The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-04-01
Burning of the British Ship "Norval
at Sea
EXTRAORDINARY Boar VOICE OF .
ESCAPED MARINERS.

BY the steamer Likelike on Sunday morning
last there arrived in town, Capt. George Halli-
day of the British ship Norval and twenty of his
crew, who had reached the steamer just as she
was leaving Mahukona, after an adventurous
they had made their way 5000 miles from the
point at which they abandoned their ship.
Capt. Halliday reported his chief officer, Frank
Anderson and seven of the crew as still missing,
the boat in which they were having parted COM
pany from the others during the first night after
leaving the ship.
The Norval was an iron vessel of 1927 tons
register, built at Sunderland i'll 1873. She was
the property of MesSrs, T. O.. Hunter IL Hendry
of Greenock. She sailed from Hull on 26th
October last and was bound for San Francisco,
carrying a cargo 1865 tons of coal. The voyage
was without any incident of Importance until the
afternoon of Tuesday, 2Sth February, the ship
being then according to the captains estimate in
latitude 8 n. longitude 115' 40 w. What then
ACQUIRED is thus recorded by the first officer in
the ships official log.
AT 4 pm, on coming on deck my attention
was called by the captain to a smoky sort OF
steam issuing from the fore-hatch, accompanied
with a strong smell of gas. On going down
below, in between decks and lower hold, found
it to be quite cool, with a slightly sutfocatlng
smell ventilations, etc, having been strictly
attended to. AT 6 am, March 1st) g went
below with captain, found smell of gas to be
increasing. with a strong smell of burning wood
and coal tar, and more sutfocatIng. Hatch comb
ing, etc, turning q kind of dark CLASSY lead-color.
AT 8 am. opened main hatch; smoke, steam and
strong smell of burning issuing. Found mid
ship stanchion on fore end Of hatch to be very
hot with a strong heat coming up from
between the shifting boards. Called all hands
on deck, got all cOmbustlbles up from below,
blocks, ropes, provisions, etc. Battened matches
down and started the donkey pump to pump
water in the hold abreast of main hatch. Re
duced ship to topsails, got lifeboats in the davlts
and ready for sea and started all the pumps to
pump water in the hold in the vicinity of the
main hatch through holes in the deck made by
the carpenter. Got water breakers filled and
provisions all ready 70 80 in the boats"
At noon that day the ship was in latitude To-
"a n, and longitude III. 80 W. The pumping
of the water into the held was continued
throughout that and the following day. On the
morning of the End March, the temperature OF
the Goals near the main hatch was found to be
90o and elsewhere 50 :, whilst that of the air
and water were at the same time so to So.
A ) p. IN. that day the work at the force pumps
was stopped but the steam pump was kept going
until s pm, when seven feet of water were
found in the well. TIL three principal matches
were then battened down, the other communica-
tons with the hold being covered loosely. the
captain expecting that by them and at the masts
sufficient ventilation for the escape of gases was
secured. The following morning, March 3rd,
as soon as the morning watch was set, sail was
got on the ship and at five am, the
pumps were started and kept going until
four D. NJ. when the water in the well
had been reduced TO two TT. 10 ms. The tenn
Perature of the water as 1t came out was 50
and during the afternoon pieces of cindeF and
of charcoal and charred wood were constantly
coming up with it through the pumps. Some
hope was entertained that the measures taken
had been successful and the ship was kept on
her course. Soon after the men had ceased
pumping however, and just as they were going to
supper, without warning of any kind a frightful
explosion took place. So violent was it that it
is surprising that no one on board was seriously
injured by it. The chief officer was at the time
sitting in his cabin with the log book and a
memorandum book of the captains before him.
His cabin was in the middle of the ship under
the break of the poop, and had two windows
looking out ON to.the maindeck, with the after
hatch, of course, Immediately before him. For
tunately he was sitting opposite the WOODWORK
between the windows. The latter were blown IN
with great violence by the escaping gases, out
the mate ESCAPED with only n scratch from a
niece of glass on one side of his head. The
steward and the carpenter were the only men
who got hurt. The former was lying on the
table Immediately over the hatch of
the lazarette, and was thrown up against the
/ beams of the deck, hurting his head. The car
penter was hurt by a blow from the rail OF one
of the poop-ladders' Both the poop-ladders
with their brass rails were blown to pieces, and
the matches were driven up into the air as high
as the upper topsail yards.
| = We cannot give further extracts from the OFF,
/ ciaI log because so violent was the explosion that
it blew the log book into a corner OF the mates