The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-11

w ed stump of her mizzen top
mast and with her fore royalmast ano
main topgallantmast missing, the
American bark st. James, Captain Tap
ley. SO days from Newcastle, New
South Wales, with a full load of coal
arrived off the harbor yesterday after
noon and was towed into port by the
tug Fearless, dropping her anchor III
the stream, where she will await hel
turn at a wharf.
The st. James is not the first vessel
to come here in distress during the past
few months, but the damage she has
sustained exceeds that to the bars
Olympic, which arrived here March Is,
having been dismasted in whirlwind
off the California coast, or any other
vessel arriving here in distress since the
beginning of the year.
On the 18th of May the St. James
sailed from Newcastle. All sailors are
more or less superstitieus, chiefly more,
and the men in the forecastle told each
other over their salt meat and cracker
hash that something unlucky was bound
to come of the bark going to sea on a
Friday, for that was the day of the
week upon which the 18th of May fell.
Once fairly out to sea the crew soon
forgot all about the day of their de-
parture in the incessant work of clean
ing ship When she left Newcastle the
bark was black with coal dust. No
American skipper allows his vessel to
remain in this condition. even at sea,
50 all hands We're kept pretty busy
and scraping and painting.
All went well as far as the weather
was concerned for almost two weeks,
when it commenced to blow in threat
ening manner from the southeast.
Thirteen days passed. Ii was the night
of the Both of May. The good bark was
not far north OF New Zealand The
wind from the southeast had taken on
a new zest' and seemed to be collecting
its strength for a bowling gale.
1t was near the end of the watch. al
most midnight, when one of the older
hands who had been making meteoro-
logical observations all day from rheu-
matte symptoms in his own person,
made the remark that, inasmuch as it
was a Friday when the vessel sailed
y
teen days had passed since then, if
unlucky was going to happen
it ought to come along in little while
or it would be overdue.
few minutes afterwards Eight
bells" struck and the cid mans watch
turned in, the other watch coming on
deck
By this time all sail had been taken
in with the exception of the lower top
sails and the foresail. When a gray
day dawned the. wind was shrieking
and the vessel was taking tons of wa
ter on deck. The rain came down in
sheets and the crew. in their oils and
sou westers and seaboots, were drench-
I'd to the skin Notwithstanding
Captain Tapley had been on deck most
Of the night Now and then he would
go below to snatch a few moments of
sleep, from which he would be quickly
aroused by a heavy sea striking the
vessel or the scampering feet of the
seamen on the slippery decks as they
rushed to execute the loud-bawled
commands of the mates
"All hands on deck" was the order
shortly after the first streak of down
struggled through the clouded heavens
The good ship reeled and plunged
The, masts creaked and the rigging
and the great waves continued
to wash the decks. many times hurting
men with force against the bulwarks
as they bravely strove to carry out the
orders Of their officers
Suddenly the gale increased in fury.
They have some heavy storms down
in those parts. It was about the mid
die of the forenoon of May 31st. Only
the fore and main lower topsails and
the reefed foresail We're being car
ried
Before these could be taken in and.
almost without a moments warning.
the foresail was ripped from the yard
and, torn into countless ribbons, was
carried away on the wind. The fore
lower topsail followed, and then the
main lower topsail went
Nothing was left to steady the yes
sci now, and she labored terribly In
the terrific seas. First she would keel
way over to leeward, and then sudden
ly right herself, while the masts
to be torn from the decks
She couldn't stand this long and, as
suddenly as the foresail had been
snatched from the yard, the fore royal
mast snapped with a report like a gun
shot, and came topping down to the
deck, bringing yards and gear with it.
1t was only little while after the
'ore royalmast went that the main top
gallant mast followed suit, and then
he mizzen topmast had to go,
Fortunately, no one was injured by
he falling spars. Most fortunate was
t that the foresail and the lower top
sails were carried away when they
we're. Otherwise, men might have been
ordered aloft. If any of the crew had
been aloft when the masts went some
1ne would surely have been hurled
overheard or killed by falling spars ana
gear.
The york of cutting away the wreck
age ami saving everything possible
was done as soon as could be. This
vas by no means an easy task, as the
vessel was pitching and rolling to an
alarming extent AS the men Iabored
With axe and knife they were in con-
slant peril of losing their lives, and
hey were we'll aware of the fact. At
.er a little while, however. the wreck
age had been cleared away. No dam
age was done to the vessels sides, and
much Of the gear had been saved.