The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-26
NEWS OF THE WATERFRONT
Petre|
Comes Into
Harbor.


gv oMEWARD BOUND was the
~ story told in the fluttering ESQ
Al foot pennant floating at the miz-
Izenmasthead of the United States gun
boat Petrol. which steamed into the
lharbor yesterday afternoon at o'clock,
lust nineteen days out from Yokohama.
The Petrol, the last of Dewey's fleet
which smashed the Spanish armada in
Manila Bay. is on her way home, which
for the nonce will be Mare island. The
gallant little vessel has borne the brunt
lof battle blistered beneath the rays of
the tropic sun, patrolled the narrow
| neck of land between Cavite and Ma
Mia, and played an important part In
the memorable May Day fight. For four
wears and more she has cruised in
| Asiatic waters, most of her service be-
| ing in and about Manila Bay, and
many repairs are needed to make her
again a sprightly arm of the Navy. Her
boilers are becoming weak from the
strain to which they have been subject
ed for so many years without perma-
nentsrepairs. Upon her arrival at San
Francisco she will go out of commission,
which means that her guns and arma-
merlt will be removed, her rigging TAX
en- away and nothing will be left but
her masts decks and the shell of the
boat.
The Petrol is flying an enormous
,;al,
the pride of the officers and crew 1t.
is big enough for a battleship. They
came within an ace of losing the strip
of blue as the Petrol came INTO the har-
Dor. An Island boat was going out and
as they passed the breeze caught the
pennant and swept it into the rigging
of the local steamer. The crew of the
gunboat saw its danger and quickly
sprang to it's rescue. The end of the
pennant was drawn in just in time to
save it and, in the parlance of the men
of the sea, keep the little vessels GOOD
luck. The gunboat anchored in Naval
Row. where she will remain until ready
to coal She may come over to the Ma
val dock today.
The Petrol is carrying home a new
set of officers and crew of sailors whose
terms of enlistment are about to eX
pire. Not an officer or man aboard the
vessel now was there when the battle
of Manila Bay was fought The only
survivor of that time is the big cat
Jerry, who has been with the vessel
for more than five years. Jerry was
present when the battle was fought and
from the tales the men tell of him he
was as brave as any one on board.
Jerry is the mascot of the Petrol and
will probably remain such until he dies.
When Dewey received his orders to
go to Manila and destroy the Spanish
fleet. the Petrol was one of the vessels
which made the voyage from Hong
kong, past Corregidor Island batteries,
and participated in the fight with the
Spanish vessels. Drawing much less
water than the other ships, the Petrol
was able. to close in on the enemy.
When the fighting was about over. she
was ordered to steam in close to the
shattered Spanish vessels and finish the
work. She performed all that was ask
ed of her. Men from the vessel were
sent in boats to the various Spanish
gunboats and burned them. The Petrol
blazed away at a number Of them with
her rapid-fire guns and played havoc
j
tria. Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, the
Mindanao, which was run upon the
beach near Malate, and the transport
all felt the mailed hand of
the Petrol. Her duty afterwards was
to patrol the shore line between Ca
yite and Manila to prevent the insur-
gents making use of the neck of land
for strategic purposes. On June IL of
Z Won Sln 1n6
thence to Nagasaki and Yokohama, |
sailing thence for San Francisco nine
teen days ago. Being a homeward- !
bound vessel she had her choice of put
ting into Honolulu or continuing on to |
San Francisco She chose the former |
and may remain here for |
week.
The Petrels officers are all anxious to |
get home, but willing enough to see
of Honolulu The boat is |
commanded by Captain E. H. Gheen |
Lieut.. T. r. Payne is the executive off
Ger. The rest of the officers are Lieut. |
j. M. Hughes, Lieut. F. E. Eckhardt, |
DR.. c. D. Langhorne, Ensign L. C. Pal
mer, Ensign c. P. Burt, Ensign George |
Paymaster D. NJ Addison
She has. crew of 119 men, including
tial prisoners aboard.
The Petrol is a barkentine-rigged
gunboat of S92 tons displacement, and
was placed in commission December 10.
1889. She is 176 feet length ON low-wa-
ter lire, 81 feet beam, IL feet inches
draft. She has a speed of II knots Her
armament consists of four 6-inch guns,
two Spourders, two revolving cannon,
2 gatling guns.
The voyage between Yokohama and
Honolulu was made under steam and
sail.
Japanese Frelghters for Honolulu.
According to statements made by one
of the directors of the Togo Kisen Kali
sha, who stopped over for a day in
Honolulu this week en- route to Yoke
hama on the Nippon Maru, Japan is
about to make great strides to gain the
supremacy in the matter of the trans
Pacific trade. The company of which