The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-21
OISMAS1EO IN
!. CAPE HORN
.-
GALE
The fierzogin Sophie
Charlotte's Cadets
Show Crit.

Starting from Bremen with one set
of masts and arriving at Honolulu with
an entirely new set is the record of the
fine. big German training ship Herzogin
Sophie Charlotte of the Nord Deut-
scher-Lloyd line, which arrived in port
yesterday forenoon after a long and
momentous voyage around Cape Horn.
Partially dismasted in a terrific hur-
ricane while on the Atlantic side of
the Horn, the vessel was compelled to
put back to Montevideo under jury
sail and there undergo repairs which
consumed several months time. The
narrative of the voyage forms an in
feresting chapter in maritime annals,
and the disaster gave ample opportu-
nifty to put the ability of the cadets of
the ship to practical use in reftting
the ship which they did to the entire
satisfaction of the officers, for there
were no riggers in Montevideo. When
1he vessel came into the harbor yes
ferday, with her tall masts scraping
the sky, as it seemed, and her rigging
spick and span, she looked as if she
had never passed through more than
the balniest of zephyrs.
The Charlotte sailed from Bremen
on July 1 and she was therefore 320
days on the way to this port. She
called at Madeira and took on fresh
provisions and then proceeded across
the Atlantic TO the river Plata and had
plenty of bad weather on nearing the
Horn. The vessel passed the strait of
Lee Mare in a strong breeze and on
the 7th OF September encountered
hurricane. The vessel labored heavily
in the rough seas and the decks were
constantly awash. The wind blew with
terrific force and the sails were blown
to ribbons. At a. m. the three lower
topnlasts went overheard with crash.
At { o'clock in the morning, without
a stitch OF canvas to the stumps of the
rnasts. the ship rolled dangerously and
the three masts went further over the
side and pounded the hull. At the first
crash the cadets were called aft by
First Officer Glund, who was on watch.
so that they would be out of danger
should all the rigging and the masts
go. They were then sent aloft with
hatchets and knives to cut away the
rigging and loosen the wreckage so
that the ship would right herself. Had
the broken mastS not been freed from
their fastenings they would have
broken in the sides of the vessel. At
ter clearing away the wreckage and
making the loose ends taut, as well as
securing the broken masts to the sides,
the vessel was turned about and head
ed for the Falkland Islands, where they
1oped to repair the damage. After
three days running the vessel was in
such a good position that it was de-
.cided to go north to Montevideo. The
Charlotte arrived there on September
19. after L days trip. Even under
jury rig the vessel often made ten |
knots an hour. |
During the hurricane snow ana hail |
beat down ON the vessel and the air |
was extremely cold and working amid |
the wreckage was difficult. 1t was |
after the main lower topsafl yard fell |
and the boys had been hard at work all |
night that the whole mainmast broke !
off just above the truck. This left the ,
vessel with half the fore rigging gone
and a quarter of the mizzen rigging !
also. The masts. or what remained /
OF them. were bent and badly dam
aged, ting their renewal.
After reaching Montevideo an entire
new set of masts was cabled for. which
arrived from Germany about the mid
die of December on a steamer. There
was no crane at the Uruguayan port
TO remove the remnants of the old
masts. so contractor. who secured the
job. got an old retired Argentine river
gInboat and erected shears on that
The masts We're removed and the new
raasts were taken aboard the hulk.
= About this time Hamburg sailing
vessel reached port partially dismasted
and the contractor got the job to take
out her uasIs also. While engaged in
doing this the crane broke and the
broken nlasts came down on the deck
of the Hamburger, doing considerable 4
and also sinking the ex-gun-
boat. The new masts for the Charlotte
went down with her. There was ten
Gays work getting the gunboat up ana
reclaining the masts. !,
After tne new nlasts We're stepped the
work Of rigging proceeded satisfactorily I,
and in about a months time the ship
was in good condition and all the work
had been accomplished by the young
cadets, many of them on their first
years cruise The work was done en-
tirely under the direction OF the Char
lctte's able corps of officers. The Of
ficers, in one sense, were glad of the
to give the young men
practical instruction in ship rigging. I
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