The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-03-18


most without stopping. Twice after she
first fioated she went clear down again.
Several times she was raised part way
and then settled back. The first dis
enlargement If this sort came after she
had been fairly f1oated. She was leaking
all the time, but the pumps could control
in handily. The weather was very bad,
however, and in the night Manila caught
the edge of a typhoon. It kicked up sue.
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 further. Then she was
permitted to fill and SETTLE thus making
a new berth for herself, Out of this
perth she was raised and dragged a
little distance, and then filled again So
1t went until on Nov. 4, she was hauled
finally clear Of the mud and into deep
water. Then not a 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 meantime, work has been going
on in the Luzon. While the pumps were
working on the Cuba the divers were
plugging up the holes in her sister ship.
1t was slow business. yet, on the whole,
1t was done in very short time. A diver
would go down and examine a section of
of touch, because the water became so
foul with the mud stirred up that no one
could see through it. The diver, having
discovered an opening, would measure it
and then go up and report. plug would
be made to fit it ard the diver would go
down and drive in the plug. So it 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 G. mud berth as the Cuba
had made for herself. with the addition
al complication 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 propellers. Finally. It
was done, but one blade was broken and
four were bent in the process. AS soon as
she was freed she, too, was toWed over
to the shipyard and hauled out. Tho
Cuba had been overhauled in the mean
time and relaCnched as all American
prize That was on Nov Is.
Then the turn Of the Austria came, and
she was the easiest Of the three. The sys-
tenn of drainage in the Austria was better
than in the Islas and there was not so
much difficulty in the pumping as the first
two ships had given. Eight days after
the Luzon was floated, or on Nov. %, the
Austria took her place in the ship yard.
The process of getting the Luzon and
Austria out Of the mud was exactly that
employed on Tle Cuba, and there were no
setbacks 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 cas-
much in the action of May 1. The fires
set by the Americans had burned them all
out aft, and in the case of the Austria
the fire had gone we'll forward. Along
the two or three feet that had been alter
nately exposed and covered by the tidal
| action thousands of oysters had embedded
themselves, and this gave a 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 pre-
scented sorry appearance But there
| were few scars Of battle. The Cuba
showed hardly a mark that could be set
down positively as the work of a hostile
she'll. The Euzon showed two distinct
hits. One was a hole on the port side OF
| the coming tower, where 6-pounder
| shell had struck and failed to penetrate.
The other was a hole in the starboard
after-gun shield that looked as If a 5-inch
shell had come through. There was
hole in the galley also, probably made by
| a shell.
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
tubes had been riveted shut, but six tor
pedoes were in the racks and two In the
sings 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
narheads, penetrating into the guncotton
| chamber Evidently that Warhead was
not loaded. This was a 6-pounder smell.
The after torpedo tubes of the Austria
were open, and the torpedoes were all
gone from the after room. Capt. Don
| Juan de Ia Conda who commanded the
| Austria on that day, says no torpedoes
were fired, but although Capt. Conda IS
"a pleasant gentleman and undoubtedly
| gallant officer, am compelled to say that
| he has made statements with reference
| to that action which the cold facts nave
not borne out. The worst blow received
by the Austria was from a shell, probably
a five or six-inch, which struck the super
structure just at the port end Of the
bridge, cut of stanchion of the fling
bridge and exploded ripping up the deck
- and completely carrying away the steer
ing gear. Two small shells hit the galley,
and one five-inch smashed through the
ash hoist just at the water line.
All the ships were well supplied with
4 ammunition, quantities Of it being found
in all their magazines They also had
their bunkers we'll filled with good Car
diff COAL Their hulls were all in fine con-
dition 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 fit as ever
In their existence to meet weather, that
Is, as far as hull was concerned. Singu-
larly 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
acted as a fairly satisfactory protection.
so that there was very little rust. They
looked bad enough to make a landlubber
wonder what anybody was crazy enough
to think could be done with them, but
Henderson and Mcpherson, the Dock COM
pany's engineers, only grinned when any
| such suggestion was made to them.
Temporary decks were put in to re-
place those our fires had burned out.
i Tie engines were cleaned thoroughly and
overhauled; everything below was gone
ever with loving care under the surervi-
sion Of Mr.. Caps, for these were real
spared to get them safely to the dock.
At last the Cuba was ready for trial,
and, to the amazement of the admiral
and all who saw her she went about the
bay under her own steam at speed
i of twelve knots an hour and better. And
the coal that made the steam was taken
4 from her own bunkers, after six months
in salt water. On Dec. IL the Cuba start-s
4 ed also for Hongkong. but the next day
she met rough weather and put back In
4 the meantime the Luzon had been pre-
pared, and so on Monday of this week,
/ Dec 10, the two STARTED away together;
This afternoons telegram tells of thel
4 completion of their voyage. The AustriaI
i will be ready to, follow in a few weeks.
i These three little gunboats will bel