Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-10-30
BATTLE With TYPHODN
TRANSPORT SUMNER HAS
TERRIFIC EXPERIENCE
CAPT. LYMAN TELLS THE STORY
IN HIS LoG.eooK-DAMA
DONE - THE PAS.
sENoERs.

The United States Army transport
Sumner arrived this morning early
from Manila, via Kobe, Nagasah and
Yokohama and was moored at Naval
wharf No. at about 1880 o'clock The
Sumner makes this voyage as spe-
cial trip to bring back to the Mainland
Vice Governor of the Philippines Luke
f. Wright and Major General Ada r..
Chaffee. together with several mem.
bers of General Chaffee's staff and a
few other passengers and officers.
The Sumner left Manila October 2,
Nagasaki October 3. and Yokohama
October 10. She had only been one
day out when terrible typhoon struck
the vessel, giving all on board a most
terrible experience. Three OF the
houses on deck had their walls on the
starboard side stove in by the life.
boats and the steam launch. which
were torn from their beds by the IN.
satiable fury of the storm. and smash.
ed against the houses. Even the pilot
house, highly elevated above the sur.
face of the water as 1t Is, bears marks
Of the storm. Numerous cabin doors
were also smashed in. The damage
done to the houses has been repaired
during the voyage. but the marks LETT
on the boats are yet in evidence. The
master of the Sumner, Captain Z. V.
Lyman. in his private log gives a vivid
description of the storm, extracts
from which follow:
October 17th-On the noon of Octo.
Der 16 the falling barometer led me
to suspect that a typhoon was mp.
preaching from some southwesterIy
direction. During the afternoon tine
gale rapidly increased until its awful
force became indescribable. No ma:.
ter how vivid mans imagination may
be, or how readily and easily he can
command eloquent and expressive Ian.
gunge, II would be utterly impossible
for him to describe the awful tumult
of which this ship formed the center.
piece last evening"
From noon until $50 p. m. the
wind increased in force with a con.
stantly falling barometer. The wind
blew with a force up till then that II
did not seem possible anything could
resist. Between $3.50 and 6 the bar.
ometer stood at 2S.4O. which was the
lowest reading. For a few moments
then we had very little wind from
southwest. with stars out overhead
Since noon the wind had slowly veer.
ed to above point, the sea was high,
only one sea running. After 2 o'clock
we began to have sea from southeas 81.
later from south. then from southwest
at 6 o'clock. Our barometer com.
menced to go up, and | congratulated
myself that we had seen the worst OF
the storm-false delusion. In a fuw
moments the gale commenced anew
with a force that outdid anything 'vc
had seen before. Between I and the
wind veered from southwest to west.
northeast, and 1t does not seem possible
that II ever blew harder.
Il wish could describe the awful
scene around the ship. A full moon
prevented the pail which covered our
world from being of inky hue. We
could not see once the ships length
in mounds OF roaring, rushing water,
which hurled themselves against the
ship as though their only aim was her
destruction. As the ship Overcame
each angry wave which charged upon
her from unseen space beyond our
world and went like raving furies IN
quest of other victims, hundreds rush.
ed irem those unnumbered ranks bent
upon the same mission, to be as sue.
cessfully overcome by the noble ship
doing battle for herself and for those
she carried.
"Retween I and 8 the clouds became
broken and stars sparkling like points
# brilliant fire cleaned above the
flying spray. Shortly the wild pris.
matte bank of cloud told us that new
Pnd wonderful feature was soon to bc
added to the grand and awful picture
One of the most brilliant lunar rain.
bows | ever saw stood between us and
the surface of the tempestuous ocean
Its beautiful arc stood twenty or thir.
ty feet above the water, its poiuts
reaching the sea just outside the
ship"
During the ten hours between noon
and 10 p. m. the wind yeered from
east to north via south. Our heaviest
iale was from southwest to west, ne,
tween I and p. m. After the baron
cttr had first commenced to rise at G
O'clock during the lull in the gale 1t
icll 3-lOO as the gale commenced
anew, but in few moments II began
to rise again and rose rapidly while
the wind was blowing with greater
fnIce than | have ever before expe
rienced. After 8 p. N. the wind died
las' and backed from north to west
again. where 1t remained, At mid
hight put the ships head east on her
| L., II al . l.