The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-09-04
DEAD men CAME
TO LIFE, IS tale
Five Engineers, Mourned As Lost,
Appeared On Molokai and
Vanish Once More

penred in July Of last yesr. Their nil
itary records we're exceptionally good.
They bad gone TO sea in y small boat
in the line Of duty. They vanished and
no trace Of their boat even was found,
despite wide searching Of shore and
water a board of army officers pro-
nounced them deGd and their fate was
written on the records.
And nov, in the minds az very many
officers who have heard the subsequent
tale. il Is believed that these men sim.
lily deserted, sailed TO Molokai and hid
low until the search Tor their dead
bodies had ended.
Oficihlly they are dead, Even If
they could be located II is doubtful II
they could be tried for desertion, be-
cause they are dead on the army rec
ords and a board of officers have SO
certified.
Started for Honolulu
one day, late in July Of last year,
| Eve men started in small boat TO
make their way from Puuiki round
| Kaena Point to Honolulu. They have
not been seen on this island from the
moment their thirty,fdot boat disap,
| peared in the early morning mists OF
the Pacific until the present time, and
| for long time IL has been considered
that they were dead. Recently, how
ever. mon from the other islands, par.
4 ticularly from Molokai, have told OF
i FIVE men answering the description OF
the lost mariners, and a large doubt
] has been raised in the minds Of many
! As 70 the fate Of the lost men,
During the summer of last year 2
detachment OF engineers was on duty
i making a photographic survey of Oahu
and particularly that part OF the coast
i which lies between Kaena and Haieiwa
For this purpose the men daily used
small boat 10. which had been installed
IA motor of the cupboard type. Thu
boat was not over thirty feet long but
was very staunch and sea worthy.
Upon completing the work in thai
part Of the island, Corporal VIM
i o'Reilly and Privates Michael Clarke
Thos. ". Murphy, Silas y. Birdsell an,
RAYMOND Rinker, FIVE soldiers who wer'
members Of the detachment, asked 70
and received permission TO bring tn
boat from Puuih to Honolulu b.
, water. They were to leave Puuiki q
daylight, 20 as far as they could tn
first day and complete their little vny
} lage the day following. II was though
) that they would be able TO make cam
! for the night in the vicinity Of Brown
/, Point.
Waved Farewell
At dawn on, the morning selected
for the start the five men climbed int
the boat which contained just enoug
provisions for the one day and night
/, and waving a farewell to the one com
trade Who had remained 10 see them Of
began their journey.
Zone of the last orders given TO tn
Ave men BY their commanding Office
Captain-now II. Col--Robert |
Howell, Jr., directed them TO telephon
/ 10 Fort Shafter as soon as they shout
Z have arrived safely in camp. The
G were Instructed as to the location q
( the to- phones along the shore lin
/ and had a map by which they were I
1 find their way. R tEe t&E}t ts
4 Into the Silence
|. The day on which they started was
q windy one, and as night began TO ia
!. the officers and men Of the engines
company began to await the telephor
5 message which would tell them that th
v five men had safely passed the treael
q erous rocks around Kaena Point. Bl
. the sun set and the night wore ava
2 with no word from them. Before II
A sun rose messengers ON motorcyel,
n were rapidly securing the coast in n
~ neighbOrhood of Browns Point Fl
!. some sign of the missing men, and b
a fore noon the sheriff had been aske
| to have his deputies notified of II
fears which by this time filled Il
minds of all who knew of the ysituatio
a During the days which followed g
e cry effort was made 10 find some ira
It of the lost men. The governme
boats were called upon andthey scare
/ ed the seas for two hundred miles
g MI directions, but not a single ira
e could be found Of the boat or boa
e men. A number of the old seamen wi
T. were familiar with the character Of d
waters near K9ena were called in
consultation and they confessed an |
- ter inability 70 solve the mystery
IL the missing boht
% Reasons Unknown
% Speculation became general as TO 1
Is motives which may have le,l the n
e soldiers, all Of whom stood high in 4
4 estimation Of their officers, Ia quit 1
i, service in such manner. Whether 4
n plan was laid in advance or wheth,
D. having been prevented from landing
T.. the time and place agreed upon. q
Sc carried to another island by turt
lent soa, they decided to let the way
l. decide their destiny, no one can ~
" Perhaps the wanderlust which is po
and parcel of the nnture Of every !
l. of Ireland got the better Of O,Reil
It aud Murphy and they struck out
D. an. adventure such as Robert I.ol
T., Stevenson loved to write 81 and Low
+. far better 20 60 out and Rnd.
In any event all efforts to find furt
= er trace Of the missing men ha
proved futile, and the true story
their voyage and subsequent adv,
. . tUTpS-ifr they did NOT ,Aarieh a., /,