Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-11-09
The Ship VIM. A. Campbell.
INTERESTING STORY OF ITS WRECK
AND RESCUE OF SOME OF THE


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-The mail
which reached the Navy Department
today from Honolulu brought an in
teresting story of the wreck of the
American ship VIM. A. Campbell, OF
Thomaston, Me-, in a cyclone while on
a voyage from Port Townsend tol
Queenstown, in the Pacific ocean, Au-
gust 26. lat IA n, long. 100 W. The
story was transmitted by Captain
WiltZe, of the United States steamer
Boston, and differs from the brief &C
count first received here in one essen
tial point, and that is the statement by
Captain Wiltze that the Boston went
on a cruise after the castaways. Hon
olulu advices previously received stated
that United States Minister Stevens
was severely criticized for his failure to
send the Boston in quest of the miss
ing sailors. Because of these criticisms
the minister prosecuted the editor OF
the semi-official newspaper at Honolu-
lu, and the overthrow of the tottering
cabinet was fastened.
Captain WiltZe's statement is that
the officers and crew of the Campbell
left the ship in two boats, the captain,
his wife and little baby In one contain
ing fourteen people, the mate and ten
men in the other boat. The boats
separated at the end of two days. At
the end of twenty-three days the mates
| boat reached a point on one of the
Sandwich Islands, near the town OF
Hilo, the crew being in a terrible con-
dition.
The mates story is as follows: 1--WE
lived during the passage on half a tin
of water day, tin being about the
size of condensed milk can. The
water lasted eight days, and then we
lived on the same allowance of wine,
beer or stout. We, had no rain at all,
in consequence of which we got no
more water. In addition to the liquid
food we had about three dozen tins of
various preserves. We could not posi-
bly, have lasted three days longer, and
| one day more would have killed some
of the crew. During the twenty-three
days prayers were said by me for the
crew twice day. l think l prayed
fifty times day. Strange to say, all
were answered except the prayers for
rain. 1t was just punishment for our
former sins, and it will turn out eleven
good and true Christians"
| According to Captain Wiltze, the
condition of the boats crew on landing
was as follows: Two severe and eight
other cases of scuryy; the majority
were suffering from boils and blisters
Many had to be lifted and carried from
the boat by the natives to the house Of
the sheriff of the district in which they
landed. On hearing of their arrival
the United States steamer Boston left
Honolulu September %, reaching Hilo
September 80, and took the mate and
crew on board. She then went to sea
and cruised for two days over the wa
ter on which it was possible that the
captains boat might be found, but
without success. Then returning to
Honolulu she landed the men, who
were put in the hospital for treatment.
At the request of our consul-general at
Honolulu the Wilder Steamship Com
pany sent one of their steamers to prose
cute further the search for the captains
boat, but up to the date of sailing of
the mail steamer, October 4, nothing
had been heard of it, Captain Wiltze
regards the chances of the boats crew
as good, in view of the fact that to
reach Hilo from the scene OF the wreck
they would be obliged to cross the
tracks of four lines of vessels, and it is
possible that they may already have
been picked up.