The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-11-13
THE HORNET
STORY TOLD
Tragedy of the Pacific
Of Nearly Forty
Years Ago.

| 80, 1866. 1t was 'tgathered, - as 1t
says, from the lips of Mr. Thomas,
the third officer of the ship, and Mr..
| Clough, seaman, both of whom have
relatives residing in San Francisco,
who will welcome them as from the
grave. While the mate and one of
! the hands were in the hold with Ian
tern for the purpose of drawing var
| nish, at 7 o'clock in the morning of
May 3, the Hornet having just crossed
| the equator the evening previous and
being then in longitude 112 deg. min,
| there was an explosion that set fire to
| sails in the sail-locker between decks.
The fire got swiftly beyond control as
the following sentence graphically
tells:
| At eight o'clock the masts of the
noble ship went over her side, but the
| burning hull, like huge lamp, fed by
| 10000 gallons of kerosene and 5000
| boxes of candles made an awful con-
| fagration, lighting the horizon for
hundred miles around, while the flames
and smoke rolled up in black masses,
reaching to the very clouds"
The fire having burned through the
| hull, at o'clock in the morning of
| May 4, the charred hulk went down
bow foremost This was about 1000
miles due south from Cape st. Lucas,
| Lower California, and $500 miles east
| of Hawaii.
Captain Mitchell during the first
night distributed the ships company
| into three boats according to their
capacity Elm the long boat, with him,
were the two passengers, the third mate
and eleven seamen, as follows:
| capt Josiah Mitchell, of Maine;
Messrs S. and H. Ferguson, of Conn;
J.. Sidney Thomas, third officer, of
Richmond, Maine; Peter Smith, of Am
sterdam; Harry Morris, of Havre,
France; Charles Cardman, of Den
mark; John Haskell, of Fultonville,
Mass; Joe Williams, of New Bedford
| "a native of Madeira); Fred X Clough,
of Thomaston, Maine; John Farris, of
Madeira; Thos. L. Tate, of Portsmouth,
| n. H.; James Cox, of New York City;
| Antoine Passaic, of Cape de Verde
Islands; Neal Turner, of New York
| City.
| ''The second boat was placed in
charge of the first officer, Samuel
Hardy, of Chatham, Mass. Besides
| him, there were William Lang of New
| York whose father is a stock broker
! in that city,; George Winthrop, of
| London, England; George Washington
| (colored cook, steward and four
others, whose names we have not yet
| learned.
"EThe third boat was in charge of
the second officer, Mr. Parr, of North
Shields, England. With him were the
carpenter and six seamen, whose
names we have not been able TO OBJ
tain.''
Provisions and water were fairly
divided between the boats. Until the
eighteenth day out the captains boat
towed the others, but then fresh
breeze compelled Captain Mitchell to
cut off the mates boat. Three days
later the other boat was cut off. After
that night the small boats were no
more seen.
Captain Mitchell at first steered for
the American group but not find
ing it headed for Hawaii. Before the
2Sth dav from the ship the captains
party was reduced to ham bones and
the canvas in which the hams had been
wrapped with two gills of water a day
to each person. The slaves of a butter
keg next furnished the main standby,
while the leather of their boots was
scraped off and soaked in water 50 as
to make the leather soft. ''This,' the
For dessert. they ate pieces Of cotton
shirts and handkerchiefs. - Some to-
bacco was left, which, it is said,
&" served to allay their thirst, and may
have been a principal means of pre-
serving their Iives' On the 30th,
seth and 4Oth days, some flying fish
and one of another small fish Topped
aboard. The flying fish We're divided
into fifteen pieces and served around,
but the small fish twas given to the
captain. as he was suffering most from
want of nourishment
ION the 4lst day Neal Turner. an
invalid seaman, who had a severe ah-
scess in the hip. gave up discouraged
and lay down in the bottom of the
boat. The rest Of the party were in
good spirits but weak, expecting 10
see land in four or FIVE DAYS. There
| was no grumhllnG nor dlSsenSIOn.
ION the 43d day out at II a. m. the
| cry Of 'Laud-hot' was given and the
| lofty summit of Mauna Loa cheered
| the famished vovagcrs. The land was
| sighted a day or two sooner than they
| expected. On nearing it flag was
| waved ON pole. which was seen by
! those on shore. but At first il was sup
/ posed to he a fishing party, When APP
( nrOgrhIur near the bro. l-prS of Lama
/ hoehoe. two natives swan off to the
! boat. and on finding the destitute con
| dition of the crew climbed into it.
| shook hands with everyone. saving
How do YOU do took the oars and
| brought the boat safely to the beach
| - None of the party We're able to
| stand ny. and on irving to do so fell
over, perfectly helpless. and unable as
| infants to stand alone. The natives
crowded around, women wing with the
men. took them up in their arms and