The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-11
Shipwrecked Men
Arrive From
Kauai.
MATE SAID TO HAVE
DESERTED GIG
A Hearing Will Be Had Before
British Consul Tomorrow
Morning.

THE shipwrecked sailors OF the
Il British coal ship Fannie Kerr ar
rived yesterday morning on the
Mikahala and are quartered at the
Sailors Home awaiting aid from Brit
ish Consul Hoare, which has been
promised for tomorrow morning. while
Captain Gibbons and the members, of
his crew tell of no particular hard
ship suffered by them, yet the yey-
age from the place where the burning
ship was abandoned TO a safe port en-
Kauai was far from being pleasant
one.
The four men who made their escape
in the ships gig suffered the most and
they make grave accusations against
the first mate. David Longwili. whon
they accuse of deserting them This
story. however, the mate and the nen
who were in the big boat deny. and
they say they did everything possible
for the men in the gig, even to riskins
their own lives.
-fhe plans OF Captain Gibbons Cor the
future are not known, but the members
of the crew can all get berths aboard
various vessels If they wish IL. They
will be shipped either to Vancouver or
to San Francisco, though nothing oeh-
mite will be done until after tomorrow
morning, at which time hearing Will
be- had before Consul Hoare. Mr.. Hoare
said last evening he had heard nothing
officially concerning charges to be
brought against the first mate, though
his inquiry on Thursday morning will
take in the rumors and reports that
have been drifting about the water
front since the twenty-nine shipwreek-
ed men of the Fannie Kerr arrived IN
Honolulu yesterday morning. A short
investigation was held by Mr.. Hoare
Yesterday but nothing was said at that
time about any grievances the men
had against the first mate. In the al
ternoon Captain Gibbons made a For
NAL report to the Vice Consul. f. M
Swanzy. who is also the local agent for
Lloyds, merely outlining the accident
and its causes. The story Pfc the cap
tain of.tfe voyage aAdLsnbseehSnt mis-
hans is in substance as follows, all the
objects and men agreeing 20 his state
ment Of facts:
The Fannie. Kerr left Newcastle
Aprii I with $3.50 tons OF -Greta coal.
bound for San Francisco. All went
Well until early on the morning OF May
aS when smoke was noticed by zap
tain Gibbons coming from the ventiia-
tor. but an investigation disclosed 10
trace of Are. eFfne captaih then ordered
;he matches battened down in the hope
of smothering the fire, and 1t was de-
eided to make for Honolulu, the snip
being All that time northwest OF the
Islands. The full extent of the hre
was not known until the following Gay
when about two o'clock in the morning
without any tprevious warning, the
after hatch, Mo- 4. was suddenly blown
into the air. wtiile the ventilators were
sem. rfgn@ over the ship. A sheet OF
zdarne $50 feet high followed Fire came
oIts OF hatch No. 3. and the mizzen rig
gfng caught fire from the flames All
efforts 70, batten down the two hatehes
were unsuccessful, and gas began 10
issue from the remaining two hatehes.
= The center of the fire appeared to
be under the bridge deck aft, ana the
steel decks soon became so hot that
lina some places IL was impossible 10
stand upon them. The sfioke and gas
es also added TO the danger. and the
men were in constant danger or sHfo-
lcaten.za F5nelIy. after fighting the IRE
! all 6ay.~ md seeing thaTit was hope
less. it-Was decided to abandon her.
The four boats were fully provisioned
| anCfE the water (which wass getting
warm. was placed aboard First Mate
Longwill was put in charge Of the large
| life boat with eleven men, the second
mate took the dingey with three Hea'
and the boatssRaia the gig, with three
. rnen--The captain, with the third mate.
took the second life boat with ten Q,
the crew Shortly after leaving The
ship the dingey began to- all with
water and the captain put back and
took the four men aboard He also had
his st. Bernard dog and a cat with ham
and IL became necessary to throw oyer
board all surplus baggage in oHdef 70
tighten the boat The captain y boat
/ got separated from the first mate
boat and the gig the first night
the first few days they had hard
tine OF il. On June 5th Bird Island
was sighted. but no attempt was made