The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-06
COMMANDER HARRIS REPORTS.
Ship Abandoned In Heavy North
eastern Gale.

Washington, Nov. 5.-The news of the
loss of the Spanish cruiser came to the
navy department in a telegram from
Lieutenant Commander Harris, re-
ceiVed about 10 o'clock this morning.
Secretary Long being temporarily alb
sent from the department, the officials
of the navigation bureau, acting under
a strict construction of official ETH
quette, refused to make the dispatch
public until the secretary had given his
consent. Consequently the publication
was delayed.
Looking at the chart it was not diff
cult for the officers at the department
to see how the ship had foundered I'M
der the influence of a heavy northeast
gale reported. AS near as they could
calculate the vessel lies in about $500
fathoms of water, OF nearly three
miles The location is "a degrees north
latitude by 1870 west longitude, about
235 miles distant from Nassau, and 80
miles distant from Caimanera, the port
from which she started a little over
two days before. 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 over her for
ward side, and under such severe
pounding the vessel must have soon
succumbed.
COMMANDERS REPORT.
A thrilling story of the loss of the
cruiser Maria Teresa is given in the
official report OF Lieutenant Comman-
der Harris to the secretary of the navy,
received by telegraph at the navy de-
partment late this afternoon. 1t is
dated on board wrecking steamer Mer-
rift, SO miles off Charleston, Nov. A. and
says:
"On Nov 1, at 1 a. m, 1 found that
it was blowing hard, and went on the
lower bridge. We had left Waiting S
island light abeam at 10 o'clock, and up
till midnight the weather was pleasant
and all went we'll with the ship, al
though we had trouble in keeping the
pump in the forward fire room from
being choked with coal. The wind con-
tinued TO increase in force until per-
haps a. M, when it rose to its height
although there were times all day when
it blew as hard as ever The direction
was about northeast. The sea contin-
ued to rise until perhaps p. m. There
was a heavy sea all the following day.
The pumps were reported every hour
Soon after l came on deck l relieved
the second mate. Mr.. Johnson, so that
he could go below to fight the water
About $3.50 the first mate Captain Lee
cato, came up, and he also went below
to work When - heavy sea struck
the sides. the plates leaked at the butts
and seams, showing that after the fire
they had resumed their former appear
ance, but were not tight. At 8 a. N. we
made signal to the Vulcan and Merritt
TO go TO windward. which they did as
well as they could. Up to l o'clock a.
M. we were running the starboard main
engines, and had steam ON the two cen
trifugal boilers and three of the short
forward boilers. but the trouble in the
forward fire room caused the7steam to
run low and tighten fires under the
starboard after boiler. and we stopped
the engine. so as TO run the steam up
for the pumps The pump for keeping
the water from the forward comDart-
ment was driven by a belt. and when
the sea broke over the bows the belt
became wet and slipped. At about s
o'clock l called for volunteers to hoist
coal and water into the ash hoist.
Everybody responded. and the work
was continued as long as it seemed of
any use. About $40 o'clock it was re-
ported that water was coming into one
of the starboard forward coal bunkers
and running into the fire rooms. Where
the water came from we do not know
About o'clock the 11-inch gun in the
after turret ran out and in twice 1t
| recoiled the second time. and something
gave way. and it settled to extreme
elevation and remained stationary
About 1880 we signaled the Vulcan,
to ask the Merritt if we could be turned
safely to run for the lee of Watling's
island. To this Captain Wolcott re-
piled No. and as Captain Chittenden
thought we would sink if we tried to
turn, this idea was given up Both the
Vulcan and Merritt could with diff
Guilty keep us head to wind, and the
! sea was running so high that the Vul-
! cans bits started, or the tow lines
parted. The ship would fall into the
trough of the sea. AT l D. m. Captain
Chittenden asked me to signal the Vul-
can TO cast off the Merritt's tow lines
and have the Merritt come alongside.
then assumed the command. told the
men what was to be done, and assign
ed them stations. ! teld the chief en-
gineer to START the engine to aid the
Vulcan in keeping our head up. He
did so. but it could run but a short
time with the steam we had.
SHIP ABANDONED.
I'VE signaled the Vulcan: We are
about to abandon ship: try to keep us
head to wind Tordered Cantain Le-