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

vHa ilo atD 0' these mDU ana three
Others who d.Ul from exposure .Hi.,
aud disappointment. diapuo.uim.u.
born O. fHD most outrageous behavior
ON tbo part Of. tho ship Fort George
8,DoIIu. I1 tHe sHpvr.,brl sailor.
of which vessels crow could D..
guilty, for .bo suffering men in Che
boat were close enough to the Fort
George last Saturday morning for
them to see the man at the wheel. thc
lookout ON the foroc1stlo head and
sailors running about the decks close
enough for the fumes of coffee from
the Fort Georges galley to make those
I'm the open boat. those who were not
already half mad dolirious with Joy
and yet the big four-master veered a
couple of points as If TO keep from rum
ring them down and, every stitch OF
canvas spread and racing to Honolulu
to beat three other vessels which left
San Francisco with her, sailed by nike
a beautiful cruel bird in spite Of mani
acal shriels for pity from the sixteen
helpless wretchos.
These sixteen sailors had been in
their shaky craft fourteen fearful
burning, cramped and thirsty days
when the Fort George was sighted
They had endured fortunes for every
hour. Shoulder TO shoulder they sat,
the blood almost ceasing to circulate
in their legs, their limbs swollen and
blistered, their faces peaing i'm the
glare of the horrid, scorching moons,
their bodies encrusted and burning
with the salt that silted through their
continually drenched clothing, their
toe-nails coming out, seeing Visions
screaming prayers asking the broad
expanse if there was a God and ours
ing that God if there was one, calling
on a something they half doubted and
half believed must be somewhere
within or without the awfulness OF
their desolation, weeping like children
or shrieking like demons, sulking like
idiots or fidgeting like looms.
A floating insane asylum, a tiny boat
with sixteen men gone mad. Their
| tongues clutChed the parched roofs of
| their mouths. Some of them could not
speak. For a day and a night the
master did not know if he was asleep
/ or awake. He had lost the sense OF
DISTINGUISHING between dreams and
/ everyday doings. Men in their disor-
dered minds saw wonderful and beau
tiful passenger steamships passing
them by, gladstone faces looking down
to them from over the towering sides
TO welcome them aboard to feast ana
drink and stretch their tortured legs;
and then these faces, as the tioatins
palaces came nearer and passed by, II
the sailors dreams, turned to coun
teuances of cruelty. One man, Chips,
the carpenter, a German, whose mind
has still something to recover, dream
ed he sat in a coft-cushioned rocklSS-
chair at home, and he was barely res
cued from going overheard as he rock
ed back and forth in his vision, talk
ing with mis- mother and eating fitS1r'
ed ices.
1t was nell.
Then came a glimpse of heaven
Salvation stretched a hand, 1t seemed
and hope rose buOyant to be murder
ously dashed by magnificent shil
that passed them by so close the!
could smell the crews breakfast coffee
Or thought they could. She was NJ
vision ship. She was the Fort George
Could she have seen them and passed
them by? Three men died when sh
had passed by.
Captain Larsen was the first to sigh
the big wind-jammer bound for Homo
lulu.
He strained his eyes, for he had i'm
= agined so many ships and so many isl
. ands that he was afraid another mir
} age was deluding him. But no, sh
was a ship, real ship, no painte
! bark upon a painted ocean. And hoy
glorious she was.
Il groaned and sat up" says Car
L tain Larsen, telling the story, for
panied me to move and l looked lon
, and earnestly at the vessel approach
J ing. She was coming right for u
every stitch on her. Superb she a
peared. | hesitated to arouse the me
| feared to tell them there was hel
at hand. | hardly believed it. | di
not know if l was entirely in my rigl
mind. l was, to be sure, at that tim
Il but l was by no means certain OF
. | waited. waited good twenty mil
{ utes and then ! tried to speak. N
u tongue refused its Office. l could n
articulate the words. 1t seemed th
III words stuck and burned and tore
my throat. But at least | managed
and my eyes were wet when ! salt
Brace up, boys, there's a sail in sig
= and she's bearing down us. On WI
you, every one, and make yourself
, heard. We're saved!' And then l to
them they could each have real go'
drink of water and they passed the
n salmon-tins to where / was sittin
y guarding our poor little water suppl
l. NNW