The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-30
Loss Of Life and American Ship
WIN. Il. Starback.
SURVIVORS REACH HAWAII
One Boat With Six Men Aboard is
Missing - Captain and Family
Here-Man Lost on Trip.

Inc American snip Wm. IL. Star
buck, Capt. Mcdonald, was burned at
sea in latitude 13 degrees 10 minutes
north, longitude 121 degrees, As min
utes west on November 5th. Fifteen
survivors reached Hookena, Hawaii.
last Saturday morning. including the
wife Of the captain and their three
children.
The Vim. II. Starbuck sailed from
Port Blakeley October nth with
1,025,000 feet CT lumber, shipped by
the Port Blakeley Mill Company. des-
tined by way of Cape Horn to Delago
Bay for orders. Everything was pro-
pitious until the day Of the disaster.
The crew and officers were new men,
shipped at Port Townsend. and proved
faithful and capable, as their conduct
showed during the trials which over
took them. Capt. Mcdonald was ac-
companied by his wife and children, a
boy of and two girls, one OF 15 years,
and the other an infant of 10 months.
Fire was first discovered in the fore
peak at 10 o'clock on the night OF No
vember 5th, and four hours later, at 2
O'Clock the following morning, the
whole deck and fore rigging were a
| mass of flames. Water had been
poured down into the hold inlmedi-
ately, the ship had been move - and
every effort was made to quench the
fire, as it spread first along the big
| cargo of doors in bundles. which were
iaf, xAH hot hn tt-hn I.a
rough lumber was piled to the decks
Acting as a chimney the center of
| the lower deck soon gave a draught to
the flames, which no amount of water
could have quenched, and finally ord
ers were given TO abandon the ship.
Much time had already been lost and
at early dawn. as the three boats con-
| tanning the captains family, officers
| and crew of the i'll fated ship pulled
away, the flames were sky high and
| the ship was afire from stem to stern.
How did the fire originate? The
cause will never be known. Out three
weeks il was impossible that any
| latent spark could have existed that
long. A plausible theory, that the 600
| bundles OF cedar doors, dry as tinder,
stored in the middle of the hold took
| fire by the friction one with another.
Like matchwood they would blaze at
the slightest flame and this theory may
| easily .ove acceptable.
The ship was not finally left until
she was down to the waters edge-a
! ruined hulk-nearly a day later. In
| one boat was Capt. Mcdonald, his wife
and three children, three seamen and
| the ships carpenter, c. Henderson
| Another boat contained First Mate e.
| Mcdonald. the cook and five seaman,
| and the third boat held Second Mate
Howards, Steward Small and four
| seamen, Jones, Cook, Domingo and
| Smith. In the boats of the captain
| and first mate were the instruments
/ for navigating, each containing a
| chronometer, compass. seXtant and
chart. but in the second mates boat
| there was none of these, not even a
compass. All three boats were pro-
| visioned for thirty days. As it was
not known that the second mate could
navigate he was carefully instructed
not to lose sight OF the other two
boats.
Upon sailing for few days all three
| boats were Joined together with
hawsers, the second mates boat beins
in the center. Being a whaleboat anC
thinking it could easily Keep up viii
the other boats was the probable rea
: son which induced the second mate x
part company with the others, anI
this has doubtless cost him and hi
! boat crew their lives.
On the fourth day out. on Novembe
10th. during the night. the secon'
mates boat disappeared compietei,
:: and was not seen again. y light re
fecting on the sails of the boat con
5 tanning Capt. Mcdonald had been Sc
every night, so there could be no eN
8 cuse except careleSsness or the over
6 turning of the boat that could nav
: caused the disaster which seems {
have overtaken the second mate
3 crew. Without seXtant or compas
3 and only a few weeks provisions an
8 water it is sad to contemplate the en-
: of this portion of the VIM. n. Star
8 bucks unfortunate crew.
Another calamity overlook the part
8 when at midnight ON November lStt
9 Mate McDonald's boat capsiZed com
: pletely from an extraordinary sea, an
s all its occupants were soon clinging
4 tn. bottom OF the craft. The captain