The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-09
STEAMER NEVADAN ON
THE REEF AND OFF
AGAIN
Continued from Page u

less in getting the vessel off the daE-
gerous reef SO quickly.
Many theories nave been advanced
as to the cause of the vessel going on
the reef. 1t did not carry pilot, and,
owing to this fact, the channel was
not lighted up for a departure. Th2
vessel has powerful searchIight ana
this was in use as it was going out the
channel, but it seems that the officers
must have mistaken the buoys, as
shown by the searchlight.
1t could not be learned last night
exactly what damage had been done
to the vessel, but it is thought that no
holes were made in the bottom, al
though the plates forward are probably
very badly dented and twisted up.
Although everyone on the vessel
knew that the ship was in dangerous
position on the reef, they did not worry
much as they knew that the swell was
not sufficient to make it bump much,
and also that fine tugboat was along
side to care for the members of the
crew in case it was necessary to take
them off the vessel.
Captain Burnham, the general man
ager of the American-Hawaiian line,
was aboard = the vessel and will
probably sail for the Coast in
this ship. Captain Durham is
making the round trip on the Ne
vadan chiefly to personally watch
the working of oil as a fuel. In
the early days of fuel oil for steamer
use Captain Durham was one of the
warmeSt advocates of this class of fuel,
so that it is particularly gratifying to
him at this time to be able to see it
working so well. He stated yesterday
that fuel oil had come fully up to his
expectations.
Is is expected that within a short
time all the big freighters of the Amer
Hawaiian line will use the oil
fuel as Captain Burnham has recently
been in the West Indies inspecting
site there for an oil station, and his
present trip on the Nevadan will prob
ably fully decide for him that fuel oil
would be a success in use on the long
steamer voyage around Cape Horn.
The Nevadan was scheduled to re-
turn here from Kahului by daylight on
Sunday morning and to sail for San
Francisco that evening with bananas,
the United States mail, and a cargo OF
sugar, but it could not be learned last
night how much this catastrophe might
delay the steamer in sailing, although
it was considered that it might be able
to reach San Francisco before being
repaired.
LAUNCH CAUGHT FIRE.
Will Young had the launch Fun out
towing lines fer the Nevadan He
short and put into port to get more
On his return he found that the steam
er had been hauled off the reef and
in proceeding to the anchorage the tin
containing the ten gallons of gasoline
coming in contact with a lantern, the
fluid exploded. Another young man
was in the launch with Young. and for
about twenty minutes they had lively
fight with the flames, which burned the
foredeck which covered the machinery
off and damaged the hull of the launch
to some extent They baled water from
the sea and hurled it on the fire and,
after b lively fight, succeeded in extin-
gushing it, but not until the launch
was completely disabled. The tug
Fearless later picked up the launch
and towed it and it's occupants back to
port. Young Brothers stated last
night that the machinery of the launch
was not injured, and that it would be
in shape to go into service today, al
though Young and his companion had
had severe battle against the flames
off port last night.