Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-08-15
E i E : -
D|!sl s! y Nj | Vessel
TO FEED. FURNACES
British Steamship CraIgeaPn Has
EVsniu| Voyage up
The Coast.
CHIEF f ENGINEER A MANIAC
NIX In iAf

and He Failed to Provide Enough
Coal to Brig Ship from Cuba
stowaways Aboard Were Confined
in Iron Cage.
Stripped of practically all Of her
wood work, which had been usol
Tor fuel. and with her chief engineer
maniac, the British steamer Craig
earn. Captain Edmunds. bound from
Daiquiri. Cuba, for Baltimore with Il
cargo of iron ore. put into this port
about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
The steamers supply of coal ran out
soon after she left Cuba and every
available piece OF wood on board.
including cargo hOoms. hatch covers,
part of the deck houses and bridge,
had TO be used to keep the fires iii
the furnaces going until the steame.
reached Cape Henry yesterday mora
ing.
Engineer Loses mind.
While the Craigearn was loading
iron ore mt Daiquiri an explosion oc-
CURED in her engine room. No one
seemed to be injured. but 1t is
now thought that it unbalanced
the chief engineers mind, for from
that time his actions were strange
and soon after the vessel left Cuba
1t became apparent that he was dc
mented.
Realizing that the engineer was
not in Il fit condition to he in charge
of the engine room, Captain Ed
monds placed the second engineer in
charge and sent the first engineer to
his cabin. where he remained during
the remainder of the trip to this
port.
Shortage of Coal Discovered.
When the second engineer took
charge Of the engine room he found
that practically all of the coal in the
ships bunkers had been exhausted
and that there was enough remain
ing to run the ship for only a few
hours.
He reported the matter to Captain
Edmonds. who after much question:
ing learned from The demented engi-
neer that instead of loading $50 tons
OF coal at Daiqulr us ordered. he
had taken on only so tons, which
was not half enough to run the ship
to Baltimore. AT that time the Craig
earn was about half way between Gu
ba and Cape Henry, and knowing that
he could not get coal south of this
port, Captain Edmonds decided that
he would rather risk making this
port by using the wood ON the steam
er than to return to Cuba for more
coal.
Piece by piece the wood OH the
vessel was consumed in her furnaces
and when she reached this port she
looked rs though she had been
through Il terrible storm.
Stowaways Aboard.
To add to all the other troubles,
four West Indian negroes stole
aboard the steamer at Cuba and they
showed up about the time that the
insanity of the engineer and the
shortage OF coal became known
Knowing that he would be com.
PEELED by the laws of the United
States TO return the stowaways to
Cuba, the master of the steamer had
his crew build large cargo of iron
bars between the vessels decks and
the negroes were put into that cage,
where they will remain until the YES.
sci goes back to Cuba or to some for.
eign port, where they can he landed
without Il violation OF law.
Soon after she arrived here the
Craigearn was docked at Chesapeake
4 Ohio coal pier No. 2, where she
Is now loading bunker coal. The
steamer will proceed TO Baltimore
today. where her cargo will he dis.
charged. The demented chief engi.
neer probably will be put into a hos.
pital in that city.
Nero at New London.
The United States naval collier