The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-05-14
THE Loss OF THE l. S. ship
LEVANT IN 1860.
HOW A SPAR RE VEALED
HER FATE.

land, on the southeast coast OF |
Hawaii in January last, and the
more recent loss of the brig Tahiti |
off the coast of Mexico, with all on
board, including some two hundred
Gilbert Islanders, recall that of the
United States ship-of-war Levant,
which occurred in the autumn of
1860, while on a voyage from Hilo
to Panama. AS the story has
never been told in full, it may be
interesting to narrate the incidents
connected with her departure from
these islands, and all that is known
concerning her loss.
The Levant was one of the last
of the old class of American sail
sloops of war, carrying Is guns,
and had a complement of about
200, officers and men, under COM
mand of Captain VIM. E. Hunt.
She came to Honolulu in the sum-
mer of 1860, with a special COM
mission instructed to investigate
certain charges which had been
made respecting the U. S. Consular
hospitals at Honolulu, Lahaina and
Hilo. Having completed her work
here, she sailed for Lahaina in
August, and later went on to Hilo,
at both of which ports the hospital
service was investigated. From
Hilo she sailed September II, for
Panama, and, owing to Gains, was
in sight from. Hawaii for several
days. This was the last ever
seen of the Levant, her captain,
officers or crew. 1t was supposed
that she foundered at sea, and that
all on board of her persisted, as the
whaling fleet, which began to arrive
at these islands shortly after her
departure, reported very severe
storm early in October, in which
nearly every vessel arriving re-
ceived more or less damage, while
one merchant brig, the Consort,
was dismasted, but finally reached
port in a crippled condition.
Early in the Spring of 1861,
orders were given by the Navy
Department at Washington to the
Admiral of the Pacific to send out
vessels in search of the missing
ship, then being long overdue.
Under these instructions the Flag
ship Lancaster, Admiral Mont
gomery, and the steam sloop Wy
oming, left Panama, cruising along
the route to Hilo, Hawaii, where
they arrived in June of that year,
having found no trace of the
Levant, and, after a short stay
here, returned to San Francisco or
Panama.
Soon after the departure of these
vessels, report came from Kau
that large spar had fioated ashore
at the extreme south point of Ha-
wall but beyond this, nothing was
known of it or to what vessel it
had belonged, though it was con-
jectured that it might have been
one of the Levant's masts. A few
weeks later, having occasion to
visit Kona, on business, decided
to continue on to Kau, ride of sixty
miles, and if the mast was still
there, to examine it. On reaching
Kaalualu, near the extreme south
point of Hawaii, the spar was
found, lying on three piles of
rocks, high and dry above the
water, and quite accessible to
visitors. 1t was very large spar,
that had evidently belonged to
some large ship. In length it
measured 70 feet 6 inches, and it's
diameter at the foot % inches.
The natives reported that it first
came ashore some two months pre-
vious, was taken off by a high tide,
and finally came back again to the
very same place, having been
thrown much higher up on the
rocks, where no ordinary tide could
reach it,-as though it had a mis-
sion to fulfill and had come back
to make known the loss of the gal
liant ship to which it had belonged.
During my stay at Waiohinu, /
visited it twice, took careful meas
urements, noted the gun rack, and
drew a sketch of the mast, which
is still in my possession, and can
be seen by any one interested.
After this close examination, there
was no room to doubt that this
mast was from the Levant, had
f1oated from the scene of the dis
aster, few hundred miles to east
ward, and became lodged here,
apparently to carry the tale of the
fate of the ship, which was prob
ably lost by being capsized in the
storm referred to, the mast work
ing out of the hull, and having
number of rusty spikes and rusty
spike-holes, which afforded clear
evidence that a raft had been
made, that had been broken up by
the storm. Here the spar lay high
on the rocks, silent witness Of the
struggles of two hundred brave
officers and men in their efforts to
save their lives in mid-ocean, five
hundred miles from the nearest