Re: Lackawanna (1867): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 3:40 pm
Transcribing yesterday's weather for tomorrow
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WRECK OF THE BARK "DANIEL WOOD."
The Honolulu Com n^rtisl Advertiger of April 27th contains ihe following :
Before daylight on Wednesday miming Captain J. Wood, with a boat's cre^ of the whaling bark Diniel Wood, belonging to New Bedford, arrived at this port in a whaling b at from French Frigate Shoal?, where the bark was wrecked April Htb. It will be remembered that the whale shi;> South Seaman a fine neartr new vessel, was lost March Vi, 18», on the same shoals, which consist of a series of rocks reefs and sand banks, located about four hundred and fifty mile* to the north and west of these island?, o win* to their low position, being in no case more than six feet eleva tion above tbe s*a, and also the fact that Btron" and variable ocean currents prevail in their neighborhood, they are peculiarly dangerous to navi-ators especlally to ships bound hence to the northward lOn tome of the i~!et-, which are very small, consign" of only an acre or two each, a limited supply of brackish water can be obtained, although that is not to be depended on at a I seasons. Turtle usually abound, and fresh fish are easily taken, while sea birds flock there in myriads to deposit their eggs, wnich, contrary to general supposition, are vtry palatable, and devoid of fishy tast°. lhe Daniel Wood arrived at Honolulu on the sth of April, from a cruise to the westward, with a hundred and odd oarrels of sperm oil, which was here tilscharged for sMpnaeut h me, the bark leaving again on her cruise to the northward on the loth. On Saturday, the 13h, Captain Richmond ascertained his position at 8 p.m., to be latitude 28 degrees 10 minutes, and longitude 164 degrees 23 minutes, the shoal on which the vessel afterwares struck, which is known on the chart as Basse Frani s'aoal, then bearing west by north halt north, distant 85 miles. The course of the vessel was triveii nortWe*! . which would bavc made with the variation, a course of northwest by north and if no currents bad interfered, and the position cf tbe "boril been correctly laid down, the vessel would have gone 45 miles to the windward of all danger. On Saturday night the weather was beautiful, with a clear atmosphere and a full moon, an I the bark, under all ■ ,ii, i ai steadily pursuing her course with a fine favorable breeze.
At one o'clock Sunday morning, Captain Richmond, who was below, heard the second officer, in charge of tbe deck, shout to the ie an at, the wheel: '-Hard up the helm!" The Captain immediately sprang up on deck and ordered the ve3.-el to be put about ; but before this could be accomplished sbe struck heavily on the reef, and pounding her way over the first or outer rocks, vent on to the inner ones. Here the breakers were reached, about half a mile from the place where she first struck, and the vessel heeled over to tbe blows of the breakers, It having become apparent that she could not be saved an. I wag about breaking up, toe masts were cut away to keep her upright. The crew all went into the boats with the exception of the Captain, second officer, cooper and three seamen, Who remained on board as long as safety would admit, and got about 100 gallons of water in their boat before leaving. At daylight t'.:* only sign of terra firmain sight was a bleak looking rock, for which tbe boats pulled. At a distance ot fifteen mile 3 from the ship they reached a small sand-bank, barren, with the exception of here and there a tuft of grass. On^Mondny morning they again boarded the ship, through a heavy sea, and Ibe Captain was washed overboard, but fortunately regained the deck. On ibis occasion they secured six casks of water and a lot or bread and meat. It occupied them a whole day and a part of one night to tow the cisks of water to the and bank through tortuous channels, and on getting there the men were given each a pint of fresh water. On broaching two of the casks they were found to contain salt water, and they were the firvt (if the six that were landed. Imagine ti e farimgs of the shipwreck id mariners when the thought arose that they were on a lone, barren isle, without fr sh v;;:ter. On Monday noon the ship broke up, an 1 the Hawaiians of the crew, expert swimmers, were active in the ■rater In securing provisions. The Captain decided at once to proceed to Hcsoiuln for assistance. Taking a favorite burse whalebout, named Ann E. Wilson. he put on her what the sailors call a ■' sister gunwale " and a •' wasbboard," and declared his intention to start for Honolulu. As an instance of Yankee enterprise and determination of character under difficult circumstances, it is well to mention that the only tools' the Captain and his men had to work with in making •■heir boat seaworthy for the Ion? and perilous voyage of nearly five hundred miles to this port, was a saw, hammer acd c :i-el. The nails with which to fasten their work they had to draw from the fastening^ of other boats.
On Tuesday, the 16th, the boat being ready, the Captain, second officer ana six men embarke.l at 8 P. m., with a necessarily limited stock of water and bread, bound for Honolulu, leaving twenty-seven of their shipmates on the sandbank, doubtless with a fee';iugof uncertainty, both on the part ol those who went and those who remained, as to whether tfiey should ever see one another again. Cne party left on an unfrequented, barren gaud hesch in mid-ocean, and the other, with scanty provisions, undertaking, in an open b >:it, a sea voyaee ot hundreds of miles. For the past four days after leavmg the shoal the Ann E. Wilson encoua'.cred itn>o^ wiadsfrom the north and notth-uorih' ast, but made very ecod bcidw»yjn the desired Ci.\ ■■.■•;..■'. ...m. . im; .- puiiim and sometimes sailing vriscn the wind gave a int. For prudential re i- iii-> all bands in the b «i were put on an allowance of one pint of water and oae btsculi a day. Tims they struggled on. until Sunday morning. April 28d, when they made the islanl of Niihau Land! there, the/ were most hospitably and kindly re eh td by the proprietors of the island, Captain Sinclair and family, of whom Captain Richmi 1 speaks in tbe hißbe?t terms. Leaving Niiliau at 6 o'clock on Monday morning, they continued their course for Honolulu without touching at Kiuai. During that eight the? si.oke tbe Monticelio, Captuin Pi illip?, who cave them the courae t j steer, their compass having become tii-arrarige I. Oa Tuesday nigh! they spoke tho Massachusetts, Captain Willlams, who hove his ship to and insisted upon tin ir coming on board and taking some refreshments They landed at the wharf in Honolulu on Wednesday mornIng at 3 o'clock, »fter un open boat voyage of ei^ht days, during tempestuous weather and on starvation rations.
As soon as the facts became known to General ?mlth, the American Consul at this port, preparations were at once made to gel the United States steamship Lackawana, Captain Reynolds, ready for 1 1 a, to proceed to French Frisrate Shoals for the purpose of rescuing the shipwrecked officers and crew of the Daniel Wood. She was made ready with a!l possible di.-pa:<h, and sailed on Thursday, at one o'clock, and will probably be absent on her errand ot mercy about a week or leu days.