The times., 1899-02-27
Important domestic dOingS.

the pumps could control it handily The
weather was very bad. however. and in
the night Manila caught the edge of
typhoon. II kicked up such sea in the
bay that the Cuba was swamped in it and
went to the bottom in spite of the pumps.
Getting the Cuba out of her mud berth
was tedious process. She was dragged
aft until she stuck in the mud wall and
could be hauled no farther. Then she was
permitted TO NIL and settle, thus making
new berth for herself. Out of this berth
she was raised and dragged a little dis
lance. and then filed again. So it went
until on November she was hauled finally
clear Of the mud and into deep water. Then
not minute was lost in towing her around
TO the shipyard in Canaear Bay, where
she was hauled out on the ways at once.
In the mean time work had been going
on in the Luzon. While the pumps were
working on the Cuba the divers were plug
ging up the hoes in her sister ship. II
was slow business, yet ont the whole it
was done in very short time. 4 diver
would go down and examine section OF
the ship. II had to be done by the sense
of touch because the water became so foul
with the mud stirred up that no one could
see through it. The diver. having discov-
cred an opening. would measure it and
then go up and report. A plug would be
made to fit it and the diver would go down
and drive in the plug. So il went until
every opening not hidden by mud was
plugged up. Then the pumps were put TO
work on the Luzon as they had been
worked on the Cuba. The Luzon lay in
just such a mud berth as the Cuba had
made for herself, with the additional COM
plication that she had been backed into
an old submerged wreck, with the frames
of which her propellers had been fouled.
Besides the task OF floating her, there was
the problem of lifting her far enough TO
free the pTopellers. Finally II was done,
but one blade was broken and four were
bent in the process. AS soon as she was
freed she. 100. was towed over TO the ship
yard and hauled out. The Cuba had been
overhauled in the meantime and relaunched
as an American prize. That was on No
vember IL.
Then the turn Of the Austria came and
she was the easiest of the three. The sys-
TEN of drainage in the Austria was better
than in the Islas and there was not so
much difficulty in the pumping as the hrst
two ships had given. Eight days after the
Luzon was fioated. or on November %. the
Austria took her place in the shipyard. The
process of getting the Luzon and Austria
out of the mud was exactly that employ
ed on the Cuba, and there were no set
backs due to bad weather
All three ships were raised in compare
lively good condition. They looked badly
used up but it was evident, even at
casual glance. that they had not suffered
much in the action of May l. The fires
set by the American had burned them all
out aft, and in the case of the Austria
the fire had gone well forward. Along
the two or three feet that had been alter
nateIy exposed and covered by the tidal
action thousands of oysters had embedded
themselves. and this gave picturesque
effect to the general aspect OF ruin
caused by the fire. Everything
worth having had been stripped by
wreckers or relic hunters and the little
prizes certainly presented a sorry appear
ance But there were few scars of battle
The Cuba showed hardly mark that could
be set down positively as the work of a
hostile shell. The Luzon showed two dis
tinct hits. One was hole on the port side
of the coming tower. where 6-pounder
shell had struck and failed to penetrate I
The other was a hole in the starboard !
after-gun shield that looked II a 5-inch /
shell had come through. There was a hole /
in the galley also, probably made by a /
shell.
The Don Junn de Austria.
OF the three ships the Don Juan de AUS
tria made by far the best fight. as wit
messed by her scars. The forward torpedo
pedoes were in the racks ana two in the
slings above the tubes. Two spare war
heads were lying on the deck just ahead
of the tubes \ shell struck below the
port hawsepipe, came through and knocked
off the propeller from torpedo in the port
rack Then the shell exploded and TWO
pieces OF it struck one of the warheads.
penetrating into the guncotton chamber.
Evidently that warhead was not loaded
This was a siX-pOunder shell. The after
torpedo tubes of the Austria were open
and the torpedoes were all gone from the
after room, Capt. Don Juan de la Conda,
who commanded the Austria on that day.
saws that no torpedoes were fired hut
although Captain Conda is a pleasant gen.
teman and undoubtedly gallant officer.
am compelled to say that he has made
statements with reference to that action
which the cold facts have net borne out.
The worst blow received by the Austria
was from shell. probably a five or six
inch. which struck the superstructure just
at the port end OF the bridge, cut oil Il
stanchion of the flying bridge and exploded,
ripping up the deck and completely carry
ing away the steering gear. Two small
shells hit the galley and one hve-inch
smashed through the ash hoist Just at the !
water line.
All the ships were well supplied with
ammunition, quantities of it being found
in all their magazines They also had
their bunkers well filled with good Car
diff coal. Their hulis were all III fine |
condition and it took little time when
they were on the ways To get them cleaned !
and properly patched When they went
back into the water they were as fit as |
ever in their existence to meet weather, !
that is. as far as hull was concerned. |
Singularly enough. the engines all around |
were found TO be in excellent shape |
They had all been coated heavily with oil |.
when the ships went down. To this there /
had been added quickly a deposit of fine |
mud which had acted as a fairly salts |
factory protection, that there was very !
little rust. They looked bad enough to /!
make landlubber wonder what anybody /
was crazy enough to think could be done |
with them, but Henderson and McPher- |
son. the dock company's engineers. only !