Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 29, 20 October 1893 — THE NAVAL COURT. [ARTICLE]

THE NAVAL COURT.

Unanimons Opinion of the Conrt. Captain Scott of the S. S. Miowela Exonerated. FinHing aod Onier of tbe Nuv.il Coart beid at Honolola ou tbe 10tb. 17tb, ]Stb au<i 19tb «l.»ys of | Octobcr, 1H1»3; to investigato the ; circunistancea attco(ling the ■ atran>liDg of the l*ritisb St«*-‘uo- j ahip "Mioweni,” off tbe port of Honolaln bas l*een mado as (ollowa: That the Court baving heanl a::«l t arefuHv considered the evidence giveu beforo it i.s unaaiinously cf opinion tbat no hlame is to l*e atGche«l to tbe Afaster for the s<<anding of the S. S. * Mi<iwera’ and tberefor>' retnrnH to him his Master’s Certi-fk-ate. Tbe Court is of opinion froro the evidences laid before it tbat tho stranding of the S. S. Miowera on the uighl of Oct. 2nd., 1893 was due. Fikst. To tbe indistiuct appear.»nco of the land, tho beariug taken by Capt. Stott sapp«>sing it to l»e Piamoml He«d was the high Iiind to tbe north of the Head whieh w»s iLself obscnred, | aml tbat tbis lead tbo CapUin ( to stand on untii reallv nearer to lbe e«trance tban he snp- ■ posed. St.( onoi,v. Tbat Capt. Stott baving got the Green light well oi>en to the Kast of tho red was using a small st.«rboard helm to biing ihem really togetber, as by s.iiling direotions, when the su«blen disapperunce of the | Greeii ligbt deprired him of his j leading roark and while so de- I prived <>f tbe Green ligbt he mnst have crossed tbe liue of bearing aml got too far to the West and strmnded on the West side of the j entrance about 4ō ft. from the ontsidc bnoy on lheWest si«te while endeavoring witb a Port helm to turn tbe ship's Lead to soa Eastwrtrds. WitU regard to the disappear anee of the Green light, tho evi«ienc«M» of CapUins Smyth, Davies. Lorenzen and Caropbell, all men of great experionce as Masiers of Steaniers rnuning into aml oat of Honolula at al) hours of tbe night as well a> by d:«v, prores indisptiubly, tbat the Iight is fro]uont ol»scnred by the masts and s{*ars, or even funnell of a rcssel or vessels lving at the Kioau or Likelike wharves fsee plan No. 21. On tbe 2n«l. of Octo)>er last tbe l>riti>h barqoe **County of Mer)onotb” wiis in sucb a position that the Gr»H>n hght, beiug aitnated insbore of the wharf. struck on her maaU or yards, the !atter bt>iug squar«si at the tiine, on sucl» a m tnner as t > prcvent it fn>m l>eing seen fr«>m a ship having her marks near!y ou, in the entrance of thc j<asaage, The c«>ntentīon of the Harl>or Master tbat the Green hght w«s not «>bscured uutil the ship was airo«dy Uh> f»r to the West is not m «eeonl with the weigbt rd evitlenoe.bat were it so, it detraets very serioasly fmm tbe va)ue of the light if it l>e liabie lo lxe>come iorisib)e witbout waratng (o a ship * few feet only U> the Wwt of tbo ehannel.

By Ihe evidence of tbe PiIot the Mioweim w*s well to the East-ward of the entrance when he first saw her sUrboard-side hght aa<J mast-head light, soon afterwanl-s she was head on to his baat with a port helm. Tbal the Green light was obscured by some intervening object is plaialv proved by tbe (■videnee of tbe Pilot. and the Chief aml the thinl o!fieers of the ship who state, while it was invisible from tbe bridge, it w;is 1 pl.tir.lv visihle from the deck nnI d- r the bridge as was discovered | aft*:r t!ic sbip groun«le«l. Capt. l>avies of the futer islan«l Stcam- | ship CUn<line testifies that he lost sight of the green light fn>m the brsdge of his ship. tho«gh. he afterwarda fonnd that it was nt the sarae time visible to a numl»er of his p«ssengers on deck. And that this occurred the d«y before the stranding of the 1 Miowora. the “County of Merionelh” being then on the saroe I>ositton as on tbe fol«owing night. Tbe Conrt wishes to observe that the Mioweia di*l not, nor sh<>nld she havo eome within the limite«l range (10 milea) of the Barber’s Point light, nnd that as there is no light on the Eastwanl or Diamond Hend si«le of the entrance, there is no possibility of getting reliable bearings if ) the outline of the Iand be even pHrtially hidden. j All the witnesses agree that , the electric ligbts of the streets ' buve the effect of re«lacing or diminisbing the visibility of, or ki!ling tlie harboar red and green lights. In fact that these harbour lights whenever the electric Iights are on operation do not show over raore than a fraction of the ! range attribated to them, aml I thas we have tho verv reroarkable f:ict. that while the glr«ss of 1 the electric lights of the town is recognizrtble at a «list>»nce of 35 miles. the gaiding lighLs of the hrtrbour are vistble onlv 6 or 7 1 m.los for the re«l aud. aboat 4 ft. for the green. The Miowen mn for 1 hoor an«l 19 niinates, making 18 knots «fter s ; ghting the glare of the lights of the town before raisiog the red harbour !ight. Tne Court is also of opinion that had the Pilot been half a mile, or even less. ouLside the ontrance, he migbt h*ve bronght the ship in iu safety. The Coart l>efore sep>rating desires to pat upou recoid its app>ociation of the kin«l an«l vnluable *ssist>«nee rec«iere«l by His Excellency the Miuister of Intenor. Ihe Snperintemlent of Pohlie Works. a*d the their disposai for the prwTBfcRoi£ of furth*r «lamage to twc wen, mn«l the farther»dlēe r>f everv elTort to h«*ave her <nr»' » vf Dated at Hoaolnla this d»v of Oclobcr, 1893. £Signed by3 J*xes Hvy W*>pehocse. H, B. M’s. Besideut au«l Oon-’' sal Genernl. Presidcat of Naval Coart | In\iewoftbe recent disaster j and the c*ases thetpof. aa«l in ■ coQsider»tioa of the probability : of inore*»sed ose of the barboor | of Honolalu bv large and f»st sleaaiships. aod ihe iacreasiag ! ase nf «lectric liguts on the street» of tbe city. the coart begs to off«*r the followiag suggestsous io liie Hmii&o Governraeni; Taat * ligbt be esUbltshed at

I>tsiDODd Head whieh sboo!d .show a iight to the west of the harbocr ectrance. That the light ou R»rber’s Poiot be replaced with one suf5* cieotly powerfui to cnt the Di«mond He«d Iigbt otf tbe entranee Tuat the ieading ligbts for entering tbe barbonr be made more powetfnl and raised ciet!y to elear intenreniDg ob stacles. anJ as far as practscable esc:4j*e tbe iniluenee of the street lights. Tuat the Port Physiei»D aod the Pilot bo entīrely indej>endent of one anotber as to mean.s of boarding siiijss outsidc. Tae Pilot bo relieved from | tbe dutv of ligbting tbe buoys. The dlsticut instructions as to everv bmnch of their dntv be - J snppiied to tho Pilots. That the Pilot signal of a slnp for tue offing be immediately answered froiu a Pilot station on sbore. And that one Pilot 1« alw»ys on dnty ready to go out to meot sny sbip sigualling, and that a proj>er PiIot statiou be establisbed on tho harbonr from wbere the ’ PiIot ou duty ean see the whole harbour entfance aud the otfing from Diamoud Head to Barbers Poiut.