The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-06
MARIA TERESA SINKS
CAPTURED SPANISH WARSHIP
BATTLES WITH THE WAVES
AND LOSES
THRILLING SCENES AT SEA

American Crew Worked Calamity
Breasting the Waves, but With
out AvaiI-Seas Ran High and
the Patchwork of the Teresa
Could Not Resist Their Attack.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.-The Span
tsh cruiser Maria Teresa, Of Admiral
Cervera's squadron, sunk in the battle
orr Santiago and raised under the di-
rectfon of Lieut.. Hobson, will never be
part of the American navy. While
on her way to the United States, off
Salvador, Bahamas, Nov. /, she was
sunk in gale. The strain opened rents
In her hull which had sbeen patched
to enable her to make the journey, and
she began to fill rapidly. The wreck
Ing tug Merritt took off Capt Harris,
who was in charge, and the crew from
the sinking ship, and she soon went
down.
A thrilling story OF the loss of the
cruiser Is given in the official report of
Lieutenant Commander Harris to the
secretary OF the navy, received by tele-
graph, at the navy department late
this afternoon. 1t Is dated on board
the wrecking steamer Merritt, and
says:
"On Nov. at 1 a. m. I found that
1t was blowing hard and I went on
the lower bridge. We had left Watkins
Island light abeam at 10 o'clock and
up till midnight the weather was pleas
ant and all was well with the ship, al
| though we had trouble in keeping the
pump in the foreward fire room from
being choked with coal. The wind be-
gan to increase in force until perhaps
a. M, when 1t reached its height, al
though there were times in the day
when 1t blew as hard as ever. 1t was
from the northeast. The sea was
heavy. The pumps were reported ev-
cry hour. Soon after 1 came on deck
1 relieved the second mate, Mr.. John
son, so that he could go below to fight
the water.
About $3.50 .. m. the first mate, LIE
Cato, came up, and he also went be-
low to fight the water. Capt. Chitten-
| den, who was on deck almost as soon
as l, gave his attention to the pumps,
especially to printing the centrifugal
pump in the foreward fire room There
were many new leaks. When a huge
sea struck the sides the plates leaked
at the butts and seams, showing that
after the fire they had resumed their
former appearance, but were not tight
| There was at the mafnmaSt an increase
| Of thwartship vibration, and only half
an inch longitudinal vibration.
while making this examination,
| about 4:30 a. M, Capt. Chittenden was
| thrown down. and fell on the chain,
hurting his side and back enough to
temporarily disable him. He contin-
ued to give us valuable advice. At 8
a. m. we made signal to the Vulcan
| and Merritt to go to windward, which
they did, as we'll as they could. Up
to l o'clock a. m. we were running the
starboard main engines and had steam
on the two central boilers and three of
the short forward boilers, but the
trouble in the forward fire room caused
the steam to run low, and we lighted
fires under the starboard after boiler
and stopped the engine so as to run
the steam up for the pumps.
PUMP BELT SLIPS.
1.-THE pump for keeping the water
from the forward compartment waa
driven by belt, and when the sea
broke over the bows the belt became
wet and slipped. AS soon as the water
was UP to the floor place in the for
ward fire room, the rolling of the ship
swashed into the coal bunkers and car
ried the coal out, choking the pump
and carrying the floor plates about,
which made it difficult and dangerous
to work there. About o'clock 1 called
for volunteers to hoist coal and water
into the ash hoist. Everybody respond
ed, and the work was continued as long
as 1T seemed to pay US.
About o'clock a. m. it was reported
| that water was coming into one of
| the starboard ccGl bunkers and run
| ming into the fire rooms Where the
| water came from we do not know.
About o'clock the eleven-inch gun
| in the after turret ran out and in
1 1nn Tllnr NT18 |,
| ond time, something gave way, and 1t
settled to extreme elevation and re-
| manned stationary. We asked the
| Vulcan to signal the Leonidas to stay
close to us and the former hoisted the
flag at the signal yardarm, which was
a signal agreed upon to call the Leo
midas within hail. She was steaming
ahead Of US and making rather bad
weather
''It seemed as though she fenred to
turn in the heavy sea, but eventually
she did cross ahead Of the Maria and
across the Merritt's stern, though at
some distance. I think she picked I'D
the life RATS, which the Vulcan threw
over. About 1870 a. m we signaled
! the Vulcan to ask the Merritt if we
could turn safely to Leeward island
To this the Merritt replied no, and, as
Capt. Chittenden thought it too dan
gerous to turn, the idea was given up.
her head to the wind, and the sea ran
so heavily that If the Vulcan's bits
started, or the tow lines rflrted the ship
would fall into the trough of the sea.
| At p. m. Capt. Chittenden asked me
to signal the Vulcan, just off the Mer-
| r1tt's tow lines, and have the Merritt
come alongside. / then assumed the
| command, told the men what was to
be done and assigned them stations.
ABANDONING THE WRECK.
II told the chief engineer to start the
engine, to aid the Vulcan in keeping
our head up. He did so, but it could
run but short time with steam we
had. We signaled the Vulcan, We
are about to abandon ship. Try to
keep us head to wind ordered Capt.
LIE Cato to take charge of the lee surf
boat, and, when 1t was lowered to the
rail, ordered Capt. Chittenden into it,
against his repeated protests. He was
placed in the boat with his son. This
boat was unable to reach the lines we
had astern, but the Merritt picked It
up and, after taking Capt. Chitten-
den aboard, towed the boat to our lee
| quarter and repeated this maneuyer.
each trip forming a lee for the boats
to come here and then to wind them
back. She was splendidly handled.
From until the work of transfer.
ring the crew continued.
capt LIE Cato made two trips until
his arm became disabled, when Mr..
johnson took his place and also made
two trips The life boat was put over
board. 1t capsized, but was righted.
It was put In charge Of James Bash