The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-07

realized what had HAPPENED the. pumps w"r
coupled mp ard sci going The 0inch pump
We're soon useless, cloggod hopolossly By the Goa
that had been washed down into the bilgcs 1hei
The II inrh pump was tired and IL too. sOui
engine room force stuck steadily W Its work
The men hHd heard the call 10 provision The boat
and understood that The ship was ~ bc hbhn
,lbncd but they hsd also learned 20 stand anf
be sui and they waited Tor the order which shorlr
take them on, Of the cnginc room ~ II II wct'
only n dill instead 81 bitter necessity. tn,
nm Of The. rcndlng plates was terrifying and u
spite Of all they could do The water was "a pidly
gaining on them Finally IL reached the Tor
ward fire rooms The hands Of the steam gauges
slid down to the left with a rapidly that was
lafGlyAng There, was not enough steam f2'
NE big pumps and they had to be abandoned.
Then the air pumps began 10 grow treble. The
s,'cam ran down 81 less Than thirty pounds. The
,iuggiSh ar pumps stopped and were started
by hand two of three times, each time going In
u hall hearted way for a minute or 50 and then
giving up the struggle again The electric lights
began To pale and grow DIM and the chief knew
that The water had reached the dynamo rooms.
The oil lamps were lighted aud still the engine
room men stood Ia their work, rccling like drunken
men as the bed plates ross under them and wag
81 from the rocks had been given up, the dimin.
i,shing steam was too valuable for other purposes.
The wounded cruiser hung 10 the rocks which
HAD given her her death blow, settling slowly
down into the water until there was nothing more
tlai men could do below and then the engine room
men went on deck TO help get away the boats.
Meantime, there had been lively work on deck.
1t takes a long time To- provision and get AVA
n warship's boats, especially when there Is no
Steam to be spared Tor the winches when the steam
cutters and thc big sailing launch are lowered
away, The Charleston usually carried ten boats
but one Of them had been smashed some time
before and she had not had time 10 get II replaced.
80 she had only nine, and. officers and men, her
complement Numbered 2s9, more than thirty
three 10 a boat. but not all OF the nine she had
could carry so many, no matter what the
emergency. She had two steam cutters, a sailing
Launch, three cutters, a gig and two dingies
There was no time TO lower a ladder and as the
ship was rolling and pounding II was extremely
dangerous TO The boats 10 bring them close along
side. so II was a case Of shin down the falls for
eyerybody, First the, provisions were slowed
In them, half ratons for ten days II was not
a very varied or flexible ration, hard bread and
canned meat 1t happened by luck that some
coilee wa. put, IN because the coffee Tins looked
30 much like bread cans that the men made n
mINiake They were short 81 bread rs a result.
but II turned out mighty well that they had that
lille coIce with them. Water casks and pro-
visions slowed, the order was sounded 10 abandon
ship and tho men began 10 take their places in
the boats Not every man can go down n fall.
rone wi,hou, skinning his hands even /! he is a
saIlo,man,, It, happened 10 several Of the
tharleston's gallAn, fellows, and then Chief iit'le
devised an Improvement that helped out Nc
took a section Of fire hose and the men wen, dow n
that We had been using IL previously to
make Tenders to keen the boats from being smashed
ag INST the SIDE OF the ship
rs the second steam cutter went into the water
II was discovered that there was no coal aboari
The cutter was lowered on the starhoart side,
which was the more exposed to the swell She
was sent rlundt to the port side and then the oueS.
ton was, where was the coal 20 come fromp The
bunkers were all flooded and had been FOR some
llmc but II had been the custom to coal the gallcv
always IN the evening and the supply etpte1 there
the night before now cane in mighty handy
che. little sent some Of his men 10 get a wash
tub AMI some buckets, and he himself helped to
pass The tub and buckets over the side 10 the
launch. One Of the Colt automatic guns was
made ready and put int one Of the boats and rifles
and ammunition were served out to tho men
That part OF II was like the regular "arm and
away" dtlll the men had lccn through So often,
but had never hal u chance to pm into practice
against an enemy.
At little before s O'Clock everything was ready.
as lar Ms II could be made So The loss Of the
one boat was felt kceniy for II made everybody
start out short Of rations. and there was absolutely
10 defiance u save enythlng Of value rom the ship.
The paymaster saved his muster rolls, but the
twcnt$ OF twenty-five thousand dollars he had in
has safe had t. 81 to the bottom with the rest.
