The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-10
CLAvEROON WAS
2l8 DAYS AT SEA
Long Voyage From Hamburg b,
British Ship TO SER
Francisco.

! SAN FRANCISCO. Sept. 3O.-At the
4 end of a long trip of 81, 900 miles, or 7OOt
miles more than the circumference OF
the globe, the British ship Claverdon
dropped anchor off Black Point yester-
day, 2ls days from Hamburg, When
| the ship sailed from the German mort
on February I'D last there We're five
more men in the crew than came
through the Golden Gate yesterday.
The unfortunates had been swept over
board into boiling sea and lost dur
| ing cyclone on the afternoon of Au-
| gust 29th, after the Claverdon had
| failed to round Cape Horn and after
passing the Cape of Good Hope was
hound up the Pacific. Long vigils, with
hurricanes tearing out the sails and
tremendous seas overwhelming the
stout ship formed the substance of the
, story told by Captain Thomas and his
men after reaching port
A terrific cyclone was encountered on
August 18th in latitude II degrees
north, longitude 123 degrees west. Ear
ly in the morning of that day three of
the men We're caught by a wave and
carried along the deck nearly the whole
length of the ship, escaping with their
lives, but severely injured. The decks
We're almost continually flooded Along
in the afternoon a great wave boarded
the Ciaverdon on the starboard side
and five men We're snatched from
among their mates and hurled to their
doom. They were c. Nelson, c. Cup
penberg, Charles Jesterkorn, T. II. Ry-
cit and August Firks, able seamen. BY |
the time their absence was noted the |
CIaverdon-plunging along at the rate
or ten knots an hour-was far ahead of |
the men, whose heads and waving arms
We're for moment seen at the break
ing crest of a gigantic wave 1t was
impossible to save them. Otto Weber,
Johan Andrews and Edward Ties had
also been swept overheard by the sea,
but fortunately had hold of rope ends
and were saved. Nine ether men of the
forecastle, who had been struck by the
force of water, were temporarily dis
abled.
The main topgallant sail and the miz-
zen lower topsail were blown from the
bolt ropes by the force of the cyclone,
which threatened to engulf and destroy ,
the big iron ship, and Chief Mate Reed,
the ship to, for only the main lower
topsail was left. 1t was feared that she
would breach to and suffer serious
damage. During the great storm the
-ore and main upper topsails, the main =
-opgallant sail, the foresail and the
nizzen lower topsail were carried a
way. as Wei as the best part of the
and from the deck two wa
er casks, two poop ladders, the brass {
and everything else movable
vent by the board For days thereaft-
r the seas were mountain high, and
many comber swept the Claverdon
ore and aft. Captain Thomas speaks
n high praise of Chief Mate Reed and
second Mate Edmund Arkman. During
he height of the cyclone, he says, most
f the crew huddled in the forecastle,
fraid to venture forth, and the mates
ore the brunt of the crisis.
In spite of her terrifying experience,
owever, the Claverdon came into port
boxing like new, the men having been
mployed in painting the vessel to the
yater line during the Gains that fol-
owed the storm. Reinsurance of 60
er cent was quoted upon the ship as
ate as Saturday, and considerable
peculation was in progress. Twenty
wo years ago, Captain Thomas, then
mate, was wrecked by the same kind
storm, in about the same neighbor-
god, in the British ship Brookfield,
1hich foundered. With his shipmates,
e took to the boats and landed at !
ape San Lucas.
A.