The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-14
SHE FURNISHES ANOTHER BIG
SENSATION.
Nineteen of Her Crew Return Declaring
she is Aleak and Foundering-The
Iroquois Goes in Search.

w
ly yesterday morning brought the in
telligence that 10 men from the City of
Columbia had landed in two boats on
Kauai, after leaving the vessel in a
sinking condition.
A few hours later shortly after II
o'clock the steamer james Makee arriv-
ed from Waimea with the 10 men
aboard, and then rumors and reports
of what the men said about the disas-
ter flew thick and fast through the
town.
The 10 men were First officer G. Carl
son, Chief Cook d. de Jiere, Coalpassers
p. j. McDonough, William Finn and
John Gomez Watertender James Fitz-
patrick and Firemen II. Taggert and NJ.
Mooney who left the vessel i'm the boat
commanded by First officer Carlson;
and Second officer j. w. Hammond.
QuartermaSter G. Stiff, Coalpassers Joe
de Santos, John Olsen and Carol Nc
Cullogh, Second Cook Paul Dielke, Oil
ers Albert Roth and Jerry Kinneally.
Fireman Charles II. Miller and First
Assistant Engineer James Bowen, in
the commanded by Second officer J. w
Hammond.
The accounts given by the men differ
! ed widely in details and in some impOr-
tant points Were contradictory. The aC-
count given to w. G. Rowell, flag owner
Second Officers Carlson and Hammond
! of the City of Columbia by First and
was substantially this: The Columbia
! left Honolulu last Wednesday after
noon under the most favorable auspices.
An excellent head of steam was kept up
! and speed of about 10 knots an hour
! was held.
| Sometime during Thursday night the
vessel sprung a leak. This became quite
noticeable before daylight and at
! o'clock two pumps, with a capacity of
10000 gallons an hour, were set to
| work.
| The water gained rapidly. 1t was evil
| dent that the seam was opening. The
| first half hour, though the pumps work.
| ed perfectly the water in the hold rose
6 inches; the second half hour the men
were startled to find that the water had
risen S15 inches.
BY S o'clock it was decided to add the
big 10-inch centrifugal to the force of
pumps already at work. and to use the
! whole of the steam power of the vessel
| to drive the pumps But by the time
the cOnue. tion was made the water had
risen so h n as to put out the fires, ard
! by o'clock the vessel was adrift. sail
was made with the faint hope that the
vessel might be brough to the nearest
| land.
Everything, however was gotten in
readiness to leave. The boats We're 2 II
provisioned and supplied with water,
! and the men assigned to the boats tney
We're to take Observations showed
that the vessel was then 6S miles south
of Kauai
At 11:25 Friday morning there was
| from 10 to - feet of water in the hold
| and the vessel was rolling heavily in a
| very rough sea. 1t was then that the
two boats, the smaller two of the four
belonging to the ship, under command
of the first and second mates, left the
ship The other two boats were in the
davits provisioned and ready, but Cap
tain Walker, Executive Officer Harris,
Chief Engineer Delaney and the other
II aboard remained in the hope of keep
ing the vessel ahoat until an Island
steamer could be secured to tow it to
land. Captain Walker gave instruC-
tions to those leaving. to secure a
steamer to go to the City of Columbia's
rescue, if possible. When the two boats
finally lost sight of the steamer she
was still afloat and the other boats had
not left her.
The two boats under command of the
first and second officers reached Mana,
Kauai, and landed at O'Clock Saturday
morning. They were well taken care of
by Manager Faye of Kekaha plantation.
4. S. Wilcox telephoned the James Ma
kee at Kapaa to drop everything and
come to Waimea, whittier the men mad
been taken and were being cared for by
Sheriff Coney, the deputy sheriff of
Waimea and the people there. The Ma
kee took them aboard and provided for
them carefully and brough them to HO-
Honolulu at once.
Captain Tullet of the James Makee
did not go in search of the City of Col
umbia, as 1t would be impossible for his
steamer to tow vessel water logged,
as the Columbia was described to be.
He, however, kept a sharp lookout for
the other boats, but saw nothing Of
them.
Lieutenant Commander Pond of the
Iroqouis, was appealed to, to go in
search of the City of Columbia, and af-
ter securing all the information as to
her whereabout and condition, sailed
about o'clock last night. Chief Engi-
neer j. j. Delaney of the City of Col
umbia, was formerly in the engineer
department of the IrOquOis.
From the foregoing account there are
many variations of statment by the diff
ferent men. The rate at which the wa
ter rose is agreed on by no two Of the
men. The statement of the amount of
water i'm the hold and the distance from
Kauai differs by as many estimates as
there are men. 1t was said by some Of
the men today that three boats We're IN
the water when they left and that the
fourth was only waiting to be lowered
till Captain Walker could get the ships
papers and instruments.
A spirit Of incredulity has shown it.
self strongly this morning among ship
masters and others familiar with sea
going matters and the belief Is express
, ed in the probability that the City of
Columbia is still on her way to Hong
kong. 1t is argued by those who hold
this view that if the ship was in the
: condition she is described, It would be
! useless for Captain Walker and the 9TH
ers to stay by her longer, and i'm any
event they would be compelled to leave
very shortly, and having the best boats
would have made land before the Makee
left Waimea. Attention is also called
to the fact that before the Columbia
I sailed several of her crew attempted tC
\ desert and that most of these are among
: the returned 10. For several days be,
fore the vessel sailed guards were KEEP
: on her to prevent men from deserting.
The theory of the men who hold this
belief is either that the 10 men deserted
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