The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-03-12
INTER-IS | AN D
FLAGSHIP
SUNK
Mauna Kea, Victim of Series of
Accidents, Rests on the
HarbOr Bottom.
SLID FROM MARINE RAILWAY
Water Poured in Through Open
Sea Cocks-The Damage
Thought to Be Small
SLID FROM MARINE RAILWAY
(F+om Sunday IS Advertiser.)

lying IN leu VI wafer Ill
the harbor, with what may prove to be
considerable damage to her propellers
and with certain damage to her furnish.
ings and machinery running up into
thousands of dollars, the steamer
Mauna Kea, flagship of the Inter-Island
feet, is demonstrating that a chain is
no stronger than its weakest link.
The crack island liner was being
hauled up ON the marine railway yes.
terday morning when one of the cable
links snapped under the strain. Steam
er, cradle and all promptly slid back
into the harbor waters. Unfortunately,
just before the accident to the cable,
the sea cocks of the vessel had been
opened, and into her hull the water be.
gan to pour. There was no way in
which the vessel could be prevented
from sinking. Tugs came to her rescue,
but the best they could do was to tow
her into a portion of the harbor, near
the lighthouse, where it was thought
there was comparatively shallow water.
Here, again, misfortune waited the
flagship. Captain Freeman, who di-
rected the Bleaching, did not know that
the very spot he picked out had been
dredged down to thirty-five feet only
four days ago, in which depth the
Mauna Kea settled.
BY noon her main deck cabins were
awash In the afternoon the vessel
took decided list to port, and when
darkness fell last evening she was I'M
der water astern to amidships and SUBJ
merged to the hurricane deck.
Other than the damage from the
water taken into her hull, President
Kennedy of the company claimed yes
terday afternoon that the Mauna Kea
has suffered little.
How 1t Happened.
AS soon as her cargo had been dis
charged yesterday morning, after her
arrival from Hilo, the vessel proceed
ed to the marine railway owned by the
company, to be hauled out and have
painting and scraping done to the bot
tom of the hull. Two-thirds of the way
up the railway the ship was stopped
and her sea-cocks opened to let out the
bilge water, while the crew rugged
sings over the side to scrape her hull.
Starting from this position, and while
the men were working, the remainder
F. of the ascent was made, but as soon as
the vessel moved one of the links Of
the great cable snapped and back into
the harbor she slid. The crew along her
sides jumped for safety as soon as they
felt her move. No one was hurt in the
runaway, although one officer went
down with the cradle wreckage and had
q most narrow escape. Captain Free
man got his anchors out in time to keep
the steamer from going on the rocks
across the harbor, while the tugs Nava.
10 and Intrepid came along at once
and under direction of Captain Free
man moved the steamer still farther
toward the lighthouse where she finally
settled to the bottom soon after noon.
With open vents into her hull the
steamer went down rapidly until her
after portion was submerged as far as
amidships. Fire Chief Thurston rushed
an engine to the rescue, taking it out
alongside on a scow and losing no time,
but the water came in faster than it
could be pumped away.
Kept From Sinking.
The Niihau and the Likelike were
stationed on either side of the bow,
and with a cable under the hull they
prevented the forward portion of the
steamer from being submerged. Be-
tween two and three clock in the af.
ternoon the steamer began to list to
port, still sinking. The aid of the other
two vessels was all that kept her from
turning over.
Heroic attempts were made by divers
during the afternoon to stop up the
sea-cocks through which the water was
rushing, but up to a late hour this
could not be accomplished. AS soon as
the predicament of the Mauna Kea
was seen in the morning, boats put off
from the California to render aid, and
divers from that cruiser and the others
in the harbor went off to give whatever
assistance was possible.
President Kennedy of the Inter
Island company late yesterday after
noon said:
"The seacocks should not have been
opened until the Mauna Kea was fully
up on the railway. If they had not
there could have been no serious ae-
cident. The steam had been blown
from all but one of the boilers and
nearly from that one before the vessel
was started up the railway.
"Had Captain Freeman had the
steamer towed into Bishop slip, even,
there would not be the trouble there is
now, for there is but twenty-eight feet
of water in that slip, while where she
lies now there is thirty-fve feet. He
thought he was going on a ledge which
would hold her up over there, but there
is no ledge.
Except for the damage done by the
water, do not believe there is any.
thing serious the matter with the
Mauna Kea. She did not strike bot.
tom until the water inside her took her
down, and on that account there can
be no damage to the hull
Another on Run.
It may take considerable time to
hoat the steamer, but she is SO far over