The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1899-12-01
The Transport ManauenSe Arrives
at Manila Thirty-Three Days
From San Francisco.
VESSEL SPRUNG A LEAK IN MID OCEAN
Since November II, Night and Day,
400 Hungry, Exhausted Soldiers
and Sailors Passed Buckets.
The Steam Pumps Failed to Work and
There Were No Hand Pumps on
Board-Part OF the Crew De-
serted at Honolulu.

| MANILA, NOV. 29.-W men the Mdndu.
ense anchored in Manila bay Tuesday
morning, SO days from San Francisco,
there were several feet of water in her
hold and 400 grimy, greasy, hungry,
exhausted soldiers aud sailors had
| been passing buckets of water since
November II night and day. First As
sistant Engineer Dunleavy was under
arrest, and according to Col. Webb
Hayes official report the chief engi-
neer would also have been under ar
rest if there had been anyone to re-
place him.
The colonels 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 experienced
seamen would have deserted the ship
and taken to the boats in mid ocean.
The Manauense is a chartered ship
flying the British flag. She belongs
/ to firm of which Senator Perkins, of
San Francisco, is alleged to be a jun
| Tor member. The officers say the firm
bought her for S45, 900, and they claim
efforts were made to sell her to the
government for Sl5O,OO
She started from San Francisco, ac-
companied by the transport Pekin,
which carried the remainder of the
hAa
to Honolulu without accident.
After starting it developed that she
was unmanned and soldiers had to be
| detailed to Yet as fremen, coal passers
and walters and to do other work. Be-
| fore reachil Honolulu, the crew con-
cluded that the ship was not safe and
| the majority agreed to desert. Though
| they were closely watched many of
the crew succeeded in getting away
and the Manauense left Honolulu with
less than hall her crew. The captain
Of the transport November II, told
Col. Hayes that the vessel had sprung
leak and an investigation re-
suited 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, 46 buckets were
| found, others were improvised. and
the soldiers not employed in working
the sh p we're organlzed into five shifts
trd stripped and forming lines they
began baiIing. he offict RS working
with the men passing the buckets
which were sent up to the deck by a
w ndlass. The lon~est time a shift
could stand was two hours. and often
the period was not longer than half
an hour The bailing continued until
the snip anchored here.
The water rose rapidly and the bail
| ing force was doubled. But the buck
cts were gradually smashed and bar
! rels and boxes were substituted for
them. the men working in da kness,
planks and pieces of iron shafting be-
| ing violently washed among them.
The firemen could only feed the fires
| by being lifted on the shoulders of
the other men through water waist
deep.
The typhoon lasted two days and a
half, and in the m Ist of it the en-
gines stopped. Tie officers then held
counci!! and found that there were
429 persons on bard, with life boat
accommodations for 213.
In he meantime the men below, ig-
norant of their extreme peril, were
pass ng buckets ana singing What
the H Do We Care" while the ship
rolled helpless on the ocean, with
matches closed
The heat was intense until the ty
phoon passed and then the Pekin,
which had retraced her course about
20 miles, came alongside the Manau-
ense which was roll ne so heavily that
the soldiers in the hold could at each
roll see the Pekin through the matches
overhead.
Col James S. Petit, commander of
| the 31st volunteer regiment ordered
the Manauense to proceed to Guam
and await relief but the captain of the
! Manuense demurred, the officers say,
because the government was renting
the ship for $500 per day.
Throughout the remainder of the
voyage the engines of the Manauense
failed frequently and the ship would
| roll for few hours while the engines
were repairing. Then the steamer
would proceed again for few hours.
The meat and vegetables rotted be-
cause of the failure of the refrigera-
tors and were thrown overheard.
After the storm the water supplied
to the ship at Honolulu had to be used
for the boilers. and there was little or
none for drinking. In fact, it is as
serted that during the last week of the
voyage the men lived almost entirely
on whisky, beer and hard tack.
The regiment will proceed to Fam