The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-08-29

The British bark Gainsborough, 1887
tons, Capt. A. McPhail, bound from
Newcastle to San Francisco with 1450
tons of coal to order, struck on the
reef quarter of a mile straight off
the Diamond Head signal station at
40 this morning and will doubtless
be a total loss.
She is an iron vessel, old style, with
old fashioned port holes like a man-o'-
war. She was built in London in 1866,
and is therefore thirty years old. Her
dimensions are as follows: Length,
2O6 feet; beam, 31.4 depth, 20.4.
Her value is about $4,000. NO insur-
ance.
She left .,ewcastle June 80 and was
therefore sixty-siX days out. Left
without sufficient provisions and water
and put in here for supplies. Men
have been on half allowance for three
weeks.
The cause of the accident will be
left to a court of inquiry to be APP
pointed by the British consulate. From
the many sources aboard ship the fol-
lowing account is gathered. Land was
sighted shortly after midnight. Came
around Koko Head and hugged the
shore line. Off Diamond Head struck
the reef, bow on, in sixteen feet of
water, landing square on keel. Vessel
was drawing eighteen feet forward. 3
At the time of accident Capt. Nc
Phail was below, taking "A cup of cof-
fee. He had been on the poop all
night and was broken down. First
officer was in bed, it being his watch
off. Second officers watch was on
duty. At the time of accident second
officer was in the peak. No one was
on the lookout.
Nothing was done until daylight to
save the vessel. About $50 tel
ephone message announced that a
bark, name unknown, was among the
breakers off Diamond Head The tug
was made ready as quick as possible
and went out. Soon it was reported
that she was on the reef Capt. Camp
bell then took the Ke Au Hou out to
see if anything could be done. The
wrecked bark was then hard and fast
on the reef. 1t was high tide at s
o'clock, but this only wedged the ves-
| col Nha,, ha tc
recede, humping set in.
After a consultation between the
captain, the pilot, Capt. Campbell and
others it was decided that the vessel
! was in danger of breaking up at any
time. The only way to save her would
; be to iettison her cargo. No power
, that might be sent out could draw her
, from the coral vice she was in against
the strong sea swell beating toward
the heads. At any moment she was
6 liable to roll, and this would prove
fatal in a few moments.
n Calling the fifteen men of the ship
on deck the captain said: Men, the
S time has come when it may be safest
i to abandon our good ship. l will re.
main with her to the last. Those who
wish to leave may do so The boats
are there, waiting. l would like some
to volunteer to stay with me. / pre-
u fer English seamen. Who will steE
S out?"
u First Officer Platz, Second Officer
Holt, the carpenter and the cook OF
: the vessel stepped out and took po
sition with the captain. The Other
eleven men went to the boats ant
came to the city.
After taking out the piano and ar
ranging for the use of IA code of sig
i nails, the Ke Au Hou returned to port
G The captains wife and a servant CIR
:. were taken off by the tug and trans
ferred to the Ke Au Hou. They are
o being cared for in the city.
e The situation now is that the vesse
f is firmly wedged in the coral anC
n stands two feet above her water line
II, She is not leaking. If from a change
in the tide she begins rolling, she viii
certainly bilge and go to pieces in
short time. The five men aboard hav
boats and will leave in event of eX
treme danger. 1t has not yet been de