The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-10-20

lnt bIlllSn ' OIlSulult Nv ilp-
noIulu on the 18TH, 18th, 18th and 18th |
days OF October, to investigate the cir
Cumstances attending the stranding of |
the British steamship Miowera of the |
Port OF London, official number lOl. 935,
oil the Port Of Honolulu, on the Island
OF Oahu. one of the Hawaiian Islands;
when on a voyage from Sydney, n. 5.
W., t. Vancouver, II. c., and the cause
of such stranding, and to enquire into
the conduct of the Master, certiiicated
first mate, second mate, third mate,
and fourth mate, and crew of the said
vessel.
That the Court having heard and
carefully considered the evidence
given before it, is unanimously of
opinion that no blame is to be at
tached to the master for the strand
ing of the S. s. Miowera, and there
fore returns to him his Masters GER
titcate.
The Court is Of opinion from the
evidence laid before it, that the
strauding of the S. S. Miowera on
the night of October =, 1898, was
due
First-To the indistinct appear
ance of the land, the bearing taken
by Captain Stott supposing it to be
Diamond Head was really the high
land to he Head which was itself
obscured. and that this led the
Captain to stand on until really
nearer to he entrance than he sup
posed.
Secondly-That Captain Stott
having got the Green light well
open to the East of the Red was US
ing a small starboard helm to bring
them near y together, as by sailing
directions, when the sudden disap-
pearance of the Green light depriv-
ed him Of his leading mark, and
while So deprived of the Green light
he must have crossed the line of
bearing aud got too far to the West
and stranded on the west side of the
harbor entrance about IS feet from
the outside buoy on the west side,
while endeavoring with port helm
to turn the ships head to sea east
ward. With regard to the disap-
pearance of the Green light, the evil
dence of Captains Smyth, Davies,
oorenson, and Campbell, all men Of
great experience as Masters of
steamers running in and out of Ho-
nolulu at all hours of the night as
well as by day, proves indisputably
that the Green light is frequently
obscured by masts and spars, or even
The funnel of a vessel or vessels ly-
ing at the Kinau or Likelike wharves
(see plan No p. On the I'd of Oct.
last the British barque County OF
Merioneth" was in such a position
that the Green light, being situated
iushore of the wharf, struck on her
masts or yards, the latter being
squared at the time, in such man
uer as to prevent it from being seen
from ship having her marks nearly
ON, in the entrance of the passage
The contention of the HarboI
Master that the green light was not
obscured until the shi p was already
too far to the west, is not in accOrl
with the weight of evidence, but
were it so. it detracts very seriously
from the value of the light if it bs
liable to become invisible without
warning TO a ship IA few feet onl y to
the west of the channel.
r BY the evidence of the Pilot, tn,
Miowera was we'll to the eastward o
the entrance when he first saw he
starboard sidelight and masthead
light, soon afterwards she was heao
on to his boat with a port helm
That the green light was obscuret
, by some Intervening object is plainl,
5 proved by the evidence of the Pilot
= and the chief and the third officer
$ of the ship, who state while it wa
1 invisible from the bridge it wa
a plainly visible from the deck unde
+ the bridge, as was discovered afte
I the ship grounded. Captain Davie
!, Of he inter-island Wilder's steam
; ship Claudine testilies that he los
I sight Of the green light from tn
t bridge of his ship, though he after
$ wards found out that it was at tn
S same time visible to a number of hi
II passengers on deck, and that th
;, occurred the day before the strand
g ing Of the Miowera, the County ,
Merioneth being then in the sam
position as on the following night.
The Court wishes to observe tina
q the Miowera did not, nor shoul
# she have come within the Unite
a range 90 niles of the Barber
J. Point light and that as there is n
At light ON the east ward or damon
:. Head side of the entrance there
no possibility Of getting reliab
I bearings if the outline of the Ian
" be- even partially hidden.
~ All the witnesses agree that ii
"a electric lights of the streets ha'
If the effect Of reducing or diminis
ia ing he visibility of or killing" ii
# harbor Red and Green Lights.
% fact that these harbor lights whe
ri ever the electric lights are in oper
4 ton do not show over more than
as fraction Of the range attributed
b. them, and thus we have the very 7
markable fact that while the gla
of the electric lights Of the town
recognizable at distance Of thirt
five miles, the guiding lights of Il
IN harbor are visible only Is or mil
N for the Red, and about 4 for T.
1 Green. The Miowera ran for no
10 aud II minutes, making Is kno
ne after sighting the glare of the ligi
Of the town before raising the X
harbor light.
by The Court is also. Of opinion tn
ne had the Pilot been half a mile,
ct even less, outside the entrance,
no might have brought the ship in
,.y 7 L,fat A.