The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-10-12
KOTOH|RA MASTER
TELLSEXPER|ENCE
Of FIGHT FOR LIFE
Total Course Covered In Small
Craft After Leaving Wreck
Was 20G0 Miles

VANCOUVER. b. c., September "A
After q perilOus voyage of 1000 miles
in an open lifeboat, tossed about at the
mercy of\wind aud sea, Capt. Harahiko
Shioga, master of the japanese steam.
ship Kotohira Maru, lost July 81, on
a reef Oft Amchitka Island of the
Western Aleutians, and sixteen mem.
bers Of his crew are now safely in port.
For forty daysthe men were in the
open ocean sailing and rowing east.
ward aud were in terrible state when
they reached IkCda Bay. They we're
practically without food for n week. No
word had been received from them
since they left Amchitka Island and it
was believed that the little craft in
which they were rowing and sailing
hnd been swallowed up by the sea.
Captain Shioga gave a thrilling de-
scription of the adventures Of himself
and his men in a full account of the dis
aster. His story follows:
Driven before terrific wind and
mountainous seas we grounded on the
southern point of Amehitka Island on
July 81 at three thirty in the afternoon
after a hard but fruitless struggle with
the elements. We had only grounded a
few minutes when the seas broke the
engine room hatch, flooded the engine
and boiler room. The bulkheads gave
way aud in quick time the holds were
also flooded. As we ran great dangers
of being engulfed by the big seas gave
orders to lower the boats on the lee
side. This was not easy of accomplish.
ment but all aboard succeeded in get
ting away from the vessel and making
the shore. 49,
eve remained ashore for six DAYS
and then decided to divide the forty.
nine of the company into three parties,
one party to each lifeboat, and try to
make Dutch Harbor. The boats were
adequately provisioned for this trip,
but soon after starting another storm
came up and we lost track of the other
two boats. ! steered course for the
Bering Sea and proceeded northeast
wards. When parallel with the Aleu-
tan Islands, we encountered terrific
winds and big. water 1t seemed in
evitable that our boat would be swamp
ed but she weathered the gale. Our
party suffered greatly from cold and
exposure. III
Run Before Gale
"0n the evening of August l3, we
attempted to make Dutch Harbor but
the weather prevented us, and running
before the gRJss We were driven far
to the souths on August IL, we brought
up abreast of gthe Alaskan peninsula
and were enabled to replenish our. ex
hausted supply of water. The bad
weather continued and we decided to
alter onr plans and head for Canada.
We we've at sea several days before we
were able to take hearing but with
the advent of sunshine on September |,
we made an observation and discovered
We were $50 miles from the Straits of
Juan dc Fuca
"By this time our provisions were
exhausted and we were feeling the
pangs of hunger Our replenished stock
cf water was also used up nv this time.
but my men FCpt up bold front and
made no complaint.
with stout hearts we continued the
voyage and on September were over
ioycd to see land ahead of us. This
was Capt st. lanes as we proved by
the beams Of the lighthouse as darkness
fell. We got something to eat thcr"
and after resting pushed on to Ikcda
BAY which we reached two days later
Here we were well received by Mr..
TFcda whose hospitality was unbounded.
craft after leaving the wreck was 20O0
miles, most of it undertaken in the
heaviest Wruthrr.'