Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-05-12

along her whole side ana KEEL. There
vas instant alarm throughout The
whole ship. but before single man 81
!; the watch below could reach the deck
the Huafa turned turtle and went
down in so feet or water. The suction
carried down all who were on deck.
and of that whole crew only IA men
escaped with their lives. and among
them was not one single officer. They
were all agreed that the bows OF the
ship were suddenly lifted to an angle OF
Is degrees and that after few seconds
she was twisted to port. and they heard
the swapping and crashing of wood and
iron.
1t was at first believed that the Hua-
ia had struck and run upon suomerg-
ed wreck, but after vain search for
such an obstruction the idea was
abandoned. Had no one been left alive
it would have been set down to a boiler
explosion but the testimony OF the IA
survivors was against such an acct
dent All were agreed that there was
no explosion Of any sort and that the
propeller was still revolving as she set
tied down. AS the unfortunate craft
had cost about $4,000 and this was
the first trip. the Spanish government
went in for the most thorough investi-
CATION. The depth Of the water was not
beyond the divers. and buoy was set
to mark the spot as near as might be
until men could so down. It was two
weeks later before the divers were
ready, and then a second mystery was
at hand. The Huafa was not 10 be
found under or in the neighborhood OF
the buoy For the first time IN the
history OF the port it was learned that
/ there was a stiff current running long
/ the bottom Of the hay, entering from
the north and going clear around it to
sweep out to sea on the south side.
| The surface of the bay was only dis
turbed by wind and tide. and even as
| far down as 40 feet no current could be
felt. but the last 10 feet of water be-
fore touching bottom had the rush of a
mill race. When this fact was made
clear to the searchers. they extended
the field of their operations. The cur
rent ran strongest as the tide flowed
in and directly in opposition. The
i lfiuafa had come in on almost a full
/ tide. and the current would therefore
/ drift her along the north side of the
4 bay, or so 1T was reasoned. At a mat
| ter of fact, however, the north shore
was. searched without finding any trace
/ of her. Then search Of the south
7. shore followed. and then they hoped to
/ find the sunken craft in some eddy near
+ the center. 1t was five months before
the divers declared that the bottom
was free of wreck CT any sort.
Now came the question of what had
become OF the man-of-war 1t did not
seem possible that such mass Of
wood and iron, with the weight Of her
guns and stores and unfortunate crew
added. could be dc'ifted any distance
along the bottom. especially as the bot
| tom was plentifuily sprinkled with
great rocks. There was no other way
to account for her disappearance. how
ever. The current had bumped her
along the bottom for distance Of three
| miles and had then taken her out to
sea. Just off the entrance OF the port
the water deepens to 200 feet. and It
was coneluded that she had been car
nied into this basin to be buried under
the oozs. The commission Of inquiry
closed Is lahors much more befogged
at the finish than at The start and It
was not believed that anything further
would ever be heard Of the craft. Moth