The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-02-06
The Loss of the Hibemia
Thrilling Narrative Of the >trntn-hip'- Sec
oud Duirer-fn-nu r Passengers Limp intO
the E>cnPr OF n BOnf.

ships boats. tie -ay-: When we lett the H.
tsrHia. We had IN our boat two barrel, Of biscuit.
three ca-k- 81 water and several TINS ot preserved
meat. Two hours alter lciyiu. tEc ship We found
that tire boat was sJ fun that We deemed il neces-
-aTy e. throw one II the barrels Of biscuit over
blaIi q, make rJum TOR the passengers. The
boat Was q lte-bJat. - feet long with SIX or
-cycu feet beam. bUc woIEau had tNo children,
81 three auI five wears old, respectively. AMI an
other ID infant u sX months Old. our boat was
leaking badly when We -tlrtel. and 1t required
two men constantly battling % keep her aii11t.
>.-Jn after leaving tie HieyHfa. We fell a-te-n o!
the other boat-, being only able 70 pull two oar,
owing % our crowded condition. When the first
mates bJIt WIS caI-izeI. We attempted TO get
round 70 assist them. but. being nearly syamIcd
IN doing -. sc were obliged o. attend u our own
safety. During that day We pulled before tie
wind. but NJ night We lIy % hy means OF a
floating anchor, and cul,-Iyored Go make the buat
as trim n possible. We tried 10 make the wom-
GA - comfortable a. we could by spreading tar
paulin over the forward part ii the boat. Nobody
asked % get anything 20 eat Oh the first day, all
Icing too anxious q think Of eating. On the
DliOWing thursday morning we got q lug~ail
sct on tie bat, and made the best of cur way for
the ITi-h Coast. before a >Juthwcstcrly breeze.
Nothing Of note occurred that day. but the fol-
lowing night (F=iday) an old man, who had
shown symptoms Of arrangement, jumped over
board, saying be was going TO bed. On the third
day the breeze fell very light, and we had to take
% the CAR. Next morning one Of the passengers,
-uUTH-eal u ne i Tiuei- lNulzfI-- rA44ueilN 4es4Ttl
overheard y woman, supposed 70 De his sister,
pleaded hard that some OF u should throw her
into the sen after him but we cndeayOred 70
-Oothe her. and succeeded in some icgrce. Rod
gcr- was evidently out Of lbs senses. He had
quurrclcd with ~ because We nailed tine compass
% the thwart-. lie wanted the knees OF his
trousers daucd. ~ =. be could not, he said. . 20
home with holes in them Up to this time pro-
visions lad been given in moderate quantities.
and each person had a daily allowance ola pint OF
srnF.w Nc MH rsavg - Hv-F. fNa m1l.NNuwa.
We lad 70 keep pulling both on the fourth and
fith day-, and did not make much progress.
Sunday was calm all day. The children hith-
crtO had been tOleTaLly lively. The infant was
fed ON mashed biscuit. it, mother having no milk,
and tie others got biscuit and preserved meat.
with a small quantity of preserved fruit. The
want Of sufficient water now began u be felt. and
owing % the close packing Of all in tie boat, and
the frequent wettHngs. cramps were very general.
We were forced 70 keep everything in one position
as much u possible 10 avoid caVSiziug. Up TO
Monday no one had seriously complained Of the
di-cOmtyrt-, and all were in tOlcrabie spirits.
The scdmen did all in their power to inspire hope:
and the Quartermaster. Blair, spun yarns to keep
their spirits up. On Wednesday. tic second en-
gineer sang the lO0th psalm, and many Joined
with HIM. That day the wind blew hard from
the southwest, and we had To bring the boat 10
by using the sail and two Of our oars az n floating
anchor, and in doing SO lost both sails and oars.
Ii was useless to seek for them, ii being now dark
~ w AAHAA ~ AAhihI "a SUI tAN "a "a ~ - NLl lElu-
lin, and be content with one and IL half that we
had with rs in the boat. The wind blowing
ficrccly, the tarpauiin was torn into rays. and We
substituted for it bed-coyers. These latter were
also soon destroyed.
