The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-07-20
= +. . d. q. !. a.
LAHA|NA LANDING
.T.REACHEROUS SAY
!MLAUEA BOATMEN
:@}S ~ ..
Witnesses Testify Before Utilities
Commission On Double
.,s.ss Drowning May I
SECOND BOAT OFF COURSE
WHEN SWAMPED BY C0MBER
Night Dark With Only Light,
&" Puffy onshore Wind and
; Moderate Sea Running

Wind and weather, tide and sea, en-
perience and character, all entered In.
to the exhaustive investigation under
taken yesterday by the public utilities
commission into the accident Mt La
hama landing last May, in which two
Inter Island deck passengers, a Japa
nese picture bride and an aged Chi.
nese, were drowned in the boiling
surf.
a number of Japanese attended the
hearing, in the expectation that IT
would take up the complaint brout.r
by the Japanese Society that Inter
Island seamen mistreat Japanese deck
passengers and subject them 20 petty
eNtortion, but although that subject
will be reached later, only n few glanc-
ing questions skinned over it yester-
day
+. w. Sutton and L. J. Warren rep
resented the Inter Island Steam Navi-
cation Company, and Vice President
j. l.. Mclean and General Smperin-
tendent Joseph F.. Sheedy were also IN
attendance, while Arthur @. Smith,
acting attorney general, served as
counsel for the commission.
! As far as could be judged from tho
nature of the questions asked, the com
mission sought to determine the state
Of the weather at the time of the ac-
cident, the state of the sea, the general
character of the channel, the position
of the ships boat when IL was over
turned, the experience and behavior Of
the crew.
| The captain of the Kilauea, two
oarsmen and the steersInan of the
swamped boat and a number of pass
engers of the boat Immediately prccel-
ing 1t, which landed safely, were ex-
amined, including Senators Robinson
and Penhallow and Representative Ed
ward WaiahOle, all of Maui. J. F. G.
Hagens, vice president of Hackfeld &
Co.. was called to testify, but it quick
ly developed that he was asleep In hts
berth at the time of the accident,
which occurred about half-past nine at
night, May l, and knew nothing Of it.
On some of these questions there was
substantial agreement. Lahaina land
ling has q bad name. Witness after
witness testified that the channel Is
itreacherous and that its behavior
seems to be governed by forces which
cannot be predicted.
1t may be rough in the channel, with
"a nasty sea breaking on the reef, in
bright, calm weather; or 1t may be
smooth In the channel at noon and
ttome on to heave and tumble wicked.
fly two hours later, without any change
in the wind; and there is a point at
which sudden rise Of water some.
times breaks without warning. =
I The night of May l was clear, but
dark, with no light but the sheen OF
the stars. There was an Onshore
breeze from the southwark and a rir'
file of sea running, but nothing tC
, cause apprehension.
cit was not a rough night" testi
|, fed Senator Penhallow, who has made
= the landing many times. LIT was not
rainy or blowing, and there was liz
tie sea running. / should call it q
good night to land
By the starlight, he could make out
the line of the surf and at one time
he thought the helmsman was off his
course for the ehannel-nOt danger
Ously so, but enough to attract his at
tention; but before he found voicn tC
} speak the boat steerer had straight
. ened away for the gap in the reef, and
, they landed safely.
The first he knew of the accident
was when he heard cries and shouting
\ from the water, but he could see moth
/ ing until the headlights of an automo
bile standing at the landing were turned
in the direction of the cries. Then h,
could distinguish the outlines of tn,
overturned boat, and the forms of hu
!. man beings tumbling in the water. II,
, had no means of JUDGING where tn,
boat actually capsiZed, but at the TIM
he first saw it, he should judge it wa
perhaps a hundred yards below the sur
! line.
As soon as il was known that tn,
second boat had been swamped, tn
. crew of the first boat jumped to thei
oars and pulled out into the channel
Senator PenhallOw was sure that every
thing humanity possible had been don
to save the passengers, without delay
al senator Robinson 3 testimony wa
= largely contirmatory. He also told hoV
! the behavior of the bar was in nOwis
dependent on the weather, but bin,
, breakers would sometimes rise sud
, denly from the bottom and charg
! shOreward. 1t also seemed to him tina
q the voices came from a poiut between
4 seventy five and one hundred yards be
: low the edge Of the channel.
Captain Frank NJ. Berg, now assist
ant superintendent of the Inter Islam,
. wharf and commanding the Kilauea a
! the time of the accident. testified tina
he had an experience of six and Que
Z half years with I.ahaima landing. IL
a saw nothir" of the accident
, The weather being fine, he sent OF
b the first boat with crew of four row
n;s and = hPlmSmnn, eight cabin p0s
I senpers, the mail and their ha"d lug
I. gage, hut no freight, Tn" sma'les
: ont III" Kilaura carries il licensed b.
. IN" United States government to hOl
thirty six.
ih,. second boat followed with &"
, passengers, ril ht adults aud two chi
drou, one small trunk, but no mai