The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-08-24

The schooner Norma which now lies
wrecked off Mokoli Island, district of
KoOlau, has had quite an eventful his
tory in which some well known resi-
dents of Honolulu We're concerned. 1t
looks now as if the boat had seen her
last days for she lies hard upon MokOlii
rock despite the efforts of wreckers to
rescue her and the owners have given
up all hope of ever using her again and
ordered that she be sold at auction.
For the last few years of her career
the schooner has been in the island
trade but there was a time when she
went on more extensive voyages, one of
which has become historical. This was
the trip she made to the Midway ISL
ands in 1889 and there rescued the
Walker family and the remainder of the
crew of the Wandering Minstrel who
had been wrecked for over fourteen
months.
The history of that famous wreck
and the subsequent NARROWING f Cap
tain Walker and his family and nearly
score of the crew is familiar to the
people of Honolulu He was in the ON
ploy of the Shark Fishing Company,
Limited, of Hong Kong end visited IL e
Midway group in 1888 for the purpose of
establishing a fishing station for his
company. The Wandering Minstrel was
taken inside the atoll and while there
sci on the reef. So furious did the gale
become and so apparent was it that the
vessel would soon go 20 pieces on the
reef that the captain ordered everybody
to take to the boats and made for Sand
Island. The party consisted of himself,
his wife three sons, and the crew, all
but two of whom were FilipinOS. All
were marooned for fourteen months and
often was the time when the family
of Captain Walker went without food
for three and four days at time. 1ne
sailors were able to catch ample fish
but they refused to contribute In the
slightest degree to sustain the lives of
the unfortunate family of their captain.
/ After the party had been on the reef
| for a number of months their friends
| in China decided that the vessel must
have been wrecked but knowing that
Captain Walker had intended to visit
| Ocean Island, French Frigate Shoals
and others in the midway chain, they
anXiously looked for the opportunity of
sending out a searching party. Finally
their time came about the first part of
! 1889 when the schooner Norma left Yo-
! kohama under command of Captain
Johnson, on a shark fishing expedition.
! Friends of the Walkers acquainted
Johnson with the continued absence of
| the Walkers and asked If he would not
make a special effort to find them.
There was not much hope that those
aboard the Wandering Minstrel had es-
capped, but they induced the Norma s
commander to search even though it
was a forlorn hope.
| Johnson touched at all of the islands
in that chain but failed to find any
trace of the missing party until he came
| to Sand Island which is the western of
the two islands in the Midway atoll
| Fred who is now engaged in business In
! Of U oh "a
the hut when the Norma hove in sight
and he was the first of those on the ISL
and to sight the sail. The arrival of
| Captain Johnson was the occasion fol-
great rejoicing among the people on the
| island especially the Walkers but John
son did not prove to be such a Good
Samaritan as the marooned family had
hoped. He gave them some food but
when the proposition of taking them
away from the island was preached he
| demanded an eXorbitant amount.
Captain Walker was in a disagreeable
position. Life on the island with its
privations and worries was impossible
but the sum demanded as the price OF
passage for the party to Honolulu was
so great that Walker saw practical
ruin staring him in the face if he ac-
Icepted the terms. Johnson was obdurate
He had lost his season he declared by
stopping at the various groups looking
for the wrecked party and If he took
them to Honolulu he would have to be
paid sufficient to compensate him for
his loss of time and money. Further
residence on the island was out of the
question so Captain Walker finally com
promised the matter, by agreeing to lei
one of the consuls at Honolulu decide
the amount to be paid Johnson.
The party reached here on April Z
1889, where the Walkers have since re-
sided. Johnson took the Norma bach
on her cruise and lost his life some
years later in one of the South Sea
Islands. Since then the Norma has
weathered many a storm and borne thu
brunt of many a heavy sea only e
beach her bones close to the Walker
home, made possible by her arrival a
the Midway group eleven years ago.