III the hatd survey work they had done was lost
The officers saved what they stood in. with per.
maps an extra blouse OF pair Of trousers. Every
thing they had in their rooms went 81 the bottom
when the ship did Some OF them had considcra-
DE sums 81 money, amounting in one case -
$500 IN gold, and l.ieutcnant-Commandcr Norris
had n silver tea service he had bought in japan
for his wife which he was keeping on boar
fo' sac keeping, 81 that it Sh)uii MT be stolen
from the hotel here where Mrs. Norris is living
All the thousand and one thin Sets end souvenirs
~ tao Char,cStln'S cruises about the Philippine
waters went with the rest, and the collections II
Moro knives and krISSes and ArmOr might better
never had been bought
Cant Pigmana and some Of the other officers were
StHndlng on the deck waiting for the last " tho
men to Cct into the boats when some one nskelifIt
would not ben good thing tothrow awaythcbrecch-
blocks Of the big guns There was little doubt
N the mind n any Oi them that the cruiser would
be washed III the rocks by the first big swell "
storm, but there might he opportunity before that
ldDIpupu Tor some IN Insurgents 10 ret pIf 4, hcr
and remove some Of her guns 10 be used, should
occasion offer, against ourselves. II was recalled
that the Navy Department is planning - convert
all Of these 0ld-lGshiOned guns into quick .hrcrs,
and the UrcccubloCks would be useless in that case
anyway. and 50 they Ncro all taken out and
dropped overheard. II the INSURGENTS had got
aboard they would have had smal loot in the way
OF guns
81 the wreck Of the Charleston was deserted,
and in tow o. the two steam launches the rest "
the nine boats started toward Camtguin. Now
rough IL would have teen a very difficult matter
for the little launches 10 tow the heavy boats.
There was a good deal OF uncertainty about the
adVisAblity az trying to land on Camiguin.
because no one knew whether the natives would
be lriendly or not, and the Shipwrecked men were
not in a position to undertake the conquest Of nn
island, however good a de. euCe OF themselves
they might he ready 10 make in case Of need.
So they went by Caniguin u the litter island II
Font, which stands Of the Bay Of Port Pil V.
and makes what there is OF a harhur there They
= ''"''
! whom they made the beach at Font. They got
their stores ashore and the boats secure aud then
began TO look around a bt. II didn't take long
t. explore the island which they found to b. IN
They al q Gumptuous supper figured
put care ully NJ the rate 81 two pounds of car ned
meat ,nr Three men Iortwo days and one hardtack
per man per meal Also there was a little coffee.
For the first meal it WAS pretty good. For the
second II was q ialr reminder q! what II had been
at FIRST For the third meal II was principally a
memory. When they have time the Charleston
mon arc gong Ia .nI!nI Some nh ltnT rnAA Tar tla
growth of a brand o. coffee that will stand three
bpllings without t%inchlng, That night they slept
where ami as thcy could. II rained, and they
were wet and cold and miserable.
The next day Lieut. Van Duzrr rook one IT the
launches md went out - the wreck to see il II
wcr' p~ossiil" 20 get aboard and sayc any Of the
effects Of the ,.fic"rS ~ other Igluahics. The
weather was y li,flc had and hr could NOT get near
her, The Charleston was still hanging on the
rocks, hut sh" mad settled a little aft, When
Van DGlcr got hack he found that some of the
natives There "a friendly az could be desired.
Preparations had been made at once TO transfer
the whole crew, and part Of them had gone over.
Bel re Ia" r,st could make II, however, the wind
II Was growing dark, too, and SO work was sus-
pended, The next murning 1t was smooth and
all thr rest It III" crew Joined those who had spent
the night "a Camiggin.
There n much better state Of affairs was brought
about, There were nipl huts for the mon, 50
that they were no longer exposed to the rain. and
lhe officers found. fairly comfortable quarters
IN tho rILlir building, The natives had cara
ot meat supply was settled. IL Is not parti,r-
la-ly palatahlr, hui Il is a TT better than none.
.\lsu thOrr wen o lrW chickens 10 Ec had, and rice
and CucoauulS and fruit There was no longer
IL t'Canc siGlply q question of Saving where
tI"H were and. getting word 10 their fellows AZ
HOPE that they might be- sighted by a passing
transport, nut that did not last very long two