The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-29
THE SHIP IN DARKNESS
ROLLING IN A TYPHOON. HER
ENGINES BROKEN.
MEN TolLED BREAST DEEP IN WATER
They Say The Manauense Was Unseaworthy,
Undermined and Short of Provisions,
MlnY of the Crew Deserted.
Arrival at Manila.

Manila, Nov. 2S.-7:35 y. m.-The
transport Manauense, with Lieutenant
Colonel Webb-Hayes and three compa-
MES of the Thirty-first infantry on
board has arrived here. She narrowly
escaped disaster. The officers and sol
diers We're for twelve days bailing with
buckets. The steamer was unseaworthy,
undermanned and short of prorlsions.
Her engines broke down and me rolled
three days in typhoon.
When .tthe -ManaueIse anchored in
Manila Bay this morning, 33 days from
San Francisco, there were several feet
of water in her hold, and four hundred
grimy, greasy, hungry, exhausted soldiers
and sailors had been passing guckets OF
water since November 17th, night and
day. First Assistant Engineer DUN
leavy was under arrest and, according to
Colonel Webb-Hayes' official report, the
chief engineer would also have been un-
der arrest If there had been any one to
replace him.
The ColoneFs 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 experienced seamen would
have deserted the ship and taken to the
boats in mid-ocean.
THE Manauense is a chartered ship
flying the British flag. She belongs to a
firm of which Senator Perkins, of San
Francisco is alleged to be Junior mean
ber. The officers say the firm bought her
for $4,000 and they clam enorts were
made TO sell her to the Government for
S150,0OO. She started from San Francis
60 accompanied by the transport Pellin,
which carried the remainder of the regi-
mont and encountered heavy seas to
Honolulu without accident. After start
ing it developed that she was under
manned and soldiers had to be detailed to
act as fremen, coal passers and winters
and to do other work. 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 the crew sue
ceeded in getting away and the Ma
nauense left Honolulu with less than
half her crew. The captain of the trans
port ON November 18th told Colonel
Hayes that the vessel had sprung a leak,
and an investigation resulted in finding
several feet of water in the hold. The
steam pumps We're tried, but failed to
work and there were no hand pumps on
board. However, 46 buckets were found,
others were improvised and the soldiers
not employed an working the ship were
organized into five shifts and, stripped,
and forming lines, they began baiIing
the officers working with the men, pass
ing the buckets which were sent up to
the deck by a windlass. They longest
time a shift could stand was two hours,
and, often, the period was not longer than
half an hour.
The bailing 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 refIigerating apparatus failed 10
work. There were no lamps and the few
candles found were exhausted after
few days. During the last week of the
passage the Manauense was in utter
darkness at night She had been rolling
in heavy seas all the way, but November
22nd she encountered a typhoon and
plIc0eu ana tOSSGu dIdTlllalLSlgs
The Pekin became separated from the
Manauense in the storm.
The water rose rapidly and the bailing
force was doubled. But the buckets
were gradually smashed and barrels ana
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 coun
Gil and found that there were 420 per
sons on board with lifeboat accommoda-
tions for 213. In the meantime the men
below, ignorant of their extreme peril
were passing buckets anG singing what
the He'll DO We Care while the ship
rolled helples on the ocean, with
matches closed
The heat was intense until the ty-
phoon passed, and then the Pekin, which
had retraeed her course about seventy
miles, came alongside the Manauense,
which was rolling so heavily that the
soldiers in the hold could at each roll
see the Pekin through the matches over
head.
Colonel James s. Petit, commander OF
the THIRTY fret yo1uutnar Y.aUfnpnf Or