The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-08
ASIA IN THE GRIP
OF BIC TYPHOON

With three lfebOatS torn from the
davits and lost, another smashed but
still in the stocks, the steering gear
strained until the chain was lengthen-
ed FIVE inches, and wearing a general
weather-beaten appearance, the Pa
cific Mail liner Asia arrived in port
yesterday morning from Yokohama
after passing through a fve-hour ty-
phoon blow lust this side of Japan
1t was a terrific struggle of the
staunch liner against one of the worst
storms in the western Pacific, but be.
ing well landen the vessel rode the
seas splendidly, and with only the loss
of gear and boats that offered the
easiest marks to the tons of pounding
seas which broke entirely over her. 1t
was a terrific experience for the Off
GERS and crew, and the passengers
huddled in the smoking room, dining
room and cabins passed through an
ordeal not often met. There were hui
morous incidents-but one recorded in
an afternoon paper, to wit: sixteen
fish being carried by waves into the
smokestack and being found later
when the smokebox was opened to
steam the tubes' Captain Gaukro-
ger, Purser Thorn, the engineer and
other officers learned something about
the typhoon they did not know when
they read the fish story.
1t was on November /, about l a.
m, when the vessel was in Lat. SO :04
N, Long. 166:2S E., dead reckoning,
that the typhoon broke. The baFom-
eter at that time registered 29:1S. At
2 o'clock the vessel shipped a great
sea and large quantities of water in
vaded the interior parts, and at that
time the vessel was hove to. The wind
was blowing a full typhoon then and
the barometer rose rapidly. At $50
a. m. the seas began to decrease in
size. The temperature of the water
was about II degrees.
At a. m. a tremendous sea was
shipped. which did considerable dam
age. Two lifeboats were carried away
instantly and two others stove in. Fl
nally one of the damaged boats car
ried away. This sea broke up things
on deck. The big hawser chests were
torn loose from the ringbolts and por-
tions of the boarding around the
wheel-house were ripped out.
No man could venture out on the
decks during most of the five hours ,
blow. Every attempt was fruitless.
The first officer made a couple of trips
to the bridge, but after that had to
remain behind doors. The engineer
could not be called up for a while.
Officers and passengers as well as crew
were kept behind the closed doors for
over two hours, while the vessel was
headed directly into the teeth of the
blow The machinery acted splendid
" and there was no danger from this
source.
The smoking-room had a few inches
of water, and the overflow went on
down to the main deck. where it wet
things up generally. The mushroom
ports. not being screwed down tightly,
permitted water to gain entrance to
staterooms. The ships surgeon clam
bered up into the smoking room wet
and bedraggled, having shipped a sea
directly in his stateroom. The passen-
gers maintained remarkable compo-
sure, although many were bumped
about until they probably thought the
vessel might turn turtle if she repeat
ed her rolling stunt once too often.
The visible damage on the decks
Yesterday was not great, but much of
it had been repaired. Bent stanchions
and rails had been Strengthened, paint
had covered some of the battered
places, but the empty davits told their
tale. and one boat with its seams all
agape showed where a sea had plump
ed down into it with tons of sudden
weight and split it from stem to stern.
The passengers for Honolulu in
cIuded Miss Ella Wight, who spent a
few weeks in the Orient. Mr.. and
Mrs. w. Cameron of Melbourne stopped
off here to Join the next Australian
bound vessel from Vancouver. Lady
Garrick and daughter also stopped off
to go to Australia. The Asia is now
CARRYING intermediate-rate passengers.
That is. the rate on this vessel has
been reduced. In future this will not
permit of passengers lying off here.
On her next trip to the Orient the old
D. & o. flag will not be flown, the
Pacific Mail flag taking its place.
The vessel had about 500 tons of
freight for Honolulu, including lot
IF copper mat.
Flagship's Bear is Dead.
Visitors to the flagship Connecticut
when the Atlantic feet was here, will !
emember the fat, sleek brown bear, |
mascot of the flagship, which had sway |
# portion of the quarterback. The |
,ear was presented by Seattle citizens. !
3ruin was all right when he was given /
o the ship, and it was lots of fun for !
he sailors to play with him. But he
lid nothing but eat and grow and get
trong, and finally it was no fun play
ne, or trying to play with him, for he
vas too rough and knocked the blue
ackets around like nine pins. Then,
90, he devoured several of the other
hip maseOts, and it was thought to
e only question of time before he
7ould try to devour the men. When
he flagship arrived at Manila it was
eeided that Bruin would be a fine &C
uisition to the Botanical Gardens, and
0 he was sent ashore to adorn them.