The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-01-25
DESPERATE FIGHT
SAVEDMOTORSH|P
oregon FROM SEA
Type Of Graf and Engines Of
Vessel Condemned BY Officers
and Members Of Crew
WALL0WED FOUR DAYS
IN MOUNTAINOUS WAVES
Captains Of Rescuing Steamers
Praised For Their Conduct
BY Master and Mates

Contlemning in the strong language
Of the sea motor ships in general ano
the engines Of the motor ship Oregon
in particular, officers and members o.
the crew Of that vessel told yester
day OF the four-dsy Rght which wa,
made to keep the new wooden shiI
from being sunk after her engines be
came useless on January Is. .r.-..
But this was after they had relat
cd how y. s. Knowles, the ship onl,
wireless operator, had 3teuaciously r,
NAMED Mt the KEYS Of his instrument
for ffty. five hours, although in tn
interval the older and stronger me
Of the engine crew had sueeumbed /
the demand for sleep and had turne,
In, even though the ship was bein
blown TO the northward by west
southwesterly. gale, with huge wave
washing over forward and nlOuentari
" threatening the destruction of tn
nncontrolled ship. The engine men ha
been without sleep for eighteen
ing To repair the Oregon g engines.
remained ut his post so faithfully dur
ing the worst part of the fight TO
the ships safety, In little more thai
a boy, being between eighteen an"
twenty years Of age. His home is II
Seattle. He modestly denied that Their
was any reason for praise of his worl
~ be said: 81 have been to sea be-
fore. - SAW. Az .I,2 ..a...
One other incident of sea gallantr,
is related by the survivors of the Ore
CONS experience. This is Of the Dutcl
commander of the Holland cruise
ICELAND which sailed for San deg
from Honolulu last Saturday, afte
nearly week o stay here.
Dutch Captain To Rescue
The iceland was one Of severa
ships which picked up the s. o. s.
the Oregon when ID was decided I
ask for assistance Just after midnigh
last Saturday night. The iceland wa
then far to the north of the Oregon
but replied that she was on the wa.
10 render any assistance possible.
Later, when Capt b. o.. Nelson
commander Of the Oregon, learned tina
the President and the LurIine wer
nearer, he notified the Dutch capital;
that his assistance would not be need
cd. The Dutch captain replied that b
was coming on anyhow because h.
believed the search light Of the cIui
ser would be useful in helping tn,
Iinrline to get line to the helpless
ship. 80 = 81
frue to his word, the captain of tn,
iceland brought his ship. to near th
. -. a. - Al ~ ~ ~
Sunday night and used his searchligh
as suggested. OF the cruiser captain
Charles Brown, the Oregon first office
says sueeinctIy: That Dutch captain
was al right" wy y ~.
Both Captain Nelson and First Off
Ger Brown are also emphatic in thei
praise Of the seamanship of Capt, Pete
johnson, master Of the Lurline, in got
ting line to the ship by the mean
Of q small life boat in the midst
the heavy weather which was prevail
ing at the time.
They also tell how Capt. Gus HOlme.
master Of the Standard Oil tanker J
u. O'Neil, which relieved the Lurlin
Of her shipwreck tow and brought tn
Oregon to Honolulu Yesterday, foate'
line from leeward down to the motor
ship by the use of two buoys. ~
took seamanship to do that, and thu
line came right under our PROV a
estimated, - says First Officer Brown
steward was Prepared
Neither Captain Nelson nor his frs
officer, tells. Of the efforts they mad
to save their ship, except incidental.
in which it is mentioned that they haC
k..A al 10 m
do praise chief engineer, Kinney Rouse
for his efforts to repair the ships en-
gines.
And half jestingly, there is prais'
for the chief steward of the Oregon
IL. Mclaughlin, who, they say, - ha'
sense enough to bring along enough t
eat to last for six months, if neces
sary.'
lie SAYS he knew that all the neH
motor ships were having trouble an
that he thought il would be well to b
prepared. He was the least perturbe'
ofieer of the ship when she reaehe
Honolulu, for his department was tn
only one which had made the voyag
without serious trouble.
4" Ship Iaboring hard. Engines on
Of commission. Drifting helpless
Iy,n are statements from the ship
log which appear time after time i
the four days entries made while tn
shin was In distress.
L.nouble for the Oregon started be
fore the ship got out Of San FranciSe
bay. She had hardly left the Matso
wharf ON january 3 until stop ha
10 be made to make engine repairs
This accomplished, in a manner, tn
ftot age vas resumed, But, thereafte
for nearly every day Of the voyag
urnil the storm was encountered tn
Oregon had to stop while her engin
creS worked at her baking engines
So often lid stops, have to be mad
that when fortEeight hours Of stead,
sailing was enjoyed log entry wa
made Of the fact.
Log Tells Story (
"a Capt. Nelson delegated the duty o
Al telling Of the ships rough mAider
deep sea voyage to his first officer, AM
perhaps With eoson for First Office
Bscwn has faculty for giving a com
preBsnsive narrative and deseriptio,