The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-01-30
ECLIPSE SURVIVORS


you forget it. When we got the boat
ashore the bottom dropped out
There were lot of Hawaiians on
the beach last Monday morning when
we landed and they pulled our boat up
and carried those of us who could not
walk up to the coffee shop Of Ching
Kee where we fulled up on water and
milk and coffee and biscuits and eggs
and everything. else we could get hold
of.
"One of us men hit glass of ice
water and, say, he rolled in the dirt
in commissions as the result And when
he came to he gobbled a glass of milk
That kind of soothed him and then ne
drank nine cups Of coffee; and then
he threw it up all and started over
again
Aboard the S. S. Claudine this morn
ing one of the members Of the crew OF
the lost Eclipse was observed Ticking
up the drops of water as they fell from
the cooler between decks. 1t was eX-
planned that the others were watching
him to see that he did not take a glass
of water ofteneI than once every three
hours. They were afraid he would
kill himself drinking water. But he
could not keep away from the tempt
ing, cool drip, drip, drip.
One of the first orders issued by
Captain Larsen when the crew left the
Eclipse was to cut out tobacco, for to-
bacco makes a man thirsty and there
was none too much water to be car.
| ried in the boats. His advice proved
good and probably saved lives, fol-
| the gig was swamped with a lot OF
water and the water ration had to be
cut down numerically.
Captain Larsen took the ships pa.
pers, his observation tools and a log
! book from the sinking Eclipse, but he
| left behind 1000 cigars and a lot o.
liquor There was not drop of liquor
or any other thirst-producing stuff
aboard the iife-boat.
The master deserves great credit fol
the manner in which he managed the
men, and the men deserve heroic com
mendation for the manner in which
! they stood by their captain.
According to the captains observa.
ton the Eclipse was $50 miles from
Honolulu when she was abandoned
but with drifting the life-boat made
over a thousand miles.
1--WE took our time about getting in
to the life-boat," says Captain Larsen
"and l got hold Of everything
thought would be necessary to the
trip We had a sail in the life-boa
and some days we made pretty gooC
time, but it was an awful experience
and 1 want to let you know that sail
ing the ocean is not what it is cracked
up to be. saw sufferings never wan
to see again and 1 also suffered"
The captain kept a rough log of tn
sixteen days in the open boat, as nea
as he could. He would miss som
days and make them up later. He tool
/, an observation nearly every day. Som
/ days were too overcast.
One man of the crew happened t
take along a couple of candles in hi
pocket and these he chewed afte
drinking salt water, finding them yer
efficacious as destroyers of the taste c
the salt water. 81 advise all castawa
sailors to carry candles" he says.
Another man is afraid he can neve
forget the dying cries of those who's
bodies were given to the deep. The
wanted their friends to hear that the
died brave, but, poor fellows, the
were out of their wits when dea
death took them out of pain.
Rescued with the crew was a ca
A black cat. A Tom cat A Masco
He is now with a lady at Lahaina an
will be well taken care Of. Pussy &c
his whack Of the water and Of tn
grub. Who says sailors are not tn
gentlest creatures ever let loose?
eve had a real hell with the life
boat" says one Of the survivors, "fc
we had to canvas her outside an
: brace her ribs and cau'k her seams an
even then bail continually. 1t was
miracle we were saved"
The rudder was broken twice; tn
air-tanks were rotten and 1t was neve
certain that the little tub would kee
ahoat.
In regard to the condition OF tn
Eclipse herself Captain Larsen state