The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-08-03
YACHT REFORM SINKS.
Three Men Have u Brisk swim for
Their Lives.


The yacht Reform sank off Kalihi
at D O'Clock yesterday afternoon, and
Capts. Sam Mana and Pahia and Mr.
Albert McGurn, who were on board,
had hard struggle for their lives.
All three are in the employ of Messrs.
Allen & Robinson, two as Shippers
and one as shipping clerk. They
went to Pearl Harbor in the morning
to bring home the Reform, which had
been lying down there since winning
second prize on the Fourth of July.
There was no water in the boat when
they started and thinking she was all
right and tight they took no baier
with them. 1t proved there was a
leaky streak from stem to stern, how
ever, little above the water line
when the boat lay at rest in smooth
water. On going into moderately
rough water outside the bar, the boat
began to fill rapidly from this LEAH.
When off kalihi channel the jib
carried away. Capt. Mana was at
the tiller, Capt. Pahia forward, and
McGurn amidships. McGurn adj
vised Mana to hug the reef, as there
was prospect of their having to swim
ashore. At the same time he was haul
ing in the loose jib. Mana brought
the boat round suddenly toward the
reef, when she shipped roller and
went down like s5one. The boat
was very heavily ballasted. She
sank in about II feet of water, 200
yards from the breakers.
Pahia was caught in the canvas
and had lively struggle to clear
himself. McGurn had 10 dive under
the loose sail TO avoid getting en-
tangled. All three managed to get
hold of the mast, one-third of which
was above water. While holding on
they stripped off their clothes, eX-
cepting Pahia who kept on some
heavy wooden garments. McGurn
slowed away his watch hut left So. 80
and bunch of keys in his scarded
clothes. The men struck out for the
foamlng reef, which they reached
without mishap. Pahia was noticed
midway to he laboring hard, and
Mana turned and helped him through.
When they reached the reef the
breaking rollers made holding
on impossible, so that another
swim as long as the first was
necessary to reach safe standing
ground. The men had avoided the
Kalihi pass age, because it involved
longer stretch of deep water, besides
which traditions of "the lion shark"
in that channel influenced their
course.
Before the swimmers had come
to rest the tug Eleu with
rescuing party had arrived at the
place of the accident. Mr.. James
Lyle was watching the movements of
the yacht through glass from the
Marine Railway at the moment she
went down. He rushed to the tele-
phone and notified the pilots office.
1t happened that the tug Eleu had
just lowed the bark Gamtn into port
and had steam up. Her whistle was
blown long and loud several times,
calling all hands back to duty and
acquainting the whole city of some
thing being wrong. Soon the news
was flying that the yacht Hawali-for
such the vessel was supposed to be
had foundered off Kalihi and excite
men5 was general and intense. Mr..
w. l.. Wilcox enquiring at his tee-
phone was told that the yacht Hawaii
had sunk with himself among others
on board. He denied being in such
perilous situation and rang up Mr..
Thurston to see if he was out in the
yacht, and was told that Mr.. Thurs
ton had started off to find out the
fate Of Mr.. Wilcox and the rest.
When the tug arrived at the scene
a boat put off from her, manned by
Mr.. James A. Lyle, weIl-known
oarsman of the Myrtle Boat Club,
and a South Sea Islander. They
picked up the men inside the reef TAX
ing them safely on board tue tug. Be-
fore coming 10 rest the men had
heard the tug whstling to them, but
they agreed to keep on to shoal water
so as to prove that they had been able
to save themselves. They were in
the water nearly an hour. When the
Eleu landed them on the Pacific Mail
wharf, the men received an ovation
from the crowd there assembled.
They were partly clothed in capaci-
Gus garments lent by Capt. Rice of
the Elau