The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-07-07
PMAGENMNT Of OPIUM TE HOLIDAY At HLOSHP WRECKED At AYSN
THE BARK M'NEAR is A TOTAL
LOSS.
Her Crew Of Thirty-Three Men Spend
Two Days and Night in Open
Boats.

The bark Ceylon, Captain Willer, !
arrived this morning from Laysan ISL !
and bringing news of the wreck and |
total loss of the American bark Me-
Near on Dowsett Reef, near Laysan
island, last May. The Ceylon brought
Captain Johnson, of the McN6ar and
the shpwrecked crew to Honolulu,
with three boats that were saved from
the lost vessel. The McNear went Cn
the reef at night time, striking 80 hard
that there was never any hope of saw
ing her after the first shock The sur
ViVOrs spent two days and a night in
the boats, before reaching Laysan. The
heavy currents that prevail in the vic
Unity of the island were responsible for
the disaster. By this time the McNear
has probably gone to pieces.
The wreck occurred at midnight on
May IA, after the McNear had l11e a
good run from Honolulu to Laysan
with ballast and a few stores for the
residents of the island. Dowsett Reef
is about sixty miles from Laysan. Cap
tain johnson was just changing his
| course when the vessel struck. She
| began to fill at once and all hands Set
about preparations to take to the boats
| Pumps were kept going, while the
boats were got ready. There were
| fourteen in the crew and ninete an Jap
anese laborers who were taken from
Honolulu, with luna, to work on Lay
san, making 33 men to be carried in
three small boats. 1t was nine o'clock
on the morning of the 18th before the
boats were ready and Captain johnson
gave the order to abandon the vessel.
! The captain took one of the life boats
with 9 white men and 8 Japs, and H.
| Golden, the mate, took charge of an
other life boat carrying also four
white men and Japs. In the dingy
were three whites and a Jap. There
was no land in Sight and a strong
trade wind was blowing, when the men
began to pull away from the lost YES
sci. 1t was a dismal prospect, for the
land sixty miles away from where they
started rises so little out of the water
that. it can only be seen from very
close, and there was great danger that
it might be missed.
All day on the 18th the men rowed
on followed by scores of sharks which
did not add anything to the pleasure
of the experience. When night came
they kept up their course and another
dawn revealed no land in sight. The
men say they were beginning to fear
that they had missed the island, and
were lost in the open sea. The small
boats would not hold provisions for
thirty three men for more than a few
days and the nightfall of the second
night found the shipwrecked sailors In
not very cheerful mood. When dark
ness came on the second night their
} hearts were made glad by a light,
which showed up ahead. 1t was
thought to be some ship, and the men
rowed like mad in the hope of rescue.
1t proved to be the lighthouse of Lay
san island, whose existence probably
saved the survivors from a fearful
fate.
5 At Laysan island there was nothing
to do but wait for ship to arrive.
: The McNear was to have taken cargo
2 of fertilizer for Honolulu, and her men
: did not expect to stay there long. The
+ addition of 80 men to the population OF
the island, without the stores which the
r McNear failed to land, made short
=, age of provisions, and all were COM
PEELED to go on short ratiOns, as far as
imported foods were concerned. There
are any amount of eggs and good fish
= at Laysan, however, so that no one
there need starve.
The bark Ceylon, in command OF
, Captain Willer, arrived at Laysan OF
! June 10, after the crew of the McNeal
: had spend nearly month there. cap
d tain Wiler agreed to carry the meI
y back to Honolulu. He left on June "a
e with forty men on board including hi
e own, arriving here early this morning
t The wrecked crew went to thu
L office of the shipping commissioner t
report and most of them put up at tn
e Sailors Home. They lost practically
:. everything they had but feel that the!
Z did well to save their lives. "The day
: and night in the open boats" said on
5. of them, "were enough to make an.
e man feel bad. We had only a littl
y food and water, and nineteen Japs t
II look after, and If we had missed tn
island there would have been terribl
times. The Japs all behaved well, an
everything went smooth. Their
C were thirty-three thankful men i
e those boats when we saw that light.
: The men who shipped from here o.
Ic the McNear and are now back ar
p mate Fl. Golden, p. Grant w. Caer
q w. Mclean, ]. Burke, R.'Pinching, W
h Mitchley Il. Granite, c. ROfe, j. Rich
erdsen. w. Caen is one of the mel
who took part in the rescue of WilliaT
Adamson of the Glenesslin of the coas
of Hawaii a short time ago. He seem
IS to be having his share of adventur
d on this trip to Pacific waters.
IN The conditions at Laysan, as regard
lie food. are about as they were when IN
A. McNears men We're there. The fail
a. ure to receive the McNears stores an
n. the presence of so many people to ga
OF up what came on the Ceylon, make
~ shortage.
IN The McNear was built in Belfas
re Maine. in 1872 and was owned princi
a. pally by ]. Petersen of San Francisco
IN She was of 1908 tons gross register. tn
IN McNear was very we'll known in Ha
lg waiian waters, having been in the trad
of long time. This was her first trip
command of Captain Johnson. TIL
as latter is a brother of Captain johnson
I'd who left here yesterday for San Frar
a. cisco in command Of the S. c, Allei
Just one day too soon to hear of tn
disaster.
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a. Per s. S. Australia-Peaches, Grape
an Oranges Lemons, Lines, Celery, Cal
.e. liAnunr CnhhaRn Pears. PlumS. Eree