The Grenada sentinel., 1899-12-02
THIS 0UIDO[S FICTION.
The Story Of the Trip of the United
States Chartered Transport
Manauense to Manila.
the Men DIDN'T REALIZE THEIR DANCER,
For Twelve Days and Nights q Bat-
talon Of the fhirty-First volun-
teers. Under Lieut.-Col. Webb
Hayes Bailed the Ship, to Keep
Her AhOat.

Manila, Nov. 29.-When the trans
port Manauense anchored in Manil
bay. Tuesday, 33 days from San Fran
cisco, there were several feel of waite
in her hold, and 400 grimy, greasy
hungry. exhausted soldiers and sailors
who had been passing buckets of WI,
ter since November II, night and DAY
First assistant Engineer Dunlevy wa
under arrest, and, according to Col
Webb Hayes official report, the chic
engineer also would have been undel
arrest if there had been any one to 90
place him.
Didn't Know Their Danger.
The colonel's report also declare!
that the captain of the vessel told him
that the only thing which brought
them through was the fact that tho
men were greenhorns, and failed tc
realize their danger, while expert
enced seamen would have deserted the
ship and taken to the boats in mid
ocean.
The Manauense is chartered shiE
flying the British flag. She started
from San Francisco. accompanied b,
the transport Pekin, which carried the
remainder Of the regiment, and en-.
countered heavy seas to Honolulu
without accident.
Vessel was Undernsanned.
After starting, it developed that she
was undermanned, and soldiers had te
be detailed to act as firemen, coal pas.
sers and WATERS and to do other work
Before reaching Honolulu, the crew
concluded 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 Hone
lulu with less than half her crew. The
captain of the transport, on 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
No Pumps Available.
The steam pumps were tried, but
failed to work, and there was no hand
pumps OH board. However, 46 buck
cts were found, others were impro-
vised, and the soldiers were organized
into 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
a shift could stand was two hours, and
often the period was not longer thar
half an hour. The bailing being coil.
tinued Until the ship anchored here.
Machinery Collapsed.
The same day the leak was discov-
cred, the machinery collapsed, and the
electric lighting plant and evaporat-
ing, distilling and refrigerating ap-
paratus failed to work. There were
no lamps, and the the few candles
found were exhausted after few days.
During the last week of the passage,
the Manauense was in utter darkness
at night.
She had been rolling in heavy seas
all the way, but November 22 she en-
countered typhoon and pitched anc
tossed alarmingly.
Pekin stood By.
The Pekin became separated from
the Manauense in the storm. The wa
ter rose rapidly, and the bailing force
was doubled. But the buckets were
gradually smashed, and barrels and
boxes were substituted for them. the
men working in darkness. planks and
pieces of iron shafting being vio-
lently washed among them. The fire.
men could only feed the fires by being
lifted on the shoulders of the other
men. through water waist deep.
In a Typhoon.
The typhoon lasted two days and
half, and in the midst of it the engines
stopped. The officers then held coun-
ell and found that there were 42O per-
sons on board. with lifeboat accommo-
dations for 213.
In the meantime the men below, ig-
norant of their extreme peril. were
passing buckets and singing what
the hell do we care?" while the ship
rolled helpless on the ocean with
hatchss closed.
The Heat was Intenxe.
The heat was intense until the ty-
phoon pissed, and then the Pekin,
which had retraced her course about
seventy miles, came alongside the
which was rolling so heav-
lily that the soldiers in the hold could
at each roll see the Pekin through the
matches overhead.
Col. James s. Petit, commander of
the regiment, who was on the Pekin,
ordered the Mapauense to proceed to
Guam and await relief, but the captain
Of the Manauense demurred, the off,
GERS say. because the government was
renting the ship for $500 per day.
Engines Failed Frequently.
Throughout the remainder OF the
the engines of the Manauense
failed frequently, and the ship rolled
for few hours while the engines were
Then the steamer would
pitch again for few hours.
The meat and vegetables rotted be-
cause OF the failure Of the refrigera-