The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-04-08
WANDERING MINSTREL.
Rescue Of Capt Walker, Family
and Crew.
ToJE'TEES MONTHS ON MIDWAY
ISLAND.
The Hawaiian Station on Ocean Island
in Ruins.

Tn Hawaiian Station on Ocean Island
in Ruins.
A British schooner that arrived of
port on Saturday was bulletined as the
. Triumph, the vessel due from British
Columbia with material for the Ha,
Vaiiau Electric Telegraph. In the
/ course Of the evening, however, when
. the vessel had anchored near the spar
| buoy in the roadstead, she was reported
( on shore as the schooner Norma with
The shipwreclled crew of the bark Wan
dering Minstrel from Midway Island.
The Wandering Minstrel was recently
advertised by the underwriters as last
seen at Honolulu in December, 1887,
and a large reward was offered for in
formation regarding her fate.
On Sunday the ADVERTISER reporter
went on board the Norma, and was very
courteously received by Capt. Johnson,
her master, as well as by Capt. Walker,
master of the Inflated Wandering Min
streI. They kindly furnished their
respective reports, a. printed below, and
gave other information requested
Capt. Walker, wife, and four children
all show evidence of their severe priVa-
lions on the desert island wherein they
were cast. During the fourteen months
on Midway Island they had to subsist
upon the Astounding sea birds and their
eggs, and the fish that they were able to
catch. One OF their sons, a young lad,
was 50 weak that he had to be carried to
the boat on embarking for this port.
With the improved regimen on the
Norma, he has regained some strength, !
and the shore bTeeZeS are restoring color
to his face. The native sailors of the |
Minstrel did not seem to suffer much |
from the wild fare on the island.
Captain Walker, on being informed of |
the report that Cameron his mate (whO I
was master OF the |. l. S. n. Co. s !
Planter when wrecked) was reported to !
be keeping d saloon at Tacoma, Wash.
said he we'll believed it. Cameron took |
up with the desperate JOrgensen, who |
was left on Midway Island when the !
General Seigels crew was rescued, and /
both of them made a great deal of
trouble. What became OF them, so far
as he knew, is told in the Captains re-
port. So dangerous a character was
jOTgenSen proving himself to be, Captain
Walker was several times decided to
shoot him for self-prOtectiOn. Each time
lis wife restrained him. JOrgensen, it
will be remembered, was suspected of
Oul play in connection with two of the
ieIgeIs crew who lost their lives on the
slaud. He tried to get away with the
)Oat likewise, and finally was left on the
sland a menace to any persons unfor-
innate enough to be cast away there.
Captain Walker desires to make pub
ic expression OF his thanks to Mr.. f. w.
Postmaster-General, for
lis thoughtful kindness in sending out
o the Norma, at her anchorage, fruits
mi sundries, that are exceedingly well
by his wife and children, re-
covering as they are from scurvy. The
epOrts of both masters are as follows:
;eport or the Schooner Norma, of
Yokohama, From BONN Island to
Midway island and Hence.
Left BONN Island February 4th at 8
). m with fresh hreezes. In lat. "A deg
% min. n, and long. l53 deg. )
min. sec. f., February 18th, light
Winds and fair. From thence to Ocean
sland, February 26th, strong n. w.
Winds. Very high breakers; could not
inter the lagoon; lay off the island till
larch LIST, entered into lagoon and
taved there till March 18th. On the
Ith had a very strong n. w. gale
landed on the island and dug a well
cot some frewood from wreckage.
'ound some remains of the gear OF the
)uuuottar Castle. The house built by
he Hawaiian Government has been
down down and mostly buried in the
and. Dug up the remains OF house and
taxed it up to catch rain water in the
auks. Planted the seed of the tamana
nd hau trees Dough from BOnin Island |
eft the lagoon March 18th and anchored
outside of the entrance to catch sharks.
On the 14th lost an anchor and made
all for Midway Island on the 10th
Weather fine. At Midway Island found
apt. T. d. Walker of the wrecked bark
Minstrel with crew, in a very
,ad condition from want of food. Re
eved his wants as far as my ability and
emaIued there to get wood and water
util the 10Th Of March, when the sick
we're tit to embark During the time !
we once had to leave Well
rook for safety, as Il gale was threaten
~. Anchored under the lee of the
Stand till the gale was over, but lost an
uChOr in the coral. On the 26th sailed
jr Honolulu, being chartered by Capt
7. y. Walker to bring the wrecked peo-
lie to the port of Honolulu. On the 2Sth
ne of the wrecked crew named Edward
David Dawson, a native OF Mauritius,
led in my opinion from scurvy, the
'aptaiu's family suffering from the same
isease. We buried the deceased in the
sual custom OF sea burials on the same
lay. Arrived at Honolulu April 9th at
p. m.
{. JOHNSON, Master.
;c!:ort of the Wrecked Bark wander