The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-27
DANDY WAS IN GRAVE DANGER.
CAUGHT IN a STORM SHORT OF
WATER AND COAL.

RIFT In n Fog Disclosed shore of Ja-
maicn Two Miles Away Just When
Hope Was Abandoned and Tug
Seemed Destined TO Drift HELPLESS
i'm the Tit:h Running Sea-MontcEo
nay Fprnishes Refuge.
Copyright. 1898. by the Associated Press
Montego Bay, Jamaica, May 25.-After q
journey of almost a thousand miles
through binding rain and sea which al
most swept the deck from stem to stern
the Associated Press dispatch boat Dandy
steamed into MonIego Ray. short of fuel.
destitute of water and with scarcely an
hour to spare, The aft water tank
wrenched open by the ceaselcss strainiog
through a choppy sea, had been drained
Of its contents thirty six hours before laud
was sighted; and the coal buukers. emp
tied by an unexpectedly long and hard
cruise, were cleared almost to the plank
ing, when a rift in the fog revealed the
shore of Jamaica to the anxious captain
and crew
Another three hours would have left
the sturdy little l00-ton boat helplessly
aid her in such an emergency When the
port was reached, however, IL was found
that the damage to the tank could be
quickly repaired.
The Dandy sailed from Key West early
last Friday, in pursuit of Commodore
Schley, who had left almost twenty-fcur
hours before. II was believed at Key
West that Cienfuegos was his destinati) IN;
but, without definite Information, the
Dandy was compelled to go far out of
direct course in order to speak the block
aiding fleet off Havana. The run to the
beleaguered city was pleasant,
but The quest was fruitless, for
not one of Commodore Watson's
ships had seen a spar of the flying squad
ron.
Capt Murphy of the Dandy looked grave
over the prospect of an unescorted cruise
TO CienfuegCs, where obtaining coal would
be impossible, while the Dandy's shortage
Of coal would make her escape from the
Spanish gunhoats known TO be at Cienfue-
gOs extremely doubtful.
Early Saturday morning the sighting Of
a battleship set all eyes straining to the
northward at the unpleasant possibility Of
meeting a Spanish man-of-war. 1t added
to the satisfaction which resulted when
the ship was recognized as the United
States battleship Iowa, for she had left
Key West the day after Commodore
Schley's departure and was evidently on
her way to a rendezvous with the fleet
Shortly after noon the United States tor
pedo boat Dupont, which had been left
at Key West with Rear Admiral Samp
son, came racing from the northward and
delivered a message to the Iowa. With
out the loss Of moment, the formidable
little craft rushed on toward Cienfuegos /.
and The battleshp, with increasing speed
headed for the waters between Cape San
Ant l.. "a h., Tgl, .
When at nightfall, the entrance to the
passage was reached she veered off with
the evident intention of patrolling between
the cape and the island and there was
nothing for the Dandy to do but TO go
on alone.
Saturday night the weather roughened,
and before morning the damage TO the
tank, which so nearly resulted seriously,
occurred. The water in the forward tank
was already exhausted when at noon, on
Sunday, The chief engineer found the after
tank dry The prospect ahead of the
Dandy was not the brightest. Hard driv-
ing against heavy sea had eaten up her
coal almost twice as rapidly as had been
anticipated; and with a little fuel and no
water the chase after Schley was aban-
doned and the race for safety begun.
Montego bay was the nearest friendly
port, and for that the boat headed. The
tank of drinking water was almost empty
and the small supply Of mineral waters
on board was dealt out sparingly among
fifteen thirsty men. The weather grew
decidedly worse; and by Monday morning
the Dandy was plunging through a blind
ing tropical rain, with squalls. which alter
mated with dense mists and rendered the
lookout almost useless
Capt. Murphy counted on reaching the
coast of jamaica about o'clock In the
afternoon, and the chief engineer. who
had been using seq water in the boilers
since Sunday, announced that the Dandy
had just two hours more running in her.
and that some of her wood work would
have 10 be burned to make that. The cap
tain went over and over his reckoning for
errors and every man constituted himself
a lookout, for the prospect of helpless
drifting in that tumbling sea was not well
come.
1t was almost O'Clock when the fog
lifted for an instant and showed the shore
not two miles away. Less than an hour
later the Dandy swung an anchor in the
quiet waters of Montego bay and ere the
morning sun she was rapidly getting into
sea-going shape.
The Dandy, which was chartered Nv the
Associated Press from the Darien and
Sapelo Towboat Company, left Savannah
Monday, May 16, in command of Capt
Murphy, with hIessrs. II. l.. Beach and N
c. Wright, Associated Press correspond
ents, on board.The steamer went from here
10 Key West. Her crew of fourteen men,
was made UP here. Her chief engineer Is
Peter Vanderveer, one of the Oldest and
most experienced marine engineers on the
coast. Her assistant engineer is Thomas
Fitzgerald. The vessel is one of the
staunchest ocean tugs In Southern waters
AMI is capable Of standing almost anything
that comes along. The correspondents and
crew must have had anything but a happy
experience.