The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-12-10
An OLD-T|ME TRAGEDY
Of HAWAIIAN SEAS
How Lieutenant Talbot and Boats Crew From
the Wrecked Saginaw Lost Their
Lives on a Kauai Beach.

T., to the body Of each was sealed can
| containing q despatch to whoever ii
might concern describing the plight of
| the crew of the Saginaw, and even
| before Halford could be SO far restored
| as to give an ineligible account of
the adventure, natives were speeding
J away to carry word TO Honolulu where
rescue steamer was at once sent out
and brought back the castaways safe.
There are but a few details of Hal
ford's narrative that need record here.
In the dreary monotony of heat and
thirst and gradual weakening of
physical powers, two duties devolved
on Talbot before all that demanded the
constant maintenance of a clear brain.
On him devolved the navigation to
save every mile of the direct route to
the nearest habitable land, and on him
depended the careful measurement Of
food and water that should keep life
burning until help had been reached.
Halford testifies to the unwavering
cheerfulneSs of his disposition made
eloquent by singing to the men hour
after hour when even breath seemed
scant Even at that one poor fellow
went crazy and required constant
watching from the rest day or two
a gale, and while using their oars as
a sea anchor they lost them. Very
probably on this account added to
their feebleness, although they made
their landfall all right, they could not
handle the boat coming through the
surf. She was upset and the lives
were lost by drowning and confusion
just at the moment that success was
assured. Thirty-one days in an open
boat on the trackless Pacific Talbot !;
held her true to her course, and won
out at the cost of his life laid down
without a murmur.
William Halford. the sole survivor,
was given a warrant as a gunner and
is believed at the present time to be
stationed at Mare Island. He was a
gunner on the cruiser San Francisco
during the time that Captain, later
Sampson was here in COM
mand of that vessel
The boat. after being sent to Homo
lulu. was finally forwarded to Annap-
oils. and is now in the historical nu-
scum in the Seamanship building at
the Naval Academy, together with a
sextant made by one of the engineers,
using the face of a steam gauge to
produce the scale |
W. o. Smith, when asked Saturday
concerning the incident, said:
II remember the incident very we'll
1 was then Sheriff of Kauai, and A. S.
Wilcox was Deputy Sheriff at Hana1ei
The bodies were reported having been
washed up on the beach. We investi-
gated and found sole survivor. The
bodies were buried on Kauai and sew
eraI months afterward were disin-
TERED, and their shipment to Honolulu
was looked after by Mr.. Wilcox The
bodies were buried in the navy plot
Of Nuuanu cemetery, I believe. Lieut..
Talbot was very young and was re-
sarded as a most promising officer"
On the receipt of the sad news from
Kauai, the American Consul despatch-
ed the Kona Packet, a fast sailing
coaster, with supplies to Ocean Island
The Hawaiian government also sent
he steamer Kflauea, in command of
Captain Thos Long father of Mrs.
Charles Booth of Honolulu, to render
lid. The survivors on Ocean Island
we're all saved and brought to Homo
ulu.