Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1899-12-07
A Terrible Voyage.

Petit, on board, has arrived at Ma
nila, after a terrible trip. eut.-Col.
Webb Hayes, son of ex-President
Hayes, was also on the ship.
The officers and soldiers were for y
days bailing with buckets and boxes.
The steamer, they say, was unsea-
worthy, undermined and short of
provisions. Her engines broke down,
and she rolled three days in typhoon.
When the Manauense anchored in
Manila bay SO days after her de-
parture from San Fancisco there were
several feet of water in her hold
Four hundred griny, greasy, hungry
and exhausted soldiers and sailors
had been passing buckets of water
since November II, night and day.
First Assistant Engineer Dunleavy
was under arrest, and, according to
Colonel Hayes official report, the
chief engineer would also have been
under arrest if there had been anyone
to replace him.
The Colonel's report also states 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 experienced sea-
men would have deserted the ship and
taken to the boats in midocean.
The Manauense is a chartered ship
flying the British flag. She belongs
to a firm of which United States Sen
ator Perkins, of San Faucisco, is al
legged to be a junior member The
officers also alleged that the firm
bought her for $45, and that eff
forts were made to sell her to the
Government for much higher figure.
She started from San Francisco ac-
companied by the transport Pekln,
which carried the remainder OF the
Thirty-frst Infantry. After starting
it developed that she was underman-
ned, and soldiers had to be detailed
to act as fremen, coal-passers and
walters.
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 them succeeded in getting
away and the Manauense leftHonolulu
with less than half her crew.
The captain of the transport told
Colonel Hayes on November II that
the vessel had sprung leak, and an
investigation resulted in finding seven
feet of water in her hold. The steam
pumps were tried, but failed to work,
and there were no hand pumps on
board.
Forty-six buckets were found, 9th
ers were improvised, and the soldiers
not employed in working the ship
were organized into FIVE shifts Strip
ped 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 shift could stand
was two hours and often the period
was not longer than an hour. The
bailing continued until the ship an
chored here.
The same day the leak was discov-
cred the machinery collapsed. The
electric-lighting plant and evapora-
ting, distilling and refrigerating aP-
paratus failed 10 work. There wers
no lamps, and the few candles found
were exhausted after a few days.
During the last week of the trip the
Manauense was in utter darkness at
night.
She had been rolling in heavy seas
all the way, but on November p she
encountered typhoon and pitched
and tossed alarmingly. The Pekin
became, separated from her~in the
storm.
The water rose rapidly aud the
bailing 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 were
violently washed among them. The
fremen could feed the fires only by
being lifted on the shoulders Of the
other men through water waist deep.
The typhoOn lasted three days, and
in the midst of it the engines stopped.
The officers then held a council and
eond ,bot tbere wers 400 nersons on