The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-05-18
BARK |OLAN|. TOTAL Loss
IN COLLISION WITH BRITISH SHIP
ARGUS.
Grew and Passengers Saved-Accident
Occurred May 3-Hawaiian Vessel
Sank 30 Minutes After Being Struck

The news Of the loss of the iron bark
Iolani brought yesterday by the Cop
tic, caused many expressions of sym
patty for her master, Captain Mcclure,
whose last voyage to hawaii was n
most unfortunate one. While the yes
sci was at Hilo the captains wife be-
came very i'll and the Iolani came here
for medical aid, Mrs. Mcclure being
taken to a hospital. She died a few
days after arrival here, Captain Nc
Clure remaining with her to the last.
She had accompanied him on his voy.
age down here.
The Iolani's cargo consisted of sugar
valued at SIP S2.70. 1t is the first SUI
gar cargo from Hawaii that has been
| lost for many years. The Iolani left
/ H:lo on April Is. The passengers on
board were A. w. Heydmann aud Mr.
and Mrs. E. G. Woodman. The regis
tered owners were c. Brewer & Com
pany, though a number of local men
had interests in her. Some of these had
their interests insured, but some had
not. The following dispatch from AS
toria gives details of the disaster:
ASTORIA, Or, May 9.-The British
I ship Argus, Captain Hunter, in ballast
from Port Los Angeles to Portland, ar
| rived at the quarantine station this
afternoon, having on board fifteen of
the crew and four passengers of the
Hawaiian ship Iolani, bound from Hilo
to San Francisco, which was sunk off
h the coast near San Francisco on the
night of May 3, in collision with the
Argus. The Iolani was a total loss, but
the crew and passengers were saved.
The story of the collision and wreck,
as told by Captain Mcclure of the To-
lani, is as follows:
eve were heavily laden with sugar
and on the night of May ga, in latitude
140 west, longitude 9S north, we ran Into
a dense fog. The night was pitch darl
and we were sailing on the port tack
when without warning the Argus, sail
ing on the starboard tack, doomed W
out of the fog. Both vessels put theil
helms hard down. The lolani, being
heavily laden, come around all right
and cleared, but the Argus, being in
ballast cargo, hung in the wind, being
too light to answer her helm and cleal
us. The result was that the Argus
came on us stern foremost, striking the
first time amidships. 1t was this blow
that wrecked the Iolani.
After the first collision the Argu:
swung away and then struck the To-
lani a second time, stern on, on the cat
head and anchor. The last blow lifted
the Iolanfs anchor and drove 1t dowI
J through her decks. The Argus had
large rent torn across the stern of th'
ship by our anchor when she fouled 1t.
1T at once became evident that the
Iolani was too badly injured to float
and hailed the Argus to stand by. Thu
passengers and crew were transferred
to that vessel without accident Th'
Iolani remained afoat thirty minutes
and then went to the bottom"
The ship and cargo were fully insured
= The Argus is not badly damaged AM
could proceed at once to Portland blu
for the fact that the presence of tn
crew and passengers of the Iolani, com
ing from IAN infected port, renders |
necessary to hold the vessel in quaran
! tine until the matter of its bill of healtl
is decided beyond all question.
This being the first port at which tn
: wreck could be reported, 1t is not know
whether the investigation as to placinl
the blame for the collision will be hell
here or not. Presumably the investlga
ton may be in Portland, but it may b.
transferred to San Francisco for tn
convenience of the underwriters, own
ers and agents of the two vessels en-
gagged.
The Iolani was formerly the British
iron bark Thurland Castle, and wa
built at Belfast in 1876 by Harland {
Wolff. Her owners were c. Brewer
Co., Boston, Mass. The Iolani was pur
chased a few months ago by Welch 4
, Co. of San Francisco. and she was Civ
en- Hawaiian register. The vessel wa
intended for the sugar trade between
San Francisco and Hawaii, and wa
3. making her maiden trip to the forme
port