The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-17

Port Royal five of the soldiers were
dead and all the others were deathly
sick. The disease was the dreadful
Asiatic cholera. then prevailing i'll
Northern cities.
When the vessel dropped anchor off
Port Royal Capt. Atkins, who was in
command, requested Capt. Marmel-
stein to put into harbor in order that
medical aid might be secured at the
United States naval station. The YES
sci was piloted into Port Royal and
a small boat lowered, and a message
sent in notifying the government Of
ficials in command of the station that
the San Salvador was laden with 500
| cholera stricken soldiers, and request
ing that physicians be sent abroad
the vessel.
Threatened to BLOW the Vessel Up.
Capt. Marmelstein says that no as
sistance was offered, but they were
notified that unless the San Salvador
left port at once the federal gunboats
would open fire and sink the vessel.
The vessel was brought to Tybee Is
| land and landed the soldiers. Capt.
Marmelstein says that while the SOL
diers We're being landed he remem-
bers that in one small boat fourteen
soldiers started for the island and be-
fore they reached shore eleven had
! died
In less than three days 225 died on
| Tybee within a stones throw of the
anchored vessel. At the urgent re-
quest of the passengers, who were all
| Savannah people returning from New
I York, Capt. Marmelstein moved the
San Salvador to an anchorage where
the passengers would not be forced to
| witness the agony of the dying SOL
diers.
The vessel was kept in quarantine
| for fifteen days, but not a single pas
| senger contracted the dreaded disease
| from which nearly every one of the
500 soldiers died. Capt. Marmelstein
told how the soldiers were buried. One
| day they would dig a trench to bury
number of their comrades and the
next morning the same soldiers would
with sand. Many in trying to escape
from the island were shot down by
the guards on patrol duty.
Vessel Burned at Sea
After serving five years on the San
| Salvador Capt. Marmelstein served OIL
the San JacintO, Magnolia, Leo and
Matanzas. While aboard the last
named vessel in 1872. bound for New
York, the vessel caught fire off Hat
teras. The fire was caused by the ex-
plosion of the boiler, which set fire to
l,ZUU DaleS Dt uncOmpreSSeQ cotton.
| Several of the crew were badly scald-
ed and one of the engineers died. The
boats were lowered and the crew es-
capped, and after drifting at sea for
twelve hours. were picked up by a
small English schooner and carried to
| Norfolk.
Shortly afterward Capt. Marmel-
stein returned to Savannah and was
assigned to duty on the pilot boat
John Stoddard. He later served on
the Sprite, and is now serving on the
j. H. Estill.
| While Capt. Marmelstein was on the
| Confederate cruiser Rappahannock in
1864, he met Miss Jessie Whitehead,
daughter of Mr.. George Whitehead OF
Liverpool, who was a great Southern
| synpathizer. They became engaged
and wer4 married the latter part of
| 1864. Their wedding was attended by
seven officers of the Rappahannock,
who signed the wedding certificate,
which Mrs. Marmelstein now cherishes
as one of her most valuable possess
sions. After each name appear the
twords, Officer Confederate States
| NaVV''