The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-10-02

q Advertiser)
were ashore and safe. He then ar
ranged a series OF three signals. one
II the Anegawa would not help Mt all.
one III further consultation was de-
sired and one II the Anegawa would
help to pull. 1t was o'clock before
he returned to our ship.
Il decided that we must certainly
help IL there was anything that we
could do and ordered the signal for n
consultation to be hoisted. Nothing
could be done that night. but the next
morning we came In as close as we
dared and anchored. Immediately I
sent boat to the Mongolia to tell
Captain Porter that we had no cable
long enough for the work and to make
arrangements to pass us one. I also
sent out a boat to make soundings to |
see IL 1t would be safe for US to come
closer in with the steamer in order
to pull From where we lay we could
have done nothing.
las result of the soundings l
found that we could approach within
500 yards of the Mongolia Then the
officer returned and we decided to move
in and make the pull.
1.-THE Mongolia had piece of seven
inch wire hawser 500 feet long and we
had 600-foot piece OF five-inch wire.
1t was arranged that the Mongolia was
to send out their line and we were to
connect with it by doubling our wire
and by adding piece of six-inch hemp.
This was the plan. The intention was
to swing the Mongolia around until the
wire hawsers were long enough, then to
rull directly on this. It was dark by
the time that this arrangement was
completed and dangerous for us to stay
in so close, so we buoyed the end of our
cable with timbers and stood out.
AT dawn we came back to pick UP
the buoy. We approached within $50
yards Of the Mongolia and anchored.
but in looking for our buoy we found
that 1t had broken away and that our
cable had sunk. We resolved to Crap
pie for it, and after a great deal Of
trouble it was picked up. In the mean
time we had tried to raise it from the
end that was attached to the Mongolia's
hawser. but found it fouled at that end.
We commenced to raise it from the
other end, raised by our grapple. and
had taken it all up to nearly the Sec
ond section when it parted.
Now what could we do? We had no
more tackle. We might have found the
end again and succeeded in getting 1T.
but this would probably have meant
two or three days work. Certainly VIE
could not have done anything unity
the next day.
I'm the meantime our officers irony
the shore reported that the passengers
were all right and that the Buford, the\
Restorer, the Iroquois and possibly the
Lawton were coming to the rescue. Our
coal was gone and in view of the fact
that the four boats were coming I saw
no further necessity for standing by.
If I could have helped any I would
certainly have stayed. but I thought
that my duty had been done and SO
decided to 60
II sent word to the Mongolia that
there was no use for us to stand by
any longer and telling Captain Porter
that our coal was running short. Then
he offered to supply us, but to get
enough TO us in the heavy swell that
was running would have been impos-
sble, because we would have had to
have 100 tons day. / thanked him for
the offer, but declined it.
'Now, in regard to the story that
Captain Porter was ordered off my
vessel, l want to say that there must be
some very grievous mistake here. 1t
was reported to me that Captain Porter
was alongside and wished to see me.
1 sent word to have him conducted to
my cabin, where / waited for him for
about ten minutes. and as he did not
come I sent out to know why. The
message that was brought me was that
Captain Porter could not climb the
rope ladder over the side. We did not
lower our companionway at any time
while at Midway because of the swells.
IT thought that Captain Porter had
Genie to say goodbye to me and to
thank me for what had at least tried
to do for him, and went on deck to
speak to him. had never met HIM
and wanted to, but he had left beforeS
1 could see him. I was sorry not to
have met him and the story that I
ordered him off the vessel or that any
of my officers did so is not true.
II was told that Captain Porter
wished to have one of my launches
after he had gone. but 1 did not know
1t at the time he was beside the Ane-
gawa. In any event l would have had
to refuse 1t, as / have no authority to
sell or loan launches, and would have
explained this to him.
"All the soundings I had made at
Midway were those made to allow the
Anegawa to get as close as possible
to the Mongolia to assist her.