The Garden Island. [volume] (Lihue, Kauai, H.T.) 1902-current, 1919-03-25
Collision at Sea
Only Creus Saved

I account for the fact that very lit
tie in the way Of food or clothing
was taken, neglect that involved
Il good deal of discomfort and in
convenience later on. The cap
tain took charge of the larger
boat, containing 20 of us, and the
first officer the other, with 16. |
was in the second boat. We had
nothing in the way of supplies
except Il little water, which we
felt that we must use very spar
ingly as we didn't know what was
before us. We weren't Outfitted
for sailing, though we had a piece
of old canvas which we finally
rugged up with an oar for mast,
and made fairly good headway
with it, though, of course we
couldn't keep her up into the wind
as we needed to to make land.
"While we were getting things
into shape before the leaving, the
lights of the Mauna Loa loomed
up on the horizon bound for Ahu-
KIM. We waved our lights frant-
ically and the same was done on
the schooner, besides which the
mast head lights were going. At
one time we felt sure that she was
coming to our relief, as she headed
round for us; but after keeping
on this course some little time
she veered off and went by i'm
spite of our frantic efforts to at
tract her attention. | suppose
they couldn't have seen us, but at
the same time we set them down
as lot of boneheads not to catch
on that we were in trouble.
1--WE hung round there for three
hours, by which time both vessels
were pretty low in the water; the
Wailele decks were awash several
inches deep, and it was no use to stay
round there to sec her actually go
down which she probably did shortly
after we left.
With the wind well round to the
north and blowing pretty fresh with
heavy sea running it was out OF the
question for us to beach Oahu. So
we struck out for Kauai,
1--WE had hard work to hold our boat
up into the wind enough to strike the
island,-she would drift off to the lee.
ward. In our effort to hold her up to
the wind we were constantly drenched
by the seas that came over the side to
windward, and that of course kept us
shivering most of the time especially
at night the more so as it was an un-
commonly cold night at best.
by Saturday night at sun down we
were off to leeward of Kauai, but so
far to leeward that it was a question
if we could make landing-especial-
ly as we were caught by a current that
seemed to be carrying us out Finally
about O'Clock the wind eased up a
little, and we made up our minds that
we would have to pull for it. So we
put in the rest of the night at it-a
long, tiresome job of it-crawling up
inch by inch to the lights of the land.
The only redeeming feature was that
the boys who rowed did get warm
the rest of us nearly froze all night,
and by morning we were nearly all in.
We reached Waimea shortly after sun
rise, and l found that the captains
boat had reached there safely about
half past eleven the night before.
"As to how the accident happened
in the first place? No, can't tell you
that, ana | don't think anyone else
can, but the man on the bridge, who
was in charge. He will, no doubt.
make that clear in the investigation,
but there is one thing dead sure. 1t
happened, and that's why we're here"
The captain was seen in regard to
this same matter, and he was just as
much at sea in regard to how it hap
pened as the other informant, and left
! it up to the man on the bridge.