The Indianapolis journal., 1899-11-29
Battling with Buckets and Boxes and
Dodging PIanks That Were Con-
tinuaIly Endangering Life.
NO LIGHTS ABOARD THE SHIP
AND THE MEN FORCED TO FEEL
THEIR WAY IN THE DARK.
The Transport Said to Have Been Un-
hausted ON Arrival at Manila.

MANILA. Nov. 2s.-The transport Man.
aunse, with Lieut.. Col Webb Hayes and
three companies of the Thirty-first Infant
ry on board, has arrived here. She narrow
ly escaped disaster. The officers and SOL
diers were for twelve days bailing with
buckets. The steamer was unseaworthy,
undermanned and short of provisions. Her
engines broke down and she rolled three
days in a typhoon.
When the Manaunse anchored In Manila
bay this morning. thirty-three 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 buckets of water
since Nov II. night and day. First Assist.
ant Engineer Dunleavy was under arrest,
and. according 10 Col. Webb Hayess off,
cial report, the first engineer would also
have been under arrest IL there had been
anyone to replace him. The colonel's re-
port also declares that the captain of the
vessel told him 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.
UNDERMINED.
The Manaunse Is a chartered ship flying
the British flag. She belongs to a firm of
which Senator Perkins, of San Francisco. is
alleged to be a junior member. The officers
say the firm bought her for si5, ,0o0 and they
claim efforts were made to sell her to the
government for $4,000. She started from
San Francisco accompanied by the trans
port Pekin. which carried the remainder of
the regiment, and encountered heavy seas
TO Honolulu without accident. After start
ing 1t developed that she was undermined
and soldiers had to be detailed to act as
hremen, coal passers and walters and to do
other work.
Before reaching Honolulu the crew con-
cluded that the ship was not safe and the
majority agreed to desert. Though they
were closely watched. many of the crew
succeeded In getting away and the Man.
aunse left Honolulu with less than half her
crew. The captain Of the transport on
Nov. II told Colonel Hayes that the vessel
had sprung leak and an investigation re-
suited in finding several feet OF water in
her hold The steam pumps were tried but
failed to work. and there were no hand
pumps on board. However, forty-six buck
cts were found, others were improvised and
the soldiers not employed in working the
ship were organized into five shifts. They
stripped. and. forming lines, began bailing.
the officers working with the men passing
the buckets, which were sent up to the
deck by windlass. 1he 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 shin
anchored here.
IN UTTER DARKNESS.
The same day the leak was discovered
the machinery collapsed and the electric
lighting plant and evaporating. distillinS
and refrigerating apparatus failed to work.
There were no lamps and the few candles
found were exhausted after few davs
During the last week of the passage the
Manaunse was In utter darkness at night.
She had been rolling in heavy seas all the
way. but Nov. - she encountered a typhoon
and pitched and tossed alarmingly.
The Pekin became separated from the
Manaunse In the storm. The water rose
rapidly and the bailing force 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 being
violently washed among them. The fremen
could only feed the fires by being lifted on
the shoulders OF the other men through
water waist deep.
THEY DIDN'T CARE.
The typhoon lasted two DAYS and a half
and In the midst OF IL the engines stopped.
The Officers then held a council and found
there were 40 persons on board, with life
boat accommodations for 2la In the mean
time the men below. ignorant OF their ex-
treme peril. were passing buckets and sing
ing What the Hell do we care" while the
ship rolled helpless on the ocean. with
matches closed.
The heat was intense until the typhoon
passed. and then the Pekin. which had re-
traced her course about seventy miles,
came alongside the Manaunse. which was
| ssiling so heavily that the soldiers In the