Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-07
MARIA TERESA LOST.
Continued from page ~

Constructor Hobson at great expense,
foundered in terrible storm, Tuesday
AFTERNOON hast, and now Hes in 800 faith
vador
The. news of the disaster was brought
which had the Teresa in Tow. The Mer-
rift arrived at quarantine here, Friday
night at o'clock, but was not. allowed
the afternoon. On board the tug were
Teresa.
wharf here. vast throng collected, anx-
ious to learn details of THE loss Of the
cruiser. Lieutenant Commander Harris
went at once to the Telegraph office, and
department. He declined to be inter
viewed regarding the disaster, but from
the .otner officers of the Teresa and those
of the Merritt l succeeded in obtaining u
full story OF the misfortune which befell
Admiral Cervera's flagship.
The lnfanta Maria Teresa, bound for
Norfolk, was steaming through what Is
known to mariners at the Crooked pas
sage, 80 miles off San Salvador While
her own engines were in use, she was
not under her own steam. She was IN
immediate tow of the ulcan, the Vulcan
Merritt.
Monday afternoon, the weather grew
rough, and there was indication that a
heavy tropical storm Threatened. The
Teresa continued to make good Roadway,
however. and little anxiety was. felt by
her officers or those in charge of her dur
ing the night.
It was found. early Tuesday morning,
that the ship was leaking, some. of the
newly-repaired bolts showing signs OF
giving way under the great pressure
brought to bear on them by the increas-
ing storm. BY 10 O'Clock Tuesday morn
ing, the situation had become critical.
The engines of the cruiser were stopped,
owing to the water in her hold, and IL
pumps which had been used in raising her
and which We're still aboard, were put TO
work.
For several hours men and officers
worked indefatigably at the pumps, but
ment in the force of the gale, the hope
lessness of the task before them began
to be realized. BY 2 o'clock in the after
noon, they knew that the cruiser would
have ITO be abandoned
The wind at the time had reached a We
locfty OF SO miles an hour, and the Teresa
was rolling n heavily ana the water IN h her
men at the pumps. To take the officers
and crew off 1.-THE ill-fated cruiser was
both dangerous and difficult task. The
Vulcan still had her in tow, but no head
way was being made.
The Merritt cut loose from the Vulcan
and dropped back astern of the Teresa,
making fast there at some distance as
best she could. The Vulcan maintained
her tow merely to keep the cruiser right
ed ITO the windward. Under these. trying
|
ia men of the crew began.
The water was SO rough that the Mer-
ritt's surf boats did not dare approach
too near the sides of the Teresa. Man by
man. the crew and officers of the cruiser
were lowered over the sides of the ship.
Once in the water the SWAMI until. at a
the surf boat of THE Merritt. The line
and string would then be loosened, and
another man from the Teresa would make
the hazardous plunge into the sea.
The work of SfpryNnQ fhp officers
and the crew TO the Merritt began at
O'Clock. 1t was not completed until after
very man was saved. and only Executive
Officer lie Cato was hurt. His injuries
were very slight, one of his legs being
bit Sprained.
BY the time the transfer of the men
had been completed it was growing dark
very rapidly. AS the surf boat of the
Merritt drew away With her last boat
load of rescued sailors, it was evident
that the Maria Teresa would not remain
aiload much longer. Her propellers were
showing above the water, and she had
sunk very low forward. She was evil
IDENTIFY going to plunge head first into the
sea. That was the last glimpse caught of
her.
The Merritt sfgnalled to the Vulcan that
the work of rescue was complete. The
Vulcan cut away her tow lines and
steamed into the storm. The Merritt
dropped astern of hte cruiser still fur
ther, and as by this time it was dark, she
was soon out of sight OF bpth the cruiser
and the Vulcan. Her officers and the
men men aboard OF her have seen nothing of
Vulcan continued on her way to Norfolk,
for which port she was bound. The Ma
Maria Teresa must have gone down be-
fore O'Clock in the afternoon. The Mer-
rift remained near the scene of the disas
| ter for some time. but seeing nothing
| more, of the Teresa, shaped her course
| for this port.
There were ia men, all told, on board
| the Teresa, as follows: j. w. Crittenden,
| New York. captain in charge, Merritt Co;
| A. B. LIE Cato, executive officer and first
| mate; ]. w johnson, second mate; Chief
| Engineer M. c. Murray. Second Engineer
| Glover, Signal Officer Willard Cassett,
Robertson and Edward Hickman, Lieu
tenant Commander Ira f. Harris, IN
| charge for the navy department; 80 men
| Of the Merritt Wrecking Co., 43 men from
the Vulcan, four men Of the Illinois Ma
val Reserves, seven men from the cruiser
| Newark, two from the Potomac. three
| from the Glasier, one from the Cincn-
! natl and 10 Cuban coal passers.
| The men lost all their personal effects.
| Some of them were in a half-naked con-
dition when taken on the Merritt, and
| the crew of that vessel had ITO share their
| clothing with them.
There is the suspicion of mystery IN
the part that the Leonidas. which ac-
| companied the Maria Teresa as a special
convoy, did not play in the rescue of the
| officers and crew of the cruiser. The
officers of the Merritt and the rescued
| das after the Maria Teresa was found TO
| be seriously distressed. 1t is possible
that the Leonidas remains in ignorance
of the catastrophe, but she could have
been of material assistance had she stood
by the Vulcan and the Merritt.
The rescued men all went North by the
Atlantic Coast Line system in the after
| noon, and will report at Washington
Capt. d. A. Wacott of the Merritt, joins
with Lieutenant Commander Harris,
in declaring that the order to abandon
the Maria Teresa was not given until the
last hope of saving the cruiser was aban-
doned.
In addition to her 13-inclh and smaller
guns. the Maria Teresa had on board two
5-inch guns that had been taken from the
| ViZcaya.
The Vulcan Safe at Fort Monroe.
Fort Monroe Va Nov e-T,ho ra,,o J.,