Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-05-10
THE LAHAINA ACCIDENT.

Editor Honolulu StarzBulletln,
Sir: May be permitted to avail
OF a space OF your valuable paper in
ORDER to make an earnest appeal to
the powerful corrective influence of
the public opinion regarding the acct
dent at Lahaina. Maui. to a boat OF
the SIS. Kilauea. a steamer of the IN
teT-IsFand Steam Navigation Company.
which resulted in two deaths, one :
Chinese and the other young Japa-
few days age
The Kilauea had arrived at the port
OF Lahaina about p. m, Saturday, the
LIST of the month. The night was
pitch dark and a thick, rainy cloud
hung over the sky: but the sea was
calm. There was no storm, only the
usual white-crested surfs playing off
the beach. The boat which met the
accident started from the Kilauea at
about 9:20 with 10 passengers on
board. 1t took ~ unusual course, the
course being some 90 feet north from
the usual one. The crew of the boat,
who were two, and both natives, were
entirely careless of the safety of the
beat, they were constantly quarreling
with each o;ner. One OF the crew
rowed the boat and the other, acting
as the rudderman, directed the course.
The rudderman's attention was not di-
rected to the safety of the boat, but
was concentrated upon making 1t as
difficult for the rover to row and OBJ
struct the progress of the boat as
much as possible. Thus, the boat
was brought to where the surf was
high and the sea dangerous. In this
situation the boat was caught in by
a rolling surf and capsized. This was
about one-half mile from the landing
or wharf Shrill shrieks of the drown
ing passengers broke through the still
ness of the night, and the people on
the shore Immediately fitted out sew
eral boats and started for the place
where the cries came from and with
the assistance of the lights Of auto
mobiles succeeded in picking up eight
of the ten. After considerable search
the body of one Akana, a Chinese.
was found, on the beach about 1890
p m, carried there by the waves. But
the missing tenth was still undiscov-
cred. At last at about n:30 a. m. of
the I'd of the month, the body OF the
missing Japanese woman was found
on the beach of the Plantation Meat
Market, lying there dead.
The story Of the death of the woman
is particularly heart-rending. She is
a woman of "a years of age, by the
name of Kuwae Ushi, and just came
from Japan to meet and live with her
husband; Kuwae Doyo, who is working
in Yaauhau. Hamakua.. Hawaii. The
marriage was effected by the COM
municatlon of letters and the exchange
of pictures as is usual with the Japi-
nese in Hawaii when they marry
woman in Japan She came here by
the Manchuria, which arrived here the
26th ult., and was joined to her hus-
baad at the United States immig"atio
station, Honolulu. he husband in
tended to show the wife the sights OF
Honolulu few days and then return
with her on the Claudine, which
was scheduled to sail on the I'd inst,
but the young wife insisted to take
the fatal Kilauea, in order to see even
one day sooner her brother, who Is
working at No. 3. Lower Puunene,
Maui. The husband counseled her to
take the Claudine and land at Kahului,
but the wife would not listen to 1t,
and they took the Kilauea and landed
or attempted to land at Lahaina, with
the fatal result to her as just related
above. The husband related this sad
tale with tears in his eyes and ex-
pressed his regret that If his counsel
had been listened to this sadness
would not have overtaken him and his
VIE. He further stated that when the
boat had capsized he firmly held the
arm of his wife, but the big, struggling
surf beating upon them one after an
other at last forcibly separated
them when they were exhausted, and
that that brought death to his wife.
According to the rule of the port, 1t
is said, the Maui ship, which in this
case was the Kilauea, ought to use the
searchlight and make search OF the
sea if in the night boat of the ship
does not return to the ship within half
an hour after her departure. But In
this case the master of the Kilauea
did not show the searchlight until 81
after the departure OF the
boat. The Kilauea has not made
thorough search, nor attempted to
make one such search. Before the
body of the woman was discovered,
and as soon after as the boat which
had capsized was recovered, the
Kilauea started on her course for Hilo,
leaving Lahaina at 1890 p. m. of the
same night, namely, the first of May,
without making any provision for fur
Their search. The cold-blooded action
on the part of the master of the kilau-
ga has aroused a keen resentment