The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-11-08
Great Quantities Of OIL Poured
Upon the Troubled Waters to
Aid the Small Boats.
BRAVE WORK OF REsCUERS
BsttIed With Heavy Seas to Save the
Cruisers Men, All Of Whom Were
Taken Safely Off.

FORT MONROE. Va. Nov. 7.-Enslgn
James C. Summers, who was officer oi
tho deck on the Vulcan when the Maria
Teresa was abandoned. described the
scene thus:
''The gale In which the Teresa was
lost began with fierce squall five min
utes before O'Clock on the morning OF
November L Wind and sea arose at /
O'Clock. From the Teresa's bridge came
the wig-wag signal by lamp, Signal
Merritt to steer 10 windward The Mer-
ritt at once changed her course to north
northeast 1t had been north. To US the
fact that the Teresa must be kept to sea
was in Itself considered ominOus.
IAN signals were made to US by wig
wag flag from the Teresa. We repeated
them to the Merritt or Leonidas.
"At noon the gale had increased in vio-
lence and all three vessels labOred hea-
Willy in the sea. The Teresa plunged
deeply and took much water on board
over the bows. and often when reellng
she shipped seas amioships. Her star
board engine only was being used. 1t
was turning Is revolutions when last re-
ported. The forward wreckiug pump
was sending a large stream over the port
bow.
AT ten minutes past noon the Leon
ldas. then fully a mile ahead. was sig
nailed DO not go so far ahead Thirty
minutes later the Teresa slgnaiied. Can
Merritt run to watling's Island safely?'
The Merritt answered No promptly.
This was the first intimatlon Of the real
danger at hand.
almost simultaneously with the Mer-
ritts next signal, Give your orders,
came this from the Teresa: Tell Merritt
to cast of and come within hail. This
was done and her crew hauled in the
100 fathoms OF hawser on the way to
assist the Teresa. The latter then sig
nailed; 1--WE shall abndon ship. Tell Leon
idas to stand by US 10 windward. DO
not cast on lines The Vulcan answered:
We will hold on until the last and use
OIL to which the Teresa replied: Many
thanks
The Vulcan's commander, Lieutenant
George p Blow. Immediately planned the
Vulcan's part in the scheme of rescue.
Being almost sure that the Teresa's star
board engine would be kept working until
the last It was decided to hold on to the
hawser. thereby giving the Teresa suf-
ticent steering way to enable her helms
men to keep the heavy sea on her star
board bow and still be to leeward of the
Vulcan, enabling the latter to use oil
to advantage when the rescuing in boats
began.
From the first the heavy laboring Of
the Teresa gave the impression that she
would founder suddenly and that all
her people would be overheard at any
moment, either swimming or drowning
before our eyes,
Assistant Paymaster Robert H.
Woods, U. S. N. was detailed to note
the time that each signal was sent and
OIL was the first requisite. Me-
chanics passed it up in buckets from the
hold; those on deck filled small bags with
it. The effect was immediate in smooth
ing the heavy sea near the wreck.
Rubber life belts were brought on
deck and filled with air ready to throw
to men in the water. A bow line was
made in every ropes end. by which the
men could be hauled out of the sea.
"If the ship had foundered before her
people were taken OF, 1t was the COM
ot6cer's intention, after cutting
the hawser, to place his vessel leeward
and then work by to windward of the
men in the water and pick them ur
Half the charges were extricateu lrUm
some six-pounder shells and they were
fitted over the end of oars, to which
small lines were attached. These were
TO have been fired from the guns across
the spot where the msn might have been
seen in the water.
After the Teresa began to fill 1t be-
came impossible for the Vulcan to keep
her head to wlndward. but being practi-
cally waterlogged, she made an excellent
breakwater for the boats, even after she
fell off into the trougn of the sea.
Directed by Lieutenant Gilmer, the
crew and engineers force equipped 20
life-boats with oars, life-preservers and
oil bags. They were launched from the
top of the deck house and, by means of
long lines were veered astern, in the hope
that they would reach the Teresa, but
the heavy sea carried them far to wind
ward; they fouled the hawser and were
finally cut adrift.
"At in the afternoon the Merritt wore
ship lust astern of the Teresa and came
up under her lee just in time to take off
the first boat load of rescued persons.
The wreckers and volunteers from the
vessels had succeeded in lowering one of
tho two surf-boats hanging from davits
on the Teresa's port side. Pulling quickly
clear Of the ships side, the boats crew,
composed of the wrecker's men, went
about saving the people in a systematic
way.
'There was less than four hours of day
light left in which to rescue ia persons,
including Is Cuban coal passers and such
a sea was running that would haVa damn