The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-26
ADMIRAL DEWEY'S PRIZES.
THE THREE SPANISH GUEBOATS
RAISED AT MANILA.

Difnculty of Getting Them on the bottom
and Out of tho Mud-The work Supervised
by Naval Constructor Capps-The Vessels
in Good Condition-Their War Sears.
MANILA. Dec. 24.-The first two Of the chick
ems have got home to roost. There has been a
good bit OF anxiety about them among the war
ships this week, and the telegram from Hong
Kong which told OF their safe arrival there this
afternoon was received with great satisfaction.
The chickens are the three little Spanish gun
boats. Isla de Cuba. Isla de LuZon and Don
Juan de Austria. They were run aground by
the Spaniards aud abandoned on May l. and
afterward were set on fire by Dewsy's orders.
along with four or Ave others. These three
were found to be worth raising. and the work
was undertaken. Az 1t progressed interest
grew among the watchers on the warships.
Finally. all three ships were up and It began
to look as II we were sure OF them. There was
only the trip to Hong Kong to be made. and
now two OF them have got there.
The navy's end OF the work Of raising the
three shipa has been in charge OF Naval Con-
structor W. l.. Capps. Mr.. Camps came down
with the first brigade Of troops. and reached
Cavit6 on June 30. Until the surrender Of
Manila, on Aug. 10. there was no practical
step taken toward securing any OF the sunken
Spanish vessels for the United States Navy.
but after that Mr.. Caps had opportunity to
make q more thorough investigation OF the
condition OF the wrecks and OF the problem OF
raising them. Divers were employed from a
shipyard in Cavite. and the work began under
the supervision OF Mr.. Capps. A careful exam
nation OF the condition OF all tho wrecks was
made outside. and. as far as possible, inside.
All the ships were well down in the mud. but.
80 far rs 1t was possible to determine. the hulls
were in fairly good condition. Evidences Of the
work OF the Spaniards just before they fed
were plentiful even from the outside. in the
number OF smashed headlights. Very slight
damage had been suffered from the American
fire. The ships simply ran from what they
feared might happen.
As a result OF his preliminary examination
Mr.. Capps reported to Admiral Dewey that it
was possible to recover almost all the ships and
feasible to raise the two Islas and the Austria.
About that time the Olympia went to Hong
Kong to be locked and Mr.. Caps went with
her. While there he saw representatives Of the
Hong Kong Dock Company and told them
something of what he had found out about the
wrecks in Bakor Bay. The dock company sent
its examiners to Cavite and made an investiga-
ton for itself. Mr.. Capps worked with the
dock company's representatives and gave
them the benefit Of his personal experience
with the wrecks. The dock company men were
satisfied that the two Islas and the Austria
could be raised and refltted for a reasonable
sum and so when Admiral Dewey advertised
for bids for the work the dock company was
one OF the bidders. Ensign Moffett OF tho
Charleston. who had raised the Bulusan. sis
ter OF the Callao. and the transport Cebu in
tho Pasig River. wanted a chance to go at tho
wrecks in Bakor Bay. but the Admiral gave the
contract for all the work to the Hong Kong
Dock Company at q total price for the three
alma apti,alv ranttaJ avnapt No IN INNS If
about 100000 silver.
The company at once sent dow a gang Of
men with apparatus from Hong Kong. in
charge OF W. [. Jack. Later the tug Powerful
came over with more men and the engineers
who were to fix up the old engines and take the
prizes back to Hong Kong. The old schooner
Dos Hermanos was fitted up as an abiding
place for the men. and made fast alongside the
Isla de Cuba. The steamtug Oeste, which was
seized when Manila fell. and the Bulusan. res
cued from the Pasig by Ensign Moffett. were
used to furnish steam to operate tho pumps
and other machinery. Mr.. Capps lived on the
Dos Hermanos with the wreckers. Work was
begun on the Cubn first. on Oct. ~. The first
thing to do was to I'll up all openings in the hull.
These had to be found and filed up from the
outside. because the conditions were such that
1t was impossible for a man to go below in
the wrecks. Mr.. Capps had very complete
plans OF all the ships. however. and that greatly
simplihed the work. The Spaniards had
opened every cupboard delivery and smashed
all the headlights In the airports, but for some
reason they had not damaged the machinery
in any way. Perhaps they hoped to have the
job of raising the ships themselves. The most
serious damage to each ship was caused by the
fire which was started by the Americans. in
pursuance OF the Navy Departments orders to
capture and destroy,
While the divers were at work on tho out
side OF the Cuba the riggers on the Dos Her
manos were getting the pumps ready. There
were three centrifugal pumps. one Of twelve
inches. one OF nine and one OF six. One was
rugged to drain the forward part OF the wreck.
one the engine room and one the afterpart.
The ships had boon run ashore at high tide
and had settled we'll into the mud. Pumping
could be done only at low tide. Each ship as
she settled had made a bed for herself in the
mud. throwing up a ridge all around the hnll.
Finally everything was ready to begin pump
ing on the Cuba. 1t happened that low tide
came about midnight. and so the first effort to
raise the Cuba was made at night. All three
pumps were set at work. Steadily the water
lowered in the Cuba. but she made no move.
The pumps were kept at II until a buoyancy of
1,4OO tons was given the little ship. and still
she did not bulge. Work was stopped and
the tired men turned in. When they got up
again the tide had risen and filled the Cuba
full again.
That night pumping began again. but this
time there was a different plan. Only the after
pumps were worked. while the forward one
stood idle. The clearing OF the after compart-
ments gave the ship a buoyancy ut the stern
which gradually started her up out of the mud
berth IN which she had been lying for six
months. As she came up there was lively work
for the divers, Openings were found which
had been concealed by the mud. and it was
necessary to plug them with all speed. Several
small compartments were found which were
not reached by the ships drains. The smaller
bunkers were full Of water. al were the
boilers. The decomposition OF stores and
other things in the ship and the coating
OF mud and slime which was over every
thing made the air below SO foul as the ship
came up that it was impossible to send men
down to work inside, SO everything in the way
OF stopping leaks had to be done by the divers.
When the ship aoated a new difficulty was met:
the mud wall which she had thrown up around
L-...lf -. -lA q 80 IL ~ ~