Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-05-17
DEMENT'S MASTER
Tells Of HER loss
Captain Grant Relates
How He Left Her To
Her Fate. 4
FINE VESSEL BURNED
OFF FALKLAND ISLAND
ships FORMER MASTER TELLS
HIS HONOLULU FRIENDS OF
" NARROWING EXPERT
ENCES HAD.

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Among the passengers on board tho
steamer Francis II. Leggett, which left
this port for Midway. was Captain @.
G. Grant, who Is in the employ Of Milf
liken Bros. of New York, and will be
in charge Of the putting ashore the
Leggett's cargo consigned to the Com. |
merciaI Pacific Cable Co. Captain
Grant was the master OF the Inflated
American ship Clarence s. Bement
when she was lost last December. The
Bement was here In February. 1903.
and was well known in this port. Her
loss created considerable of a sensa'
ton In shipping circles at the time.
Captain Grant was greeted very cor
daily by his many friends on the wa
terfront during his short stay. His
story of the loss OF the Bement was
listened to with much interest. II was
as follows:
On December 10 of last year the ship
Clarence s. Bement, coal laden for San
Francisco. was running before the
wind and in heavy sea when the
| vessels cargo was discovered to be
on fire. The Bement was at the time
north Of Falkland Islands. The cargo
heated so rapidly that It was impos
sible to lessen the temperature in any
way. When Captain Grant saw that
all efforts to save the cargo were use.
less he set his course for the Falkland
Islands.
On December 22 at 4 o'clock in the
afternoon the Dement'S decks were 80
| badly burned and the heat had increas-
| ed to such an extent that Captain
| Grant decided II would be best to take
to the boats before the vessels decks
gave away. AT that time the decks
had been burned so thin that one could
push ones heel through with very lit
tie effort. The heavy wash of the sea
prevented the upper side OF the decks
from burning.
| Captain Grant let go both anchors
with all their chain. The boats wero
then launched and all hands left the
burning vessel to it's fate. The next
Of Falkland. This was attended with
quite a little difficulty. as the beach
was very steep. One Of the boats was
smashed on the rocks and all the pro
visions and sailors clothes lost.
Captain Grant and his men remained
On the spot where they landed for
three days. At the end Of this time
one Of the sailors by climbing steep
blur discovered the houses of sheep
ranch In the distance. The Captain
and the men consequently went to the
sheep ranch. Here they remained for
three weeks, being provided with ev'
cry comfort and assistance by the
Scotch owner of the ranch. Finally a
passing schooner was hailed and IN
this Captain Grant and his men went
to Port Stanley.
While at Port Stanley Captain Grant
made his home on board the ship wills.
colt, which was there dismasted and
with her cargo heated. The Wilscotl
belongs to Geo. w. Hume & Co. of San
Francisco, who also were the owners
OF the Bement. When Captain Grant
last saw the Bement her masts had
gone by the board. The hull seemed
however. to be riding at an easy an
chor 1t having been lightened consid
erably, as the cargo burned. Captain
Grant, who was part owner of ths
Bement, offered her for sale at Port
Stanley but no bids We're made. The
shipping companies at that place stat
ed that they had nothing with which
they could handle the big hull, and
even II they had they doubted that she
would be of any value even II they
could tow her into Port Stanley.
After staying at Port Stanley for
some time Captain Grant and his men
sailed In a steamer to Rio. The men
were sent from Rio to New York, while
Captain Grant went to San Francisco
the home port OF the Bement.
The lost Clarence s. Bement was an
American iron ship built in 1884. Shd
measured 1,727 tons net register. Hei
dimensions were 262 feet length, AIS
beam and 23.1 draft. The Bement was
an exceedingly well.furnished ship
with luxurious apartments aft, and
, was known everywhere as very fine