The Holly chieftain., 1899-12-01
TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
Soldiers Nearly Lose Their Lives on
worthIess Transport.


Manila, Nov. 2s.-When the trans
port Manauense anchored in Manila
bay this morning, thirry-three days
from San Francisco. there We're sew
eraI feet of water in her hold. and 400
grimy, greasy. hungry, exhausted sol
diers and sailors had been passing
buckets of water since November 1ith,
night and day
First Assistant Engineer Dunleavy
was under arres, and according TO the
official report of Colonel Webb Hayes,
the chief engincer would have been un-
der arrest also Il there had been any
one to replace him.
The coloners report declares that the
captain of the vessel told him that the
only thing which brought them
through was IT, fact that the men
We're greenhorns and failed TO realize
their danger, lille experienced sea
men would havr deserted the ship and
taken to the boa in mid ocean.
The Manaueu,e is chartered ship
flying the Britisl dag. She belongs to
firm of which senator Perkins of San
Francisco is alleged TO be Junior
member. The officers say the firm
bought her for $4,000, and they claim
efforts were made TO sell her 10 the
government for $4,000. She started
from San Fran.ISco accompanied by
the transport Trking, which carried
the remainder OF the regiment. and en-
countered heayy seas to Honolulu,
without accident
After starting Il developed mat she
was under-mannrd and soldiers had to
De detailed to aci IS firemen, coal pass
ers and walters. and to do other work
Bpf0ra rpunhip,r IInnnl,,lf ha
concluded that the ship was not safe,
and the majoritv agreed to desert.
Though they were closely watched,
many of the crew succeeded in getting
away, and the Manauense left Homo
luiu with less than half her crew. The
captain of the transport. November
18th. told Colonel Hayes that the ves-
sci had sprung a leak. and an inves-
ugatlon resulted In finding several feet
of water in her hold. The steam
pumps Were tried, but failed to work.
ana there Were no hand pumps on
board. However, forty-siN buckets
We're found. others We're improvised.
and the soldiers not employed in work
ing the ship We're organized into five
shifts. and stripped and forming lines.
they began bailing, the officers work
ing with the men passing the buckets
which We're sent up to the deck by n
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 anchored here.
The same day the leak was discover
ed, the machinery collapsed, and the
electric lighting plant and distilling
eyaporating and refrigerating plants
failed to work. There We're no lamps,
and the few candles found We're ex-
hausted after few days. During the
last week Of the passage the Manau-
ense was in utter darkness at night
She had been rolling in heavy seas all
the way, hut November 22nd. she en-
countered typhoon and pitched and
tossed alarmingly
Throughout the remainder of the
voyage the engines of the Manauense
failed frequently and the ship would
roll for a few hours. while the engines
We're repairing. Then the steamer
would proceed again for n few hours
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 asserted
that during the last week of the voy-
age the men lived almost entirely on
whisky, beer and hardtack
The officers and soldiers were entire
ly exhausted when they reached Ma
Mia. They declare that the engineers
We're grossly Incompetent. The officers
also say that the behavior of the troops
was beyond praise. For days they
worAed in the dark. suffocating hold.
with water sometimes up TO their
shoulders. and planks swashing about
in manner dangerous TO life and limb.
The officers took the lead in bailing and
encouraged the men.