The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-03-14

ti|hr nasinf. I<s ttflialt Int0flI
apt ana u ~ larssitt tilsei " lhN
8ailIhf mafltf
Ne strlaintd lhSt uhfa ht cams on
deeh after ihs rolliaips a was iafk. q
emoolh ata running ana q light north.
efiy bftcso blowing ne found the cap.
tain doing al IN BE power, under the
circumstances, 10 zee N anything had
been struck After reaching tbe pilot.
house Ne saw the schooneris starbonrd
light This was visible for q short
Took Time 70 ptesa.
"Thiu must have been fifteen min.
utes or 10 after the collision said
the navy officer. AZ We swung around
towards that light we lost sight Of Il.
IL was nine clock when I awakened,
and IL was Eve minutes before ! was
dressed 70 60 on deck. ] saw the light
for only a few minutea The time Of
the collision was ten minutes 70 nine :
Il took me Ave minutes 70 dress, and
that would make IL fifteen minutes after
the collision / saw the light. The light
was dim. We heard no sound and saw
no sign Of any kind. Almost all Of the
Kukui crew were at the rail listening
| and looking. No sounds were heard,
we saw no wreekage, and none Of the
prescribed signals of distress were peen.
The searchlights were used, and moth
ing was seen. The KulSui .cruised IN tho
vicinity for an hour and a half. We
steamed in the direction Of the Kauna-
kakai light, thinking perhaps the
schooner might 60 in the direction OF
that harbor. We were about mile
from the green light when 1t disap'
peared. /"
He stated he had no idea that the
collision resulted in the laundering of
the schooner. He spoke of scratches
on the Kukui about six feet above the
waterline. from which he inferred the
schooner's bowsprit scraped along the
side. All concluded it was a CHANGING
blow and that the schooner had gone
about her business. He was convinced
lin his own mind that nothing serious
! had happened.
Captain Keftger's Statement.
Captain KerigeH master of the Uni
/ led States lighthouse tender Kukui, was
the first witness called. He told Of his
connections with the Kukui and gave
his pusition as.ibetween Molokai and
lanai on the night of Monday, Feb
ruary 81, 1911, at the time Of the col
lisipn. He spoke of the range light at
Kaunakakai which he said should be-
visible about twelve miles. He was
asked at what time, by the Kukui Is
clock, the Kukui eollided with the Moi
Wahine.
The captain replied that he could
make no direct statement as to that
as he was asleep at the time, but he
judged it was eight fifteen. He was not
on deck, the second mate, Shaw, being
then in charge of the vessel. He sta
tied that Shaw held first mates papers
for ocean steamers, while he (Keriger)
held an unlimited license as master, the
papers being issued in 1907. He stated
he was occupying the position of master
of the Kukui under civil service rules
and it was not necessary for him to
hold license as master.
His first intimation of the collision
was being suddenly awakened. He
jumped up, put on his trousers, and
about that time the second mate noti-
fed him of the near presence of a
schooner. He fIn to the pilothouse
and asked the quartermaster how the
steamer was standing. The engines
must have stopped before he got there.
HE shaped the course for the vessel at
ed orders and kept the lookout. He
said the vessel at the time was carry
ing the prescribed signal lights. At
1.-THE time of the collision, the lighthouse
i inspector, Lieut.. Leo Sahm, U. S. N,
was on board the vessel. He was
in charge of the vessel and her move
ments, but mot of actual navigation,
Captain Keriger being sailing master.
The helm was put hard-a-starboard
and was turning rapidly. Immediately
on reaching the pilothouse he gave
the order to go ahead On the starboard
engine. The mate told him the schoon-
err was abaft and that was the quickest
way to round about to get to her.
Captain Keriger stated he saw a
! green light ON the schooner. He ex-
pressed the belief that Lieutenant Sahm
also saw the same light, IA an en-
deavor to get to that ship he headed the
Eteamer for the green light and told the
quartermaster to steady the helm. The
distance was hard to judge but he con-
tinued to see the light.
In answer to a question as to why
he did not reach the light after seeing
it he stated later that the light dis
appeared and he believed the schooner
had stood out on her course. he told
the quartermaster to steady the helm
, but as the quartermaster could not see
, the light he steadied the steamer by the
compass. During this time the search
light was manned and it was used in
an endeavor to pick up the schooner
The green light disappeared and that
was the last seen of it, and the vessel
itself, was not seen at all. He had the
searchlfght turned on in the direction
he supposed the schooner to be. When
the green light finally disappeared he
, Judged he was then quarter of a mile
away from it. He remained in that
, locality until ten o'clock when he
headed out for Honolulu, arriving here
/, at two in the morning. He stated he
saw no trace of the vessel during his
search, saw no distress signals, and
heard no shouts or cries for help.
He states he and Lieutenant Sahm
saw a white light-the Kaunakakai
, highland thought it might be the
schooner S stern light. The steamer
| was ordered to steam in the direction
| of that light.