The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-03-28

No portion of the Inter-Island
waters has such record for dieas-
ter as the channel between Maui
and Molokai. Within the last few
years the schooner Kaiolani cap
sized there, and drowned her cap
tain, Powers, although the crew
escaped by swimming ashore. In
1885 the Inflated steamer Dowsett
was sunk there, in a collision with
the schooner Moi Wahine, the
crew escaping in a boat to Molokai.
Later, the schooner Waiehu cap
sized and man was lost. In this
vicinity the schooner Malolo
went down, four or five years ago,
with all on board. The disasters
to whale boats crossing from Molo-
kai to Lahaina are almost annual
in their frequency, a nun Der of
times with the loss of part or all of
the crew. Among prominent per-
sons who have escaped with their
lives from these accidents are E.G.
Hitchcock, sheriff of Hawaii, who,
in company with several natives,
once spent many hours swim
ing en- an oar in this channel and
the Hon. J. w. Kalua and his wife,
who, with a boats crew, were
twenty-four hours swimming IL the
channel, finally landing on Lanai
after a narrow escape from sharks.
In no instance recorded, how
ever, has there been narrower
escape from tragedy than on last
Saturday night.
THE TOUGHEST SPOT INTHE CHANNEL.
In all the length of this tempest
uous channel there is no rougher
spot than off the north point of
Maui, known as Kahakuloa Point.
The winds and currents seem to be
in perpetual conflict here, creating
a heavy sea when it is compare
lively smooth elsewhere.
For several days past the strong
easterly trades have been working
up a heavy swell on the windward
side of the islands, and as the
steamer Claudine came around Ka-
hakuloa Point from Kahului, last
Saturday night at about 8 o'clock,
with all sail set, scudding before the
gale at thirteen knots an hour, the
night was dark as pitch and the
air thick with driving spray and
mist, while as ugly cross sea with
breaking tops was running as thu
eye of sailor wants to rest upon
SUDDENLY, OUT OF THE DARKNESS!
CAME A SERIES OF PIERCING YELLs
at the very side of the ship, which
made the flesh of the listeners
crawl. The yells continued bu
for a few seconds, and then nothing
was heard but the roar of the wind
and the dash of the waves as th,
steamer swept on her way.
What was it Where was it
Nothing had been seen. Som
said it was on the forward deck
others that it was from the steer
age, aft, while the sailors declared
that it was the spirits of the los
sailors of the schooner Malol'
whose despairing cries they sa,
can frequently be heard in tn
channel on stormy nights. The,
stoutly maintained that the voice
did not come from any human
source, and that only disaste
awaited any investigation of tn
subject.
A mile or more had been passe,
over before the steamer could b
brought about, and the course re
traced, while Captain Davie
ordered two boats cleared away
Suddenly cries were again hear,
coming out of the inky darkness
although nothing was visible, an,
the sailors were surer than eve
that there was nothing materia
back of the unearthly sounds, a
they again died away in the dis
lance. But
CAPTAIN DAVIES TOOK NO STOCK I
THE SPIRIT THEORY,
and swinging the steamer aroun
into the trough of the sea, so as
secure comparatively smooth waite
on the lee side, he roared OF
"lower away boat No. f." A
though a native sailor has no fea
of storm or wave, he has whole
some dread Of "akuas," and it wa
with trembling hands and eye
like saucers that five men wer
lowered with crash into tn
seething foam. In thirty second