The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-11-20
NAVY WILL GIVE
COAL TO RUSSIAN
Continued from page one).


This application which will be re-
quired must state that the quality of
coal desired by the vessel can not be
secured from private stock in the port
and a request for the same from the
naval supply be solicited. Inasmuch
as the Naval Station is the only place
where Cardiff coal is to be obtained,
the cruiser has to look to the station
for it. Captain Lyon has received au-
thority to give the amount desired,
about 5000 tons. 1t was stated aboard
the Lena this morning that the vessel
would start to coal tomorrow but the
statement by the Russians is incorrect.
The naval coal barges are loaded with
coal in anticipation of the naval ship
Supply which is three days behind time
from Guam. Not until after that coal
will have been discharged . and the
barges cleared, will Captain Lyon or
der coal to be supplied to the Russian
vessel.
SO far as the Naval Station is con-
cerned there is no apprehension or un-
easiness over the presence of the Rus
sian vessel in port. Captain Ginther
has stated that he came here for coal
as his supply was RUNNING quite low.
His vessel consumed over 12O tons
of coal day and used up 2,40O tons of
coal to reach Honolulu. The quality
of coal that was secured in California
was of an inferior grade, very fine. His
men are not acquainted with the
method of stocking with that coal and
/ instead of being able to first have a
thin sheet of fire underneath the boil
ers and then put in the fine coal and let
it be eaten up Immediately, they chuck
ed the fine coal and all in. The re-
suit was that a large percentage of the
fine stuff ran through the CRATE bars
and was lost. Heavy weather in the
northern ATTITUDES was responsible also
for the vessel not making a very fast
passage to this port
While the visit of the vessel to Homo
lulu appears to the average person as
very queer still, seafaring men say
that it is by no means uncommon for
| vessels to do exactly what the Lena has
done. Some years ago the Old s. s. Rio
de Janeiro put back to Honolulu after
, she had sailed for Yokohama. She
ran into heavy weather that kept her
! back and caused her to consume a
| large quantity of doal Her coal
bunkers We're running so low that the
master determined not to risk bucking
into the heavy weather but to put back
| for Honolulu which was at even a
greater distance than Yokohama. The
result was that he barely made this
port and came in with all the coal
! burned. Some of the deck houses and
one of the masts had to be chopped up
and used for fuel to enable the vessel
| to reach this port, The case is cited
as a possible parallel to the Lena. The
way in which the coal was being vast
ed must, certainly have caused Captain
Ginther apprehension and as he saw
the prospects of heavy weather con-
| tinually ahead of him, he decided not
to risk getting short of coal so he put
about for the nearest port after a full
supply.
The Lena Is equipped with a wireless
| apparatus but the theory that she
communicated with Vladivostok and
received word that she had better
Z not come to that port, unless she was
with the people" is so ridiculous that
no sane person would credit such a
thing. The vessel was within 2,1OO
miles of Vladivostok and no wireless
| system i'm the world is practicable at
| that distance.
Unless they came through the local
| Russian consular representative no
orders appear to have been received by
Captain Ginther from his government,
The sailors from the vessel were per-
mitted ashore yesterday and this morn
ing more Ci the men came ashore on
leave. So far as outward signs go
there does not appear to be any evil
dence of mutiny or dissatisfaction
among the crew Of the vessel. There
naturally occurs to most people ashore
that inasmuch as mutiny has occurred
on other Russian warships a similar