SOUTH SEA

As far as I know, that was the last of T. Willy Clark. Some time was consumed with the administrative details of being assigned and obtaining orders. He was ordered to report aboard the U. S. S. Charleston, “wherever she may be found”

USS Charleston in Manilla, late 1898.

The next that I am aware of is that he and “Jim Henry” were hiding the glow of cigarettes behind their hats on the deck, slicing through a star filled night, ruminating about the future.

Jim was a Naval Academy graduate, apparently a very strong man physically. While at the Academy he was in the class immediately behind the Chief Engineer on the ship. It seems that there was some kind of a feud between them arising out of the sport of boxing.

The ship was ordered to Shanghai for repairs. She was then ordered to Manila at flank speed. When they left the harbour, storm warnings were flying for a typhoon in the China Sea. they were heading right into this storm.

Jim was on watch in the Engine Room, when an unwelcome sound developed in the starboard engine. as the noise continued, Harry spoke to the Chief Engineer about the matter, and was told that he too was concerned, and had been expecting a report. Harry suggested that he would take over the watch a little early. He was due in half an hour. The Chief made it clear that this was not his problem.

However, Harry went to the Engine Room and asked Jim what he thought the problem was, Jim said it just a little water in the shaft cylinder Harry told him that had been the problem, but that now he had a bent rod, and suggested that he would take over and start his watch, Jim resisted, saying that it was “his problem”. However, Harry won.

He called the Bridge and asked permission to close down the engine. Permission was denied, they needed all the speed they could muster to handle the storm and to get to Manila. He called the Chief, and explained the circumstances. The Chief asked him who was in charge in the Engine Room. With that, Harry called the Bridge again and told them that the engine would be closed down in fifteen minutes, and that they should make their preparations.

At this point Harry wanted to make an inspection of the interior of either the cylinder or the boiler, I never got the straight of that. At any rate there was not time to allow it to cool off. He was wrapped in burlap bags, a rope tied around him, and after having the burlap soaked in water, he crawled into the cylinder and made the inspection.

When that was completed, he got his watch working. The men worked till they could do no more In the mean time when the next watch came on they worked until they could not continue, individually. Those who could, continued through watches. Harry and the men kept continuously for seventy- two hours.

He heard the sound of tinkling glass behind him, and when he turned, there was the Chief with glasses for Champaign for all hands to “Splice The Main Brace”.