The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-24

hensibe to the soul of man he pronounced
"a ponderous curse against the spirit of
the storm which caused the ship to trem-
BILE from stem to stern. Many of those
aboard believed that something had gone
wrong ia the engine room, but every true
Jacl<v in the fo'castle knew that it was
Cervera denouncing the hurricane.
The force of the gale increased to such
an extent that the situation of the VesseAs
became perilous The buffeting of the
waves, or the evil genius of the cat, caused
| the Teresa's seams to loosen, ana the
water began to come in faster than 1t
| could be pumped out. Coal from the
| bl1nl5ers and the small rubbish which the
lazy Cubans had not properly cleaned from
The vessels bilge clogged the pumps, so
| that they could not perform their rune
| tons. It was thought that she was IN
| sinking condition, and as the violence OF
| the storm showed no signs of abating the
order was given TO abandon ship FIRST
the men, then the officers, got into the
small boats, not without difficulty, but
with no loss of life. They were taken on
hoard the Merritt, the Teresa's towline
was cast off, and she became derelict
upon the surface of the Atlantic.
Cervera was not numbered among the
survivors, His loss was sincerely mourn
/ ed by the many men anu OIlcSiS VIM
! knew him and his remarkable history, and
it was with deep regret that they learned
he had been forgotten in the hurry OF
abandoning the sinking Teresa,
When the cat, however. saw every one
| tumbling into the boats, he easily guessed
the cause of the excitement, but decided
that so far as he was concerned the Te-
resa would not be forsaken. He believed
she would float, and lived up to his con-
| yictions by remaining aboard. Encouraged
by the discovery that the leakage no long
er gained, he assumed command OF the
shin, and very naturally headed her for
Cat Island, where he arrived Nov. 8, two
DAYS later grounding her on the windward
coast about a mile from the shore.
! Tire Vulcan, after the abandonment
Of the Spanish cruiser, continued on her
homeward course in the full belief that
the latter had foundered at sea. Arriving
| at Norfolk, she was met with the news
| that the Teresa had been sighted aground
at Cat Island. and returned at once to
the Bahamas, conveying a board of sur
vey 10 examine and report upon the con-
dition OF the wreck. The Teresa was
found where Cervera, assisted by the
trade winds, had guided her, fast upon a
coral reef, a hopeless ruin, with great
hoes, through which the sea rushes in and
out. torn in her bottom by the sharp
tempest and rock failed to accomplish has
been completed by the islanders, who
/ have plundered her of all her woodwork
and removable fittings, leaving her the
picture of desolation.
She now lies on the eastern side of the
island with nothing but the broad Allan
tic between her and the country she was
built to defend If the contention is true
that Columbus landed at Cat Island, in
stead of San Salvador, as is generally sup
posed, the Maria Teresa's last resting
place is nearly within sight of the spot
where, in 1892, the Santa Maria first cast
| anchor in the waters of the new world.
The once magnificent cruiser Is now a
most melancholy spectacle. Her soul has
taken flight. Nothing but skin and slele-
ton remains. The seas break over her
decks and assault her unprotected side
causing her beams and joints to groan dis
mally. Continuity from deep within her
hold come sounds of wailing, as If the
ghost of the faithful cat, still loath to
desert, mourned for the loss of the gall
liant craft, while the whistling of the wind
through her framework lends additional
force 10 the uncanny impression. These
depressing sounds, however, proceed from
natural causes and not from the ghost
OF Cervera, for no is still alive and en-
joying the repose to which his unusual ex-
periences entitle him. The following item
is clipped from the Bahama News of
Nassau, printed under date of Nov. Is:
1T was the master of the Sea Hound
who told us about the cat. He says it
was the only living thing aboard the ship
and the last thing he saw of IL was when
1t was tied up and carried ashore by some
Cat Island man.
The cat was then, of course, merely re-
garded as a castaway. his identity not be-
ing known to the master of the Sea
Hound. the correspondent of the Bahama
News or the Cat Island man who brought
him ashore
The tug Potomac, which arrived at the
scene OF the wreck before the Vulcan did
| learned Of Cervera's capture by the ISL
ander and gave the information 10 the
officers of the latter vessel, who had sup
posed he persisted In the storm. Word
| was Immediately sent 90 the beach that Il
! was desired 10 purchase the animal.
The news rapidly spread throughout the
| vicinity that the Yankees were buying
cats The duties OF the day we're eel
aside by the natives in favor OF n cat hunt,
| which was prosecuted with such success
| hat in "a very short space Of time some
/ twenty cats ~ assorted sizes and charac-
ters were gnthered together at the wa
| iera edge. GLASSES on me deck ~ the
/ vulcan revealed considerable afsfmbiaqe
~ people engaged in trying "a keep these
twenty cate from aorambllng ouf on .
email foNb0qt uniil a could be- launched