The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-08-31


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 al
the time:
On the 2Sth day OF March, 1869, the
good old ship Siam left Newcastle, \
S. w, bound for Singapore, by way
Of Torres Straits. This ship is well.
known in Honolulu by most of the
older residents. She was owned at
that time by Mr.. now Sir, Roderick
w. Cameron, of New York, in whose
employ the writer had the privilege OF
serving more than seven years. Capt.
VIM. Durham of Martha's Vineyard,
Mass, commanded, Mr.. J. =. Minott,
of Bath, Maine-for many years past,
master of the ship Palmyra, was
chief mate, VIM. G. Dunham, 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 siudbars which abound in
the vicinity, but more so on account
of the tTeacheTOus and hostile char
acter of the people who inhabit the
shores on both sides and the islands
in the Straits. Capt. Durham 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-
diction of trouble, he decided TO at
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
a hurry; provisions and water ready
to put into the boats at short notice;
all the boats fitted with sails; arms
and ammunition ready for use. The
ships armory was a long way out of
date: it contained twelve flint lock
muskets, twelve flint lock horse pis-
tolls, twelve cutlasses, one Enfield
rifle and one Russian breech-l0ading
rife; and, in addition, the captain and
each of the officers had Colts navy
revolver. On the main deck we had
two l2-pounder old-fashioned cannons.
Our supply of ammunition was not
large. We gathered together all the
old stockings in the ship to manufac-
ture cartridges for the cannons with,
and these we filled, not by any rule of
weight or measurement, but according
to the length of the leg of the stock
ing considered sound enough to hold
&. IL
five pounds. / think now that it 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 jammed 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 JOurdain, who
hoisted the signal, "Shall we keep
company" we answered him Eyes"
This vessel had left Newcastle ten
days before US, bound TO Saigon, and
had been waiting for some vessel to
come along and accompany him
through the Straits. The JOurdain
was a good looking vessel, but we
could easily keep ahead of him
with very little more than half
our sail set. At noon we passed
Bramble Cay, which is a sandbar
very little above the level of the sea,
and at p. m. We came to anchor,
Stephens Isle bearing 5 E by s.,
seven miles distaut, IN eighteen faith
oms water; wind very moderate from
E.S.E. The French bark anchored
near us, and after supper we lowered
a boat and paid him visit. He told
us be had no arms or ammunition,
and for that reason his courage failed
him when he arrived off the entrance
of the Straits, and he was about to 90
by way of the eastern passage TO the
China sea if our vessel had not come
along today. They were very kind
and polite, treated US and the boats
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 in
the Straits il was the rule to keep an
armed watch, six men in watch,
stationed three on each side. The
galley fire was kept going all night
keeping water hot which we calcu-
lated to use in repelling bOarders if
gentler persuasion failed.
On April 11th got under way at day
light, bat soon after the wind hauled
from f. 5. L. to n. f. and about a. m.
oN.W. and fell off nearly calm. We
succeeded in getting within one mile
of Dalrymple Island and anchored in
fifteen fathoms water. Our cOmpan-
ion, the Frenchman, anchored over
near Campbell's Island and not far
from lot of sand bars and shoals.
About 10 a. m. the first and second
mates with seven men took the whale
boat and landed on Dalrymple Island.
Leaving one man in the boat TO keep
her afoat, they proceeded very eau
tiously and after a little prospecting
in their immediate vicinity, and see
ing no natives they placed one man
on the lookout and all the others
went to work picking .cocoanuts.
Suddenly they heard strange and
fearful noise, the man on the lookout
raised the cry that the "niggers were
coming;n everyone got down from
the cocoanut trees in hurry. One of
the sailors, a tall Swede, started TO
slide down the tree he was on. 1t was
s. crooked cne, and when he had got
as far as the bend he slipped and