 As the ship had been caught with no steam in its boilers, crewmen were ordered to form a line along the deck and spread their coats to form a makeshift sail.Jackson led a group of sailors into the rigging where they spread their coats to increase the sail area, at significant hazard to their lives.This desperate measure successfully propelled "Trenton" out of danger long enough to help rescue the ship's company of the similarly wrecked "Vandalia", before both crews were compelled to abandon ship.