The Grit-advocate., 1905-12-08

Q o ship Cumbal, of the w. X.
= Grace line, which docked
9O1v in Erie Basin. 1t was a
voyage more strange and
romantic than any that Clarke Russell,
Maryatt or Kiplins ever depicted in
their tales of the sea.
1t is told in the los how for three
months The big vessel hung upon the
rccks il Magellan Straits. and then,
having had patched up the huge hole
that the reef Ead torn in her bottom
began voyage of eight thousand
miles to New York, with the constant
danger of fOundering at any moment
While or the rocks D crew were
mennced b., savage Patagonians and
by terrific storms, and the one woman
on board, Mrs. Barry. tue captains $
wife, proved herself a true sailors
sweetheart by bravely standing by the
ship at every stage of the adventure
The whole story of the battle against
sudden death is told graphically in the
diary kept by Steward Richard Walsh
who. from day to day, recorded the
events Of the trip. lie records that
the Cumbal left Brooklyn on October
30, 1904, bound for the west coast of
South Ar, RIGA, with a mixed cargo
She reached Punta Arenas on Decem-
Der 2, and departed the next day for
Chile.
December H." reads the diary. 1--WE
nrc passing through the Straits of Ma
n md n
mtfsng the scenery. The shore line is
covered with trees and flowers. At
1.3O p. m. we took Il sounding and
fonad no bottom. At 1.5O we took a
bearing from the beacon light on
Shoal Island.
"The ship was turned sharply to
port, passing the island to starboard.
We were making twelve knots an
hour at 4.2O p. m. when there was a
terrible crash. The fore part of the
ship seemed to spring into the air.
The first crash was quickly followed
by two more and then everybody knew
what had happened. We were on the
rocks. Chief Engineer David Laws
ordered the reversal of the engines,
but it was of no use, we were station
ary.
"Ten minutes after the crash the cap
tain had brought order out of chaos.
All the life boats were in the water,
provisioned and ready for service.
The pumps We're going. The captain
was firing orders right and left. and
Mrs. Barry was standing on the deck,
as cool as any member of the crew.
"1n the morning we discovered that
n new beacon light had been placed
on Adelaide Island by the Govern
ment and that the captain had not
been Informed of it when he left
Junta Arenas. He therefore had mis-
taken this light for the light on Shoal
Island, and had set course wrongly.
December 5 the captain ordered
First Mate William Winters to put out
with four men in lifeboat and 90 to
Punta Arenas for help. We were
about 100 miles from that port. but, as
there was very little wind for the i'm
provised sail Of the lifeboat, it barely
made seven miles an hour.
Eat 6 p. IN. the boat met the Govern
ment lightship Meteor which took the
men aboard i'll bad shape. The conf
mander of the Meteor refused toshke
them TO Punta Arenas. but -Reed
to return them to the Cumbal. 48S
"When Winters and his men reached
the Cumbal Captain Barry was very
angry and told them to man the life
boat again and not come back until
they brought aid.
'December 6-All hands at work TAX
ing stores ashore to Adelaide Island
which is 200 yards away. Tents have
been rigged up and stocked for an
emergency. Bat the ship continues to
remain upright.
December All hands busy pack
ing clothes. Mrs. Barry is the coolest
member of the crew. There is twen-
ty-one feet of water in the holds
1t was on this day that the Cumbal
spoke the Chilean steamer Ultimas
Esperanza. When asked for aid, the
Chileans refused to do anything for
the Cumbal. and passed on, but later
in the day. meeting the steamer Pata-
lifeboat crew. the captain of the Es-
peranza experienced change of heart.
returned to the Cumbal and stood by
to take share IN the salvage charges.
A locomotive that formed part of
the cargo had nearly dropped through
the bottom of the ship. Other railroad
machipery menaced the vessels bot
tom.
The salvage company offered to get
the ship clear for $4,000 and this
proposition was accepted. On Decem-
Der . the work of transferring tie
cargo to the Patagonia and the Esper-
ANA began. and at charge of $3.50
a ton, 10000 tons Of cargo were trans
shipped.
The stewards diary records the daily
work of closing up the hole in the
ships bottom until. on March %, comes
The triumphant entry:
"All water out and clear of rocks.
Mrs. Barry beside the wheel, cheering
like mad"
A fortnight later the Chmbal limped
into Punta Arenas and made further
repairs. Several of the crew showed
disposition to leave the ship, for she
was in terrible condition. m
Planks and beams had taken the
place of steel plates on the bottom,
and cement filled the cracks made by
rocks. But Captain Barry managed to
keep his men together until he reached
Buenos Ayres, wLsn slight leak was