Samuel Brewster. an old man. died ON Wedncs-
day, after going raving mad. Many OF our mum
Der now showed signs Of madness, probably from
despair and exposure 10 extreme cold. Some be-
came violent and threatening in their conduct.
and we had 70 usc force with certain Of them, and
DEY.Ia -. .-- tH.~. - F.- -
T~hur-day morning a child five years of age died.
and shortly afterwards its mother expired. An
other child took lockflw, and died also. The
bodies were thrown overheard. Tie effect on the
survivors was very visible. All this time we we've
making slow progress toward the IIish Coast.
he torn tarTaUiiH had been mcndcd IN the best
fashion we could, and served Ia Il kind Of way for
lug-Gil. Provisions and water were now given
IN small quantity. One Of the barrels of biscuits
found to be much soaked with sen water. and
Dne 81 the fresh water casks had leaked half of It's
contents. We bad T. disregard the appeals for
rink, and the consequence WIS that several sci-
men, among tic rest, took 10 quenching their
thirst with salt water, III spite OF our rcmon-tran-
-. This was continued until a number got per-
'cctly mad. Walter McFarlluc, fireman, wascnc
II those who persisted in taking salt water, aud
conduct became 20 dangerously Outrageous
he had To be tied to the bottom. lie died in
this state. On Friday morning We had sailed $50
miles. HE tarIauiin sail had given away half a
lDzcn times, and as often meHdcl. and on the
whole the boat Lad gone very well. This day the
niaHt diet. Our situation had become miserable
tie extreme. The sea was breaking over the
'uat ~ clouds Of spray, wctting every Ola. to the
kin, and all were sitting IN pools of water.
There was nothing now to cover the women. a.
sc had usol everything for sails. Cr;unp had
cizcd all Ot Us more or les, and our legs and
lands were greatly swclled. and, consequently.
PAINFUL The fresh water WIS - scarce that
80 than q pint had to serve four persons a day.
nd provisions were equally scanty. Some of u
raying and violently mad. y woman died
= the evening closed in, but tho fact WIS not no
at the time and the body was still IN tic
when the greatest Of all our calnmitics u- .
urTcl. About IL O'Clock, q heavy wave struck !
hc boat, and those ON board I'm their drowsv con- I
itiun falling suddenly in a mass TO the lee side, l
lee went over. and all were left struggling in the &
later. The boat tlOated upward, and Reilly I
managed 70 struggle up and seat himself ON the y
lie assisted Blair TO get up, which the lat q
rr did with some difficulty. as Il drowning pas j
sngcr had laid hold of his leg. Reilly then as Il
Istcd Mr.. Davies. who had also TO shake himself
Oi some one clinSing 10 hisiOOt. No others got c
old 81 the boat, though several were heard for q !
inc shouting or swearing ~ they swan about in II
ic darkness. One poor soul had got under the "
and he was heard for nearly half an hour. {
Ie was apparently holding on by the thwarts. =
nd breathing the air which had been inclOsed u
.hcn the boat rolled over, or which reached him a
trough the chinks IN her timbers. About II C
clock a heavy SEA struck the boat, and the three g
.ho were sitting astride of the keel were again VI
in the wa.er. Blair was the first to a
cover his position, and by his assistance the II
two men were brought up on the boat. n
hc sail was floating alongside, and we got hold o.
the ropes attached TO the mast. and. watching
! "A favorable opportunity, managed, by pulling /
4 the ropes, to get the boat rightcd. She was. &
course, full Of water, and we bailed her Mt first al
ith flat pieces of wood. and afterwards with two 10
n cans. which we found attached 10 the thwarts. Ii
{ length. by hard labor. we got her clear. u
was lost out of the boat except one It
IT. the mast, the tarIaulin sail. and the yard. n
III We were thus left without provisions or water. II
hen daylight broke We again made sail upon IN
e boat Is Well - We could. and again stecred our u
aursc 10 the eastward, with "a favorable wind. -
: Sunday evening We were beginning t. get NJ
,wn-Lcutei. We saw a sail-thc first we had IN
L.. o -. l.r -. .t.-.-- - III