The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-12-02
Extraordinary Boat Voyage Of ES-
capped Mariners.

Extraordinary Boat Voyage Of Es-
capped Mariners.
BY the steamer Likelike on Sunday
morning last there arrived in town,
Capt George Halliday, of the British
ship Norval, and twenty OF mis- crew,
who had reached the steamer just as
she was leaving Mahukona, after an
adventurous voyage of twenty days in
open boats, during which they had
made their way 1000 miles from the
point at which they abandoned their
ship. Capt Halliday reported his
chief officer, Frank Anderson and sew
en- of the crew as still missing, the boat
in which they We're having parted
company from the others during the
first night after leaving the ship.
The Norval was an iron vessel Of
1927 tons register, built at Sunderland
in 1873. She was the property of
Messrs. 7. o. Hunter 6 Hendry, of
Greenock She sailed from Hull on
the 26th October last and WGs bound
for San Francisco, carrying a cargo
of 1865 tons Of coal. The voyage was
without an incident of Importance I'M
til the afternoon of Tuesday, 18th Feb
ruary, the ship being then, according
to the captains estimate, ~ latitude
s N, longitude 115 40 w. What then
occurred is thus recorded by the first
officer in the ships official log.
LAT 1 p. M, on coming Gu deck my
attention was called by the captain to
a smoky sort of steam issuing from
the fore-hatch, accompanied witch
strong smell of gas. On going down
below, in between decks and lower
hod, found it 10 be quite cool, with q
slightly suffCcating smell; ventilatiOns,
ETC., having been strictly attended to.
At a. M" (March 1sO went below
with captain, found smell of gas to be
increasing, with a strong smell of
burning wood and coal tar, and more
SuffOcating. Hatch combing, etc.
turning a kind of dark CLASSY lead
color. At 9 a. M. opened main hatch;
smoke, steam and strong smell Of
burning issuing. Found midShip
stanchion On fore end Of hatch to be
very hot with a strong heat coming
up from between the shifting boards
Called all hands en- deck, got all com.
bustibles up from below, blocks, ropes,
provisions, etc Battened matches
down and started the donkey pump TO
pump water in the hold abreast OF
main hatch. Reduced ship to tOpsails,
got lifebOats in the dayits and ready
for sea and started all the pumps to
pump water in the hold in the vicinity
of the main hatch through holes in the
deck made by the carpenter. Got
water breakers filled and provisions all
ready to go in the boats"
At noon that day the ship was in lat
itude 10 degrees 81 minutes N, and
longitude 1T degrees 81 minutes w.
The pumping of the water into the
hold was continued throughout that
and the following day. One the morn
ing of the End March, the temperature
of the Goals near the main hatch was
found to be 80 degrees, and elsewhere
so degrees, whilst that of the air and
water were at the same tim so TO 81
degrees. At p. m. that day the work
at the force pumps was stopped, but
the steam pump was kept going until
s p. M, when seven feet of water was
found in the we'll The three principal
matches were then battened down, the
other communications with the ho.d
being covered loosely, the captain eX-
pecting that by them and at the nlasts
sufficient ventilation for the escape OF
gases was secured. The following
morning, March 3rd, as soon as the
morning watch was set, sail was got
on the ship and at ) a. N. the pumps
were started and kept going until
p. m, when the water in the well had
been reduced to two feet ten inches.
The temperature of the water as 1t.
came out was 50 degrees, and during
the afternoon pieces Of cinder and
charcoal and charred wood were con-
stantly coming up with it through the
pumps. Some hope was entertained
that the measures taken had been sue
cessful and the ship was kept on her
course. Soon after the men had ceased
pumping, however, and just as they
were going to supper, without warn
ing Of any kind a frightful explosion
took place. So violent was 1t that IL
is surprising that no one on board was
seriously injured by it. The chief Off
Ger was at the time sitting in his
cabin with the log book and a memo
randum book of the captains before
him. His cabin was in the middle OF
the ship under the break of the poop,
and had two windows looking out on
to the maindecll, with the after hatch;
of course. Immediately before him,
Fortunately he was sitting opposite
the woodwork between the windows.
The latter were blown in with great
violence by the escaping gases, but
the mate escaped with only scratch
from a piece of glass on one side Of
his head. The steward and the ear
penter were the only men who got
hurt. The former was lying on the
cabin table Immediately over the hatch
Of the lazarette, and was thrown up
against the beams of the deck, hurt
ing his head The carpenter was hurt
by a blow from the rail Of one CT the
poop ladders. Both the pOOp-ladders
with their brass rails were blown to
pieces and the matches were driven up
into the air as high as the upper top