The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-10-27
strange PLACE OF ABODE
WRECKED VESSEL SEIZED BY
MARINE sQUATTERs.
Natives have Taken Possession Of Ed
ward O'Brien and Live in Her Sur
rounded by Restless Waves.

Beached, broken and water logged
the bones of the fine Baltimore clipper
ship Edward O'Brien lie on the reef
close to the entrance of the harbor.
Abandoned months ago by her crew, she
is not deserted for the vessel is still the
scene of habitation. The life that is
about her now probably may not be as
spirited, as numerous or as vigorous as
that which the vessel once knew but
she is nevertheless serving as a home
for nearly dozen souls
To the causal observer the real con-
dition of the vessel is unknown. He
sees far away, a bit of her nose stick
ing out of the sand and he mistakes a
piece of loose timber for a piece of a
mast. But the masts have gone long
ago and the vessel has been so cut, and
slashed and jammed about by the
waves of two years that the remnants
of the once crack ship are scattered all
along the reef for a quarter of mile.
There is probably not person who has
entered the harbor without noticing the
nose of the Edward OBrien on the reef
and been told that that is all that re-
mains of a vessel that was wrecked
two years before while trying to enter
the harbor at night. But like the aver
age tourist and in the present instance,
| like the average person in Honolulu,
| he does not see the real condition and
fails to. appreciate how picturesque the
old wreck really is.
| AS a matter of fact the bow of the
boat, the part that most people think
| is all that remains of the vessel is the
! least that marks her grave. There are
/ two other portions of the ship which
are several times larger than the bow
| and it is on one of these that several
! families of natives have taken up their
abode: Practically, they are wrecked
upon a desert island. In fact they are
/ even worse than marooned on an island
| for there is scarce room enough for them
/ to move about in without danger of
| tumbling into the sea. But while a fall
] might prove disastrous to the feelings,
! 1t would not be dangerous to the exist
ence of the victim as the water about
| the piece of wreck Is not more than
three feet in depth.
This bit of habitable wreck is a por-
ton of one of the sides of the ship,
| tumbled fiat upon the beam ends Up
on the rotten old waterlogged timber
| the natives have erected three cloth
huts, making a sort of boat house out of
| the wreck. The huts are of the poorest
description being constructed of gunny
sacks. inside are only the primitive
appointments of the native, of which
the mats are the most valuable part.
The cooking is done outside but it is
accompanied with difficulty and consi-
! derable of a strain upon the disposition
of the cook for when the water is high
splash every thing that is unprotected
by the houses.
But whether high or low tide there is
always the swish and gentle roll of the
wreck as the waves undulate about
the reef.
1t is not more than so feet from one
end of the place to the other. Ten feet
in width does not give much additional
room. The piece of craft looks broken
and torn and there is but one regular
feature about her now, the dozen
or more ribs which are still bolted to the
ships beam and hold her together. The
vessel is breaking up rapidly though,
and the natives realize that their Inn
rrovised place of abode is to be but a
temporary one.
The plague was the cause of the Ed
ward O'Brien being seized by the ma
rine squatter. James Kuhia owned a
nice little home but when the plague
came his home was ordered destroyed
He looked about for a new home but
J he could not find any to suit him. Final
ly he happened to go out to the wreck
: of the OBrien where he found the fish
ing good. But a trip out there every
day was too laboriOus. He had to walt
until low tide to walk along the reef to
the quarantine wharf and thence into
town. On the other hand the fishing
was too prolific to abandon so after
talking the matter over with his wife
. | lIlty ueClueu 10 move 10 the wreck.
So for the last six months he and an
other friend have lived with their
: families on the bones of the old clipper
They find the life easy, inexpensive
and above all independent. Unknown by
the tax collector, unmolested by the
guardians of the peace and Stunned
by the political orator the existence OF
the eight natives has been indeed q
harOv one where they have enjoyed
the ideal of altruism since their land
ing. His family and his friends are
free to go and come when they like
They support themselves by fishing and
: gathering the coal which was scattered
when the clipper went to pieces. They
have their boats and If the residence
becomes too irksome they can relieve
the monotony by visiting friends
> ashore or entertaining the dozen ol
so people who visit the place every
week to fish and enjoy thoroughly
marine residence.
Att IF OLD STAND