Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1899-12-04
SOLDIERS IN PERIL.
BAIL WATER TO KEEP THE SHIP
FROM SINKING.
Transport Mansuense Cola pses at Sea and
-Four Hundred Troops of the Thirty
First Infantry Narrowly Escape
Wstsry Grave.

and three companies of the Thirty
first infantry on board, has arrived
here. She narrowly escaped disaster.
The officers and soldiers were for
twelve days bailing with buckets.
The steamer was unseaworthy, under
manned. and short of provisions. Her
engines broke down and she rolled
three days in a typhoon.
When the Manauense anchored in
Manila bay, thirty-three days from
San Francisco, there were several feet
Of water in her hold, and four hun
drcd grimy, greasy, hungry exhausted
officers, soldiers and sailors had
been passing buckets of water since
November 18th. night and day
First Assistant Engineer Dupleavy
was under arrest, and, according to
Colonel Webb Hayes's official report,
the chief engineer would have been
under arrest also if there had been
any one TO replace him.
The colonel's report also declares
that the captain of the vessel told him
that the only thing which brought
them through was the fact that the
men were greenhorns and failed to
realize their danger, while expert
enced seamen would have deserted tho
ship and taken to the boats in mid
ocean.
The captain of the transport on No
vember II told Colonel Hayes that the
vessel had sprung leak and an inves-
LEGATION resulted in finding several
feet of water in her hold. The steam
pumps were tried, but failed to work
and there were no hand pumps on
board.
However, forty-six buckets were
found, others were improvised and the
soldiers not employed in working the
ship were organized into five shifts
and stripped and forming lines they
began bailing, the officers working
with the men passing the buckets,
which were sent up to the deck by
windlass
The longest time shift could stand
was two hours, and often the period
was not longer than half an hour. The
bailing continued until the ship an
chored here. The same day the leak
was discovered, the machinery col
lapsed, and the electric lighting plant |
and distilling, evaporating and refrig-
Grating plants failed to work. There
were no lamps and the few candles |
found were exhausted after few days.
During the last week of the passage
The Manauense was in utter darkness
1T night She had been rolling in
heavy seas all the way, but November
~ she encountered a typhoon and
pitched and tossed alarmingly.
The typhoon lasted two days and a
half and in the midst of it the enginez
stopped. The officers then held
council and found that there were 42O
persons on board, with lifeboat accom-
for 213
In the meantime the men below, ig-
,orant of their extreme peril, were
passing buckets and singing. What
he He'll do We Carer" while the ship
oiled helpless on the ocean with
latcbes closed.
The officers and soldiers were entire
y exhausted when they reached Ma
lila. They declare that the engineers
we're grossly incompetent. The off,
ers say that the behavior of the troops
vas beyond praise. For days they
worked in the dark, suffocating hold
nth the water sometimes up to their
houlders, and planks washing about
a q manner dangerous to life. The !
Ulcers took the lead in bailing and en- I
the men.
1t is asserted that during the last |
'eek of the voyage the men lived
lmost entirely on whisky, beer and
ardtack.
The captain of the ship promised the c
ven 25 cents day for bailing, but he I
ow proposes to pay them dollar anu +
half. The soldiers talk of attaching n
ne ship. The regiment will proceed [
, Zamboanga on the Pekin to garri- r
,n several ports on the island of Min 3
ano.
FlLIPiNOS SURPRISED.
H.. nh |