Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-29
uANL "A ULUOL UALL
Soldiers on Transport Bail the Boat to
Keep from Sinking.
WATER SEVERAL FEET DEEP IN THE HOLD
Troops Reach Manila on a Transport After a
Terrible Experience,
ALL ON BOARD PRESSED INTO SERVICE
Steam Pumps Break Down and Buckets Are
Used for Bailing Purposes
OFFICERS WORK ALONG With PRIvATES
Part of the Crew Deserts ut Honolulu
and Soldiers Battle Against
Drowning for Eleven
Days and Nights.

MANILA Nov. 2S-S:15 p. m.-When the
transport Manauense anchored in Manila
bay this morning, thlrtythree days from
San Francisco, there were several feet of
water in its hold and 400 grimy, greasy,
hungry, exhausted soldiers and sailors who
had been passing buckets OF water since No
vember II, night and day. First Assistant
Engineer Duneavy was under arrest and,
according to Lieutenant Colonel Webb
Hayes official report, the chief engineer
would also have been under arrest II there
had been anyone to replace him.
The colonels 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 eX-
perienced seamen would have deserted the
ship and taken to the boats in mid ocean.
The Manauense is a chartered ship flying
the British flag. 1t carried three COM
panies of the Thirty-first infantry. 1t be-
longs to firm of which Senator Perkins of
San Francisco is alleged to be junior mem
ber The officers say the firm bought it
for $45, 600 and they assert efforts were made
to sell it to the government for $15O,OOO. 1t
started from San Francisco, accompanied
by the transport Pekin, which carried the
remainder OF the regiment, and encountered
heavy seas to Honolulu without accident.
After starting 1t developed that the ship
was undermined and soldiers had to be
detailed to act as fremen, coal-passers and
walters and to do other work. Before reach
ing Honolulu the crew concluded that the
ship was not safe and the majority agreed
to desert. Though they were closely watched
many of them succeeded in getting away
and the Manauense left Honolulu with less
than half its crew. The captain of the
transport told Colonel Hayes November II
that the vessel had sprung leak and an
investigation resulted in finding several feet
OF water in its hold.
Officers Work With the Men.
The steam pumps we're tried, but failed
to work and there were no hand-pumps on
board. However, .forty-six buckets were
found, others were improvised and the SOL
diers 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 a shift could
stand was two hours, and often the period
was not longer than half an hour. The bail
Ing continued until the ship anchored here.
The same day the leak was discovered
the machinery collapsed and the electric
lighting plant and evaporating, distilling
and refrgerating apparatus failed to work.
There were no lamps and the few candles
found were exhausted after a few days
During the last week of the passage the
Manauense was in utter darkness at night
1t had been rolling in heavy seas all the
way, but November % it encountered a
typhoon and pitched and tossed alarmingly
Officers Hold IL Council
The Pekin became separated from the
Manauense in the storm, the water rose
rapidly and the bailing force was doubled,
but the buckets gradually smashed and bar
Eels and boxes were substituted for them
the men working in darkness, planks and
pieces of iron shafting being violently
washed among them The firemen could only
feed the fires by being lifted on the shoulders
of the other men. through water waist deep.
The typhoon lasted two days and half and
in the midst of it the engines stopped The
officers then held a council and found there
were 400 persons board with life boat ac-
commodations for 2l3.
In the meantime the men below ignorant
of their extreme peril. were passing buckets
and singing What the hell do we care!"
while the ship rolled helpless on the ocean
with matches closed. The heat was intense
until lue lypHuOH phSstu anu tue IehlH,
which had retraced its course about seventy
miles, came alongside the Manauense, which
was rolling so heavily that the soldiers in
the hold could at each roll the Pekin
through the matches overhead
Colonel James S. Pettitt, commander OF
the Thirty first volunteer regiment, ordered
the Manauense to proceed to Guam, and
await relief, but the captain demurred, the
officers say, because the government was
renting the ship for $500 per day. Through
out the remainder of the voyage the engines
failed frequently and the ship would roll
for a few hours while the engines were re.
pairing, Then the steamer would proceed
again for few hours.
The meat and vegetables rotted because OF
the failure Of the refrigerators and were
thrown overheard.
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 dur
ing the last week of the voyage the men
lived almost entirely on whisky beer and
hardtack. The officers and soldiers were
utterly exhausted when they reached Manila
They declare the engineers We're grossly in
competent
The officers cay the behavior of the troops
was beyond praise for days they worked
III lne udAhy suffering III tue HOlu, SOIne-
times in water up to their shoulders and
planks washing about in manner danger
Dus to life and limb, The officers took the
lead in bailing and encouraged the men.
The captain of the ship promised the men
rs cents day for bailing, but he now pro-
poses to pay them $3.50,
The soldiers talk of attaching the ship
The regiment will proceed to Zamboanga on
the Pekn to garrison several ports on the
Island OF Mindanao.
RidicuIe the story.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2S.-Transport
officials at this port are at a loss to explain
the alleged unseaworthy condition OF the
transport Manauense whose arrival at
Manila was reported today, The Associated
Press interviewed number of officials to-
day and in every instance the alleged un-
seaworthiness, undermanned and under
provisioned condition of the vessel were