The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-08-29
CAPTAIN W. G. Goodman Relates One
of His Early Experiences.
A TRIP THROUGH TORRES STRAITS.
Chastity Finds Made Some 81 the
Small islands, That Seemed to Show
Former PiIlage and Murder-A Pas
sage Not Safe to Navigate Alone.

The following account of a trip
through the Torres Straits, was
written by Captain w. G. Good
man. of the schooner Robert Lew
ers. 1t is from some notes made
in a diary kept by the Captain at
the time:
On the 2sth day OF March, 1869, the
good old ship Siam left Newcastle, y
S. W., bound for Singapore, by way
of Torres Straits. This ship is we'll
known in Honolulu by most OF the
older residents. She was owned at
that time by Mr.. tnow SIR, Roderick
w. Cameron, of New York, in whose
employ the writer had the privilege OF
serving more than seven years. Capt.
VIM. G. .Dunham of Martha's Vineyard,
Mass, commanded, Mr.. j. L. Minott,
of Bath, Maine-for many years past,
master of the ship Palmyra, was
chief mate, VIM. G.. Durham, Jr. was
second mate, and the writer was third
mate. Twenty-Five years ago the pas
sage by way OF Torres Straits was con-
sidered very dangerous, not only on
account of the innumerable rocks,
shoals and sandbars which abound In
the vicinity, but more so on account
of the treacherous and hostile char
acter of the people who inhabit the
shores on both sides and the islands
in the Straits. Capt. Dunham had
made the passage before by way OF
the Raine Island entrance OF and IN
side of the Great Barrier Reef.
On this occasion, Notwithstanding
the advice of his friends and their pre-
ne decided L
tempt the passage of the Straits by
way of the great northeast, or Blyh's
| passage. On the passage from New
castle to the entrance of the Straits,
we had made all the preparations con-
sidered necessary-yard tackles aloft
on both sides for getting out boats IN
| q hurry: provisions and water ready
| to nut into the boats at short notice;
all the boats fitted with sails; arms
and ammunition ready for use. Ihe
| ships armory was long way out OF
| date: it contained twelve mint LOCK
muskets, twelve flint lock horse pis-
| tolls. twelve cutlasses, one Enfield
| rifle and one Russian breech-loadIng
rifle; and, in addition, the captain and
each of the officers had Colts navy
| revolver. On the main deck we had
two I2-pounder old-fashioned cannons.
| Our supply of ammunition was not
large. We gathered together all the
| old stockings in the ship to manutac-
| ture cartridges for the cannons with,
and these we filled, not by any rule oil
| weight or measurement, but according
to the length of the leg of the stock
ing considered sound enough to hold
| powder-and they held from two to
five hounds. / think now that ii was
| well for us all that We did not have to
use those cartridges, for the guns were
| rusty inside and the balls were rusty
also, and were not properly rounded,
and a iammed shot would have
| exploded the gun and so would have
done US more harm than the enemy.
On the 10th of April we were up
with the eastern entrance OF the Straits
and at daylight in the morning we
passed the French bark JourdaiD, who
hoisted the signal, "Shall we keep
compapy?D we answered him eyes"
! This vessel had left Newcastle ten
davs before US, bound TO Saigon, and
| had been waiting for some vessel to
| come along and accompany him
| through the Straits. The Jourdaln
was good looking vessel, but we
could easily keep ahea1 of him
with very little more than hall
Rramble Cav, which is a sandbal
very little above the level of the sea
and at ) p. M. We came to anchor
STEPHENS Isle bearing , +. by >.
seven miles distant, in eighteen faith
oms water; wind very moderate from
E.S.E. The French bark anchored
near us, and after supper we lowered
|, boat and paid him visit. He tolC
lis he had no arms or ammunition
| and for that reason his courage faileC
! him when he arrived off the entrance
of the Straits, and he was about TO 20
by way of the eastern passage TO th'
China sea if our vessel had not come
along today. They were very kinC
and polite, treated Us and the boat
crew to brandy and claret, which
latter / remember TO this day TASTED
like a poor quality Of weak vinegar
At every place we anchored while IL
the Straits it was the rule to keep al
! armed watch, six men in watch
stationed three on each side. The
GALLEY fire was kept going all nigh
keeping water hot which we calcu
lated TO use in repelling boarders
pentler persuasion failed.
On April 11Jh got under way at day
light, but soon after the wind haule'
from L :. +. to y. T.. and about a. m
to y. w. and fell off nearly calm. w
succeeded in getting within one mil
, of Dalrymple Island and anchored il
fifteen fathoms water. Our compan
ion, the Frenchman, anchored owe