The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-09-14

Yesterday afternoon telephone
message was received at the office Of
the lnter-Island Steam Navigation
Company from Captain Weir of the
steamer James Makee, at Waianae,
stating that he was bringing to Homo
lulu boatload of shipwrecked sailors
picked up on the Island of Kauai
The message said they were seven of
the crew of a large British ship that
had been wrecked on Ocean Island,
about 1900 miles from this group and
was by mistake thought to say that
the men had been in an open boat
for twenty-five days. 1t afterword
was found that the shipwrecked
mariners had been ffty-two long
days and nights out on the ocean.
When the news went round town, old
residents brought to remembrance the
fact that Ocean Island was where the
United States man-of-war Saginaw was
totally wrecked sixteen years ago. A
boat from the Inflated vessel reached
Waimea, Kauai, on October goth, 1870,
and in attempting to land in the break
ers, three Of the four men persisted
after having weathered three gales and
come over 100 miles in thirty days.
The old steamer Kilauea OH that oc-
casion was sent to Ocean Island on an
expedition of search for the possible
survivors.
The arrival of the James Makee was
eagerly awaited about 10 o'clock last
night, by reporters and others, and she
entered the Wilder Steamship Com
pany's docks a few minutes before that
hour, the Inter-Island wharf being
occupied by other vessels. Mr.. Swanzy,
officiating in the absence of Mr.. +.
Rain Walker as Acting British Vice
Consul, was waiting to receive the dis
tressed -seamen, and Major ]. H..
Wodehouse, British Commissioner and
Consul General, was also on hand
before the steamer had been moored
many minutes Arrangements had been
made for the accommodation of the
shipwrecked party at the Sailors
Home, and without much delay they
we're taken there. The first mate of
the wrecked vessel, who was one of the
number, was, however, first taken to
the British Consulate, Kaahumanu
street, where Major Wodehouse, Mr..
Swanzy and Captain Mist, r. NJ, held
an enquiry into the disaster with a
view to taking prompt measures OF
relief for the other survivors enumer-
ated further on, who were left on
Ocean Island. Our reporter gathered
from the mate and crew the particu-
lars Of the wreck and their escape
which appear below.
The wrecked vessel is the Dunnotter
Castle, 1902 tons, owned by Skinner
& Co., of London and Glasgow She
left Sydney, New South Wales, on the
9TH of June last, loaded with coal for
Wilmington, San Pedro Bay, California,
and San Francisco. On the 18th OF
July near midnight, she ran ashore on
Ocean Island, or as some charts have
it, Cure Island, situated approximately
in 20 deg. 20 min. N. latitude, and
I7S deg. IS min. w. longitude The
reason assigned for the vessel being so
much out of her course is that the
chronometers were wrong From the
Thursday on which the ship struck till
the following Monday the officers and
crew worked increasingly to jettison the
cargo and get the vessel ahoat, trying
canvas, kedge anchors, and all the
means known in such cases. All their
efforts were unavailing, for the Dunnotter
Castle was fast in a narrow creek be-
tween two reefs running on both sides
from the north and the south ends OF
the island, the jagged coral rock having
broken into the hull through the bot
tom. On the Monday the ship was
abandoned, there being ten feet OF
water in the hold. The following day
the first mate went on board, and
sounding found twenty-five feet OF
water. The fresh water tanks were
floating about, and salt water got into
some of them.
upon landing from the wreck the
company found another wreck on the
island, and the frame of teAt stand
ing Over the latter they threw can
vas, beneath which they camped fol-
the night. There was nothing but
brackish water on the island, with NO
signs of rain, and only portion of the
ships supply of fresh water was saved,
On the morning of the a4th of July the
party now safe in Honolulu left the
island in lifeboat. They took twenty
eight days provisions aud water with
them, leaving six or seven weeks pro
visions and ESQ gallons of water, fol-
twenty-five souls left behind. From
the a3rd of August the seven men in
the boat had only biscuit and a pint
of water each daily, which starvation
allowance had to be reduced one-hali
/ Al. e n