The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-06

LIKE A l.AlL !. [ OUT
A SllORI|l BOOK {. K.
Coal Barge Cardenas Lost for q.
Month.
AT THE MERCY OF FIVE. GALES Al L:
Drlited Many Hundreds of Miles aud Sailed
Many Hundred More, and Returned
to the Point Where She
Was Lost.
AT THE MERCY OF. FIVE. GALES.
fsnec,ol Disnatch to The Times. J

GllCeS UudL mas ever " IllC wv
a vessel of her class She was adrift for
twenty-nine stormy days, and was tossed
about during that time in five stiff gales
at the mercy of wind and wave, sur
Eviving every peril, to be picked up at 3
o'clock last Monday afternoon by the
same tug from which she parted COM
Epany exactly one month before-on the
night of February 3D. The story of Cap
tain Joseph Raymond. supplemented by
the statements of Captain B. II. Halves,
of the Cuba, and Captain John Correa,
of the barge Matanzas, reads like a
chapter from a. sea novel.
In her remarkable drifting experience
the Cardenas went as far south as sixty
miles west of Bermudas and then drifted
and sailed back as far as Fire Island
Light, where the Cuba picked her up
and brought her to the port for which she
was originally bound. The first man
Captain Raymond met, when he stepped
ashore. was Captain Correa.
sBARGES BROKE AWAY.
The Ca.denas and NIatanzas were COM
ing light from Providence Tor Newport
News in tow. of the Cuba, when, at 9
o'clock on Sunday night, February I'd,
the two barges broke away from the
tug during a heavy storm. The Matanzas
dropped anchors and they held, but the
cardenas was blown away and started
on her long drift. The Cuba stood by,
and, after much cruising, managed to
pick the Matanzas up Tuesday morning at
IL o'clock. She towed the barge into
Newport. She also picked up the barge
Mystic Belle, which had broken away
from the Richmond, with the Belle of
Oregon and the Antelope. Leaving New
port, the Cuba made two cruises, one
lasting twenty-four hours, the other five
days, for the Cardenas, but could not
find her. Giving the barge up for lost.
the Cuba returned to her regular run.
1t was on her last run down the coast for
Newport News. without tow, that the
Cuba sighted the Cardenas off Fire Is
land light.
\ PHENOMENAL CRUISE.
Telling the story Of his phenomenal
cruise, Captain Raymond said
Il drifted in a southeasterly direction
after breaking away from the Cuba.
What little sail we had. / set and the
breeze took it well, our course changing
to southwest, then back to southeast.
con Monday night we sighted an un-
known steamer bound west, but no as
sistance was given or asked. l asked
20 be rep,rtcd: The gale lasted strong
for forty-eight hours. We continued to
drift, changing iour course Wyth the
wind. On the 18th, the British steam
er Kcrriston spoke us about 800 miles
east of Della aware Canes The captln
asked eff needed assistance. L replied
in the ncgatll,e, but requested. him to
give me NY longitude. He set the flag,
but l had no card. After that, we did
not sec q ship or land. until March =
when we saw the Fire Island light. At
night we would sometimes see the dim
lights, of passing ships in the distance
From the It'll to the 18th we had
continuous gales. On the 18th we found
our location to be latitude 32:45; longi-
tude So which put US about sixty miles
west OF Bermuda. We drifted to south
ward and ran 22O miles on a stretch to
the west, then. changing to eastward,
lriftod about 100 miles. The wind hauled
to south and back to west, putting us
20 miles westward.
For fifty miles to eastward we drifted
md then the wind hauled to south and
rp ran 120 miles back and then drfted
bout sixty miles TO westward and the
anne distance back to eastward. The
vino SHIFTED to east-northeaSt and we
made POI miles, going about this distance
to westward. After drifting for twenty
i've or thirty! miles more, We found
ourselves in latitude ABOUT 3S:2S. The
wind hauled to south and [ made Tor
sandy Hook. i afterwards hauled TO
nc north and we made run OF about
1870 miles, fetching in at Ere Island light,
sunday night.
..DlIring our experience we encoun-
cred five strong gales, blowing west
arly and northerly. Our provisions last
d well and there are enough on board
to last me and my crew of four another
month Our tobacco ran short, how
ever. and that was q great discomfort.
NO one was sick during the voyage ana
the men kept up their courage splendid
,.{t lf.I1
cur best to do throughout. The barge
stood the experience in excellent shape.
Ter rudder was disa bled and the fore
rigging started and she is q, little sprung.
hut there is no water in her hold to
speak Of
A FRUITLESS SEARCH.
Captain Halves tells the story OF the
search for the Cardenas as follows:
after taking the Matanzas and N1ys-
TIC. Belle to Newport, | put to sea again
to find some trace of the Cardenas, re-
naming out twenty-four hours and going
il, to find whether the barge had been
reported I then made another cruise
lasting five days. 1 went as far east as
Halifax and sailed about in different di-
lections, going as far south as latitude
2> and as far north as latitude Al, COW
e.ing about 1,5o0 miles in all. We en-
cnuntered fierce weather-snow, sIeet and
q running gale. Finally, we put in at
Fall River. having failed to locate the
barge. The Cuba then went upon her
regular run. At 5 O'Clock Sunday I re-
ceived orders to proceed direct to New
port News. and sailed Immediately from
Etston. where the tug was. When off
Fire Island at 8 O'Clock Monday after
room / sighted the Cardenas at anchor
Just inside the lightshp. All on board
We're well. We. gave her a hawser and
brought her to port, arriving here at 2
o'clock this morning. I never experienced
a greater sensation of JOY in my life than
I did when i sighted the barge we had
tcen looking for for a month.
The two barge captains, Raymond and
Gcrrea- are the men who took the New
York pilot boat Thomas D. Harrison from
New York to Cape Verde Islands in the
terrible storm of February. 1897, when
ali the shipping world thought they were
at the bottom of the ocean. Correa was
captain and Raymond was mate Of the
#Eoat. 1t was during this storm that seve-
mi American warships were damaged on
tie tie coast and many sailing ships went
down
James steeth (colored) was arrested to-
Cay as an accessory to the murder of
James Taylor Sunday morning. Steeth