Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-10-31
BAD OVER AND BACK
TRANSPORT SUMNER bad
TWO ROUGH EXPERIENCES
MANILA PAPER TELLS OF TRIP
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO
PHILlPPINes-EoiToR
ON BOARD.

The transport Sumner which arrived
yesterday morning with General Adna
r. Chaffee and vice-Governor Luke Z.
Wright on board. was in the midst of
a typhoon not only on the way to this
port from the Philippines but also on
her outward bound trip so that she has
had almost continuous bad weather I'M
I'll her arrival in Honolulu. The Daily
Bulletin" a shipping paper of Ma
Mia. contains the following account
of the typhoon which the Sumner met
with on the way out, this having been
written by the editor himself who was
a passenger aboard the transport:
At few minutes before 2, on Sun
day morning, Sept. Z. the typhoon
struck the ship. Strange as the state
ment may seem. the wind was so heavy
as practically to crush the waves fiat,
leaving the surface of the ocean vast
seething mass of boiling spume.
Where an hour before, had been a
regular succession of sullen oily seas.
running savage and strong. was now a
boiling cauldron OF soapy white. Great
masses OF water. torn up from the sur
face of the sea and shattered into
clouds OF flying spindrift, obscured the
view and hurtled off into the inky
blaCkness of the warm southern night
with inconceivable force and swift
ness.
Through the remaining few hours
of the night the ship labored on stead
lily, the sea and wind both rising and
gaining force momentarily. The bar
ometer continued falling. At last dawn
broke. and with the first pale streak
OF light anxious faces peered through
the lifting gloom into the fray of spray
and rain, that hung like n cloud Of
wasps about the ship. A glance at
Benford's scale during the day showed
the velocity of the wind TO be as near
ly as Captain Lyman could estimate 1t,
about 25 miles an hour.
Real daylight came about o'clock
and revealed n scene which, for wild
beauty and desolation, could scarce be
equalled. Such meagre description OF
the scene as can be given in words
fails utterly to convey any idea of the
true condition. The ship seemed a
mere toy,a puppet,a chip In the center
of Fury's grasp. All about her hung
gray pail of driving spray. The wind
roared and shrieked and howled like
brass-lunged wantOn in her cups.
The vista was narrow; scarce half
mile away the leaden horizon shut on:
the world as one snuffs out candle.
Ceaseless motion: endless fury; re-
sistless force. Mountains of gray wa
ter tipped with Crests Of snappish
white surrounded the vessel. Waves
of Incompatible length and majestic,
upon the ship, cold, hungry, eager,
keen for prey. The wind increased as
the light grew stronger, tearing apart
the living waters, which shook their
crested names angrily and renewed the
perpetual assault.
Above, the sun was shut out by the
spume, which seemed to hang in a
solid cloud just above the mastheads.
| II was a grim scene; white and anX-
ious faces scanned the sea in search
of hope, but the storm held on with
pitiless purpose and energy. Women
kept, in their staterooms and talked as
quietly as the roar of the storm would
permit In the smoking room. Men
passed feeble jokes and laughed nerv-
ously at trihes. Down In the bowels of
CRIME and dirt stood the faithful en-
gineers. All through the storm an en-
gineer stood at the throttle, cutting
off the steam at every wild plunge to
prevent the screw from racing. An ac-
cident to the machinery meant, per-
haps, the loss OF the ship with all
hands. But no accident was permitted
to occur.
About G O'Clock in the morning. Cap.
tain Lyman entered the smoking room
and assured those OF the passengers
who had been freely hoping all the
way across for typhoon that they
were about to have their wish.
you people who wanted to see a
ltyphoon," shouted the blum old sailor
through the roar of the elements, will
have a chance to know all about one
before night"
viii 1t be any worse than this, cap
tain?" asked lady.
Indeed 1t will; it's scarcely begun,
was his reply, as he vanished up tbs
companionway.
Shortly after In the morning Mr.
Dunbar, the able first officer, and 1
seaman Of the sort one often read
about but rarely sees, got out five OF
bags over the bows and set the forward
wasteplpes to dripping oil. This had i;
wonderful effect on the sea. From
foamlng, roaring, splitting monsters