The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-12-07
SOLDIERS IN PERIL.
BAIL WATER TO KEEP THE SHIP
FROM SINKING.
Transport Manauense CollApses at Sea and
-Four Hundred Troops of the Thirty
First Infantry Narrowly Escape
n Watery Grave.

a Watery Grave
Manila, Nov. 3O.-The transport Man
auense. with Lieut.. Col Webb Hayes
and three companies of the Thirty
first infantry on board, has arrived
here. She narrowly escaped disaster.
The officers and soldiers were for |
twelve days bailing with buckets.
The steamer was unseaworthy, under
manned, and short of provisions. Her !
engines broke down and she rolled |
three days in typhoon.
When the Manauense anchored in |
Manila bay, thirty-three days from
| San Francisco, there were several feet
of water in her hold, and four hun
dred grimy, greasy, hungry exhausted
officers, soldiers and sailors had
been passing buckets Of water since
November 18th. night and day.
| First Assistant Engineer Dunleavy
was under arrest, and, according to
Colonel Webb Hayes's official report,
the chief engineer would have been
under arrest also il there had been
any one to replace him.
The colonel's 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 expert
enced seamen would have deserted the
ship and taken to the boats in mid
ocean.
The captain of the transport on No
vember II told Colencl Hayes that the
vessel had sprung leak and an inves-
tigstion resulted 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, forty-six buckets were
found, others were improvised and the
soldiers not employed in working the
ship were organized into five 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 a
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 an
/ chored here. The same day the leak
u was discovered, the machinery col
l. lapsed, and the electric lighting PLAN
$ and distilling, evaporating and refrig
Grating plants failed to work There
e were no lamps and the few candles
l. found were exhausted after few days
u During the last week of the passage
y the Manauense was in utter darkness
at night. She had been rolling il
q heavy seas all the way, but Novembe
a 90 she encountered typhoon anC
IL pitched and tossed alarmingly.
J. The typhoon lasted two days and
N half and in the midst of it the engine
e. stopped. The officers then held
ol council and found that there were AZ
H. persons on board, with lifebost accom-
nc modations for 213.
lie In the meantime the men below, ig
le norant of their extreme peril, wer
al passing buckets and singing. "Wha
the He'll do We Care?" while the shi
IL rolled helpless on the ocean wit
I'll hatches closed.
en- The officers and soldiers were entire
ng ly exhausted when they reached MI
ie- Mia. They declare that the engineer
were grossly incompetent, The of
lat GERS say that the behavior of the trooI
mo- was beyond praise For days the
ca worked in the dark, suffocating hoI
Ter with the water sometimes up to the
H. shoulders, and planks washing aboV
he in manner dangerous to life. II
ne officers took the lead in bailing and e
'ne couraging the men.
Na- 1t is asserted that during the la
eau week of the voyage the men live
IN almost entirely on whisky, beer al
nly bareback,
ou' The captain of the ship promised &
the , ~ o,. aar tor ho;I;rn lint
now proposes to pay them dollar al
a half The soldiers talk of attachii
-, the ship. The regiment will proce
uch - NJ.
dano