The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-25
AgedWoodenBark
Abandoned by
Crew.
captain, FAMILY
Y AND CREW SAFE
BattIed With Sinking VesseI..-Were
Nearly Four Days in
Boats.

Ceylon, Captain Willer, did meet with
disaster on a voyage between Ho-
nolulu and Laysan Island.
After making heroic efforts in trying
to pump tons of water through broken
down pumping machinery and navigat-
ing his vessel first this way and then
that in an effort to save her, Captain
WfIler had TO abandon the ship and
with his wife, child, crew. and six jap
anese who were passengers for Homo
lulu, he battled again in small boats for
four days and three nights before
reaching Laysan Island. Six weeks
were spent on Laysan Island before the
rescue steamer HanaIei arrived there to
take the party off.
The Hanalei returned from Laysan
Island on Saturday evening bringing
the ship wrecked party.
The disaster to this old wooden ves-
sci has been expected for months. She
has been in all kinds of service in all
, kinds of weather for nearly half CEN
tury and although her timbers were OF
oak the iron fastenings of them had
long ago rusted. When the vessel was
last at Honolulu Messrs. Hackfeld &
Co.. her owners, could not get Insurance
at a rate less than twenty per cent
Finally the vessel was sent to sea with
out any insurance and she is therefore
a total loss, including her cargo OF
guano. The vessel was purchased a
few years ago for $4,000.
The Ceylon left Laysan Island on
June 2srd. Besides her crew and par
ty of six Japanese who were coming to
Honolulu on a trip, Captain Willer had
his wife and little son on board. While
loading, Captain Willer was aware that
the vessel was leaking but he did not
think that water was entering in suf-
ficient quantities to cause any trouble.
On the second day out water commenc-
ed pouring into the hold at a rate of
fifteen inches an hour. The situation
looked very serious so Captain Wiiler
decided to put back to Laysan island
but later changed his mind as he would
have to sail against head winds and
might be some days in reaching there.
The steam pumps were started but
these broke down in a few minutes and
all hands were put to work on the hand
pumps but the water came in faster
than they could pump it out. West
erly winds sprang up and gave Captain
willer hope that he might possibly
reach Honolulu. Then for nearly a week
all hands worked night and day in an
effort to save the vessel. Even Mrs.
WiIler went out and gave a hand at
the pumps and the party at times got
along without meals so that the COOK
could spend his time there. The hard
ships were increased on July second
when heavy seas were encountered
The wind shifted and Captain Willer
again decided to steer for Laysan. AT
this time the vessel was within three
hundred miles of Niihau- The bark
labored heavily in the sea, all hands
were exhausted, and the pumps were
no longer useful as they We're clogSeu
with guano. Water was now so deep In
the vessels hold that the crew no long
er took the trouble to measure it In
this extremity Captain Willer called d
meeting of those on the vessel at whlch
it was decided that they had better Try
to return to Laysan Island and save
anything they could of the Ceylon. Bu'
on the following morning matters were
so much worse that it was decided 10
leave the bark. At that time 1t was
thought that the vessel was about to
founder.
On the morning of the fourth of July
preparations were commenced towaru
leaving the doomed ship. Three ooatS
were manned but one of these was
swamped and its occupants had to be
taken into the remaining boats
Sails were fitted to both boats ano