riveted plugs in the hull of the cruiser
began to give way and parts of the yes
sci which had been considered stanch
rapidly weakened. When the engines
had stopped the force turned in and
worked hard at the pumps, but at two
O'Clock in the afternoon the bumpers
had made no Roadway against the
water, and it was decided to leave the
ship. All the while the vessel rolled and
locked. The orders were given to quit
the pumps, and the crew went to the
deck and prepared to get to the ships
near, BY The, Vulcan was selected. as
the boat to ibid THE cruiser. Thgg t 3ffi-
GERS and crew were tossed overheard
from the Teresa with sings, one at
time, and then picked up and gathered
on the tug.
The Teresa went down in the sea bow
foremost. The water was more than
300 fathoms deep. Two 11-inch guns
which belonged to the Teresa and two
5h-inch guns which were taken from
the Vizcaya were lost with the cruiser.
All of the Teresa's secondary battery
had been removed. When no signs of
the wreck could be found on Wednes-
day morning the command was given
for the Merritt to proceed to Charles
ton. The weather had moderated some
what, but the results of the storm
were still being felt. The tug was
crowded. The men had to sleep on
decks. Some of the men were without
shoes. The tug was not provisioned for
such a passenger list and short rations
were necessary on the run to Charles
ton. The men, however, were all well
when they arrived. The officers are un-
able to account for the sudden disap-
pearance of the steamer Vulcan and the
collier Leonidas. The latter was not
in sight when the Maria Teresa went
down. The Vulcan remained at her
post until all the crew from the Teresa
were rescued. When the line between
the ships parted the cruiser was sink
ing rapidly. Then in the darkness the
Vulcan moved away and signals from
the tug were not answered.
1.-THE Infanta Maria Teresa was in her
prime the pride of Spain. It was not so
much her power as a fighting ship that
made her dear to the hearts of the Span
iards as the circumstances in which the
vessel was built and launched. When the
cruiser was aoated it was the queen regent
herself that released the boat from the
ways. The building of the Maria Teresa
was attended with great enthusiasm at
La sociedad Anonima de los Astilleros del
Nervion. From this plant the Infanta
Maria Teresa was launched in 1890.
This superb war vessel was 1854 feet long,
65 feet inches of beam, q feet inches
mean draft, and her displacement, with all
G CHa
is called technically an armored cruiser.
Her. protettfon consisted of belt on the
water line IL inches. thick, extending over
length of 315 feet. Around the positions
of the heavy guns was worked armor 10A
inches in thickness. She had a protected
deck three inches thick The main armor
belt was five feet six inches in width For
armament the Maria Teresa had two H.
inch and ten 5.5-inch Hontoria guns in her
main battery and 16 rapid-fire guns in the
secondary battery. In/speed she was the
queen Of the Spanish navy.
The Infanta Maria Teresa was dfsa bled
in the great naval battle just outside San
tiago de Cuba harbor July last. when
SIMPSONS ships, under the temporary
command of Commodore Schley, wiped
out Cervera's squadron. The Teresa sailed
out Of the bay at 9:35 o'clock that morning,
bearing Cervera's flag and leading the
Spanish squadron In its rush for liberty.
The Brooklyn. Texas, Oregon. Indiana and
Iowa. assisted by the other vessels in the
American navy. poured a storm of shell
into the flying spaniards. During the first
Is minutes of the engagement the Oquendo
and the Maria Teresa were set on fire by
the American shells and were run to shoce
and beached. There.the Maria Teresa lay
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Hard ON Porto Rican Newspapers.