, 1900-11-30
CRUISER LOST
DISASTER TO THE YOSEMITE Of
FicIALLY REPORTED By
ADMIRAL REMEY.
The Ship Was Caught in a Typhoon
and Hurled on the Rocks Of the
Island Of Guam-AIl the Crew ex-
cept Five Men Saved-Was For
merIy a Morgan Line Steamer.

partment today received a caDleSram
from Admiral Remey confirming the re-
port of the disaster to the auxiliary
gram does not go into details but states
a boats crew were lost in the typhoon
and that Admiral Kempff will be sent
to Guam to ascertain the extent of the
damags.
Following is the text of Admiral
Remey's cable:
"Cavite, Nov. 29.-Bureau of Navi-
cation, Washington: Captain of trans
port Sherman reports total loss of
Yosemite, November 10. Chains part
ed in typhoon, drifted to sea and sank
seventy miles off. Collier Justin went
to rescue. Steam launch crew of five
lost. Shall send Kempff to Guam to-
morrow to ascertain extent of disas-
ter and transport Yosemite crew to Ca
vite. REMEY.'
Rescued by the Justin.
Manila. Nov. 29.-The United States
auxiliary cruiser Yosemite was wreck
ed on November 10 in a typhoon which
swept over the island of Guam. After
her cables had parted she drifted on
a reef near the harbor of San Luis de
Para and stove in her bottom.
A launch was manned by five men
and an attempt was made to get a line
ashore, but the launch was swamped
and the five men drowned.
After pounding on the reef for some
time the Yosemite was blown seward
seventy miles. Before she sank the
collier Justin, which was stationed at
Guam, followed and make the rescue
of all on board.
Union Thanksgiving services were
held here in the Filipino theater and
in some of the Catholic churches.
200 Men on Yosemite.
New York, Nov. 29.-Captain Charles
sister ship of the Yosemite. vas anx
ious last evening at the Brooklyn navy
yard to know fuller details of the loss
of the Yosemite. He said that he left
Manila on August 81. and that the
Yosemite left for Guam the day after.
At that time there were about 22O men
on the Yosemite and she was under
the command of Lieutenant Augustus
N. Mayer. Lieutenant Mayer is from
Iowa and has been in the service since
June "a. 1876. His present commissiop
dates from February "a. 1897.
Rear Admiral Barker said that Cap
tain Franklin Hanford had been sent
to Manila to take charge of the Yose-
mite, but he doubted If he had had
time to get there yet. The Yosemite
and the Buffalo, once the Brazilian
warship Nictheroy, both of the Nor
gan line, were bought by the United
States in the Spanish-American wal
and were fitted up as auxiliary cruis-
ers. The only difference between them
is that the Yosemite has an iron hull
and the Buffalo a steel me-.
Replacing the Yosemite.
Washington, Nov. 29.-Admiral Rem
ey's dispatch came at an early hour
and gave the first official data Of the
total loss Of the Yosemite. The dis
patch was communicated to Secretary
Long, who came to the department and
spent part Of the morning there. The
secretary expressed profound regret
at the loss Of the ship and men. but
there was some consolation in the fact
that the loss of life was comparatively
small, considering the large compile
ment Of officers and men carried by
the Yosemite under ordinary circum-
stances. A dispatch was sent to Ad.
miral Remey asking for all further par
ticulars which might be available, and
for the names Of the boats lost crew.
The fact that Admiral Kempff had left
Cavite by this time for Guam gave as
%surance that everything possible would
be done. The secretary said the de-
partment would make every effort to
ascertain the extent Of the disaster
and the INT Of those who were lost
and would keep the public informed.
Admiral Remey's reference to the
Justin, which went to the rescue Of the
Yosemite, applies to the collier Justina,
which recently had arrived at Guam.
Soon to Have Left Guam.
The plans concerning the Yosemite
were in a transient state and within a
few days from the time Of her loss she
was expected to leave Guam for Ca
vite. At the same time the collier Bru-
tus had been ordered from. the Philip
pines to Guam, where she was to take
the place of the Yosemite as a station
ship. In the absence of all cable con-
~nection with Guam 1t is impossible for
the department to know whether the
Brutus had reached there at the time
of the disaster. The Brutus took out
a crew and marines, who will act as
the garrison at Guam. replacing the
forces which have been there for about
a year..
The General Alava, which Is report
ed from Manila to have passed into
the track of the same typhoon which
overwhelmed the Yosemite, is q little
gunboat Of 632 tons displacement. New
ertheless, she IL said to have been Der.