The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-11-24
The Hanalei Breaks i'm Two
With 81 ON Board.
Three Passengers and Two Sea-
men Swim Ashore.
HEARD DOvE ROAR
OF the Surf as It Thundered ON
the Shore.
FOrty-Three Rescued and Is
known To Be Dead.


Bolinas, Cal, Nov. z4-Forty-three
survivors and fifteen dead from the
wrecked coasting steamer Hanalei.
which went ashore ON Duxbury reef.
near here, had been accounted for to-
day. f@
OF these thirty were towed ashore by
life lines or struggled through the
smother of surf by their own strength.
revenue cutter McCulloch. The Is dead
also were on the McCulloch.
AS the vessel had 81 persons aboard
all told. the list of dead and living left
but four unaccounted for.
The figures did not include, however,
five men OF the Fort Point life saving
crew, San Francisco, who We're swamp
ed last night. Two of these were
known to have come safe. ashore, but
the remaining three were variously re-
ported as aboard the McCulloch and
among those cast adrift when the Han
alei broke up. They could not be count
ed with any certainty among either the
dead or the living.
The Hanalei broke into splinters
early today after pounding on the reef
nearly "a hours. Some of the fragments
washed far enough in shore to enable
those clinging to them to make a fight
for their lives. The ordinary apparatus
OF life saving WAS pOwerless against
distance. fog and breaking sea. Among
those washed ashore unaided were
oid, years old. Of Windsor, Cal.
old. years old, Of Windsor, Cal.
Oil from the fuel tanks of the ship
coated the sea and made Shiny the
rocks of the beach, adding to the diff
f1culty of the descuers.
More Time Needed.
A few more hours would have saved
every soul aboard An hour would
have saved many. After all hope had
been given up ashore and on board
the wreck, the sixth line fired by the
Golden Gate park life saving crew
under Captain Norman Nelson went
over the vessel. A Heeches buoy was
rigged and sthen the line parted. AL
most Immediately thereafter Hanalei
broke apart, amid cries which, rose
above the thunder Of the surf
Efforts to take off the Hanalei's
passengers and crew from shore be-
gan late yesterday after a dozen yes
sells had tried to reach her and were
prevented by fog and surf. The Fort
Point life saving crew from the beach
fired lines which fell short until, in
desperation. they double charged
to launch a boat from the Hanalei
failed and a passenger was drowned.
A sailor tried to swim ashore with q
line. and men on the beach could see
his arm swing above the waves but
at the line of breakers he sank and
his body drifted out to sea-
Brave Efforts at Rescue.
A passenger, Elwood Schwerin, of
Berkeley, Cal, took line and got to
shore, but the line united itself as he
swan. One other man, it was reported
also reached shore, but the details were
lacking. A life saving crew which went
out toward the wreck was upset. The
captain reached shore and the remain
ing five men got aboard the Hanalei
Two later were washed on and drown
ed, and there seemed no hope for any
rescue.
At o'clock in the morning the
I Golden Gate life saving crew. with a
larger mortar. appeared. Through the
enterprise of q local newspaper it had
been ferried across San Francisco bay
and loaded on a motor truck, and sent
ten miles over mountain roads. It be-
gan to shoot lines toward the wreck as
the tide rose. After the third shot, the
water was waist deep on the schooner,
and the wireless operator. who was
sending with an improvised OUT
fit. held in one hand. reported that the
passengers were desperate.
I'VE will get ashore as best we can.'
he said. I'VE cannot stay here"
But they dared not trust the waves.
Try once more, hurry, hurry" called
the operator a little later.
The Hanalei was wooden vessel OF
666 tons built for the Hawaiian sugar
trade in 1901 and later diverted to
coastwise traffic, running between San
Francisco and Eureka. She left Eureka
Sunday. She was owned by the Inde-
pendent Steamship company.