Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-29
TRANSPORT SCANDAL,
United States Troopship Narrow
y Escapes Destruction
THE VESSEL UNSEAW0RTHY,
Also Undermined and Short Of
Provisions.
SOLDIERS HAD TO BAIL FOR DAYS.

Days in storm.

MANILA. November 2s.-7:35 p. NJ
When the Manauense anchored in Ma
Mia bav this morning. thirty-three days
from san Francisco, there were severai
feet of water iu her hold, and 400 grlmy'
greasy. hungry, exhausted soldiers anu
sailors had been passing buckets OF
water since November 18th, night ana
dav First Assistant Engineer Dunleayy
was under arrest, and, according TO Colo
mel Webb Hayes's official report the
chief engineer would also have been I'M
der arrest If there had been any one TO
replace him.
The Manauense has Iieutenant-Colonel
Webb Hayes and three companies OF the
Tblrtv-drst Infantry on board. She mar
rowly escaped destruction The officers
and soldiers were for twelve days pail
ing with buckets The steamer, on ar
rival was unseaworthy. undermined
and short of provisions Her engines
had broken down, and she had rolled
three days in typhoon.
The Cooners report declares that the
CAPTAIN OF the vessel told him that the
only thing which brought them through
was the fact that the men were green
horns and failed 10 realize their danger
while experienced seamen would have
deserted the ship and taken to the boats
in midocean.
THE SHIPS HISTORY.
The Aanauense is a chartered ship, fly
inc the British nag. She belongs to firm
! of which Senator Perkins, Of San
Francisco. is alleged to De junior mem
Der The officers say the firm bought
her for $1,000. and they claim that EFFORTS
wore made 10 sell her 10 the governments
! for $4,000 She started from San IRAN
! cisco accomranied by The transport
/ Pe<in. which carried the remainder Oh the
regiment. and encountered heaVy seas
/ 90 Honolulu. without accident After
| starting IL developed that she was UNDER
manned. and soldiers had 10 DE ue-
tailed TO act as fremen, coal-passefS
| ard walters, and % DO other Work. Be
! fare reaching Honolulu the crew con-
| cluded that the ship was not safe ana
| a majority agreed 10 desert. Though
they were closely watched many Of the
| crew succeeded I'm getting away and the
| Nanauense left Honolulu with less thaH
! half the crew The captain Ot the trans
port. on November l1th, told Colonel
| Hayes that the ship had sprung aleak,
and am investigation resulted in finding
several feet of water IN the hold The
steam-pipes were tried but failed to
work. and there were no hand-pumps ON
board. However, forty-fOur buckets
We're found others weie lmprovised. and
soldiers and sailors Were organized into
five shifts. stripped, and forming lines
began battling. the officers working with
! the men. passing the buckets, which Were
sent up % the deck by a windlass. The
! longest time a shift could stand was two
| hours. and often the period was not
! longer than half an hour. The bailing
continued until the ship anchored here.
MACHINERY COLLAPSEs.
The same day the leak was discovered
! the machinery collapsed. and the electric
] lighting plant and oyauorating disulling
! and refrgeiatIng apparatus failed 70
work There We're mo- lamps and the
lew candles fOuu. were exhausted after
| few days During the last week OF the
/ passage the MluaucL-c was In utter
darkness at night. She had been rolling
] I'm heavy seas AN the way, but on No
| Vember 22d She enc untered typhoon,
and pitched and tossed alarminsly.
/ Inc IfhlN UHtdlNr So p4lhNfu Ii'4u iA'
! Manauense in the storm The water rose
! rapidly. and the ba.ling force was
doubled but the buckets were gradually
| smashed. and barrels and boxes were sub
! stituted for them. the men working I'm
darkness. planks and pieces Of iron shaft
ing being violently washed among them.
! The hr-mcn could only feed the fires
| by being lifted on the shoulders Of other
/ men through water waist deep.
! ...Nf
and I'm the midst Of il the engines stop
ped. The officers then held a council.
and found that there were 40 persons
ON beard. with life-boat accommodations
for 2l3.
WHAT THE -- DO WE CARER
In the mean time. the men below. igno-
rant of their extreme peril. We're passing
buckets and singing "What the - do We
care" while the ship rolled helplessly on
the ocean. with matches closed.
The heat was intense until the typhoon
passed. and then the Pekin. which hal
retraced her course about seventy miles
came alongside the Manauerse, which
was rolling so heavily that the soldiers
i'm the hold could ar each roll see the
| Pekin through the matches overhc al.
| Colonel James $ Petit, commander
of the Thirty-hrst Volunteer Regiment.
| ordered the Manauense to proceed 20
Guam and await relief. but the captain
of the Manauense, the officers say. object
ed. because the government was renting
the ship at $500 per day.
Throughout the remainder Of the voy
age the engines Of the Manauense failed
frequently, and the ship would roll for
hours while the engines were repairing.
Then the steamer would proceed again
for a few hours.
MEAT. VEGETABLES, WATER, GONE.
The meat and vegetables rotted be-
cause Of the failure of the refrlgerators,
and were thrown overheard.
After the storm the water supplied 20
the ship ar Honolulu had TO b. used for
the boilers and there was little or none
for drinking. In fact. IT Is asserted, that
during the last week ot the voyage the
men lived almost entirely on whlskey
beer and bareback.
| SOLDIERS UTTERLY EXHAUSTED.
The officers and soldiers We're utterly
| exhausted when they reached Manila
They declare that the engineers wer,
grossly incompetent. The officers ais,
say that the behavior OF the troops wa:
beyond praise For days they worked
IN the dark, suffocatng hold with watel
up TO their shoulders. and planks washing
about In a manner dangerous 10 life anS
limb.
IL hA Ian Ia,