The need to command and give hope and courage...‏

• 
  

of the book Safety at Sea

written by J.E. Undén

Published by Viking 

-A/S Nordisk Gummibaadsfabrik, Denmark

The story of Noah's Ark is well known

and the design and construction well documented

(from a numerical description rather

than a set of scale drawings), being built

to ensure continuity of man's existence

at a time when the world was engulfed by flood.

Since that time there has been much progress

in design and construction methods.

As long as men go down to the sea

there always remain the possibility

of dangers unseen and unknown;

such a possibility has always

been accepted by the seafarer.

The following story is typical

of man's determination

to survive the perils of the sea:

In May 1866 the Clipper «Hornet»,

a wooden sailing ship, was on

a routine passage from New York

to San Francisco by way of Cape Horn.

On the morning of May 3rd of that year,

the first mate went below carrying 

a naked light to search for varnish.

Unfortunately the varnish was spilled

from the cask and immediately caught fire.

The flames spread through an open hatch

and the dry deck timbers were soon alight

and there was barely time to launch the boats.

Captain Mitchell, Master of the «Hornet»,

saved his sextant and chronometer

and took them into the longboat:

the crew secured the water breakers

and managed to gather together provisions,

whilst two passengers, Henry and Samuel Ferguson,

saved some bottles of brandy before they

were forced by the fire to leave the ship.

After abandoning the «Hornet» 

they all watched their «home»

being engulfed by the flames.

The following morning the survivors,

still in a state of shock, remained

close to the position where the vessel

had sunk in the hope that another vessel

might have been in the vicinity

and seen the fire during the night.

But no rescue came and it was decided

they would attempt to make a landfall

from a position 10˚ latitude north of Costa Rica.

The three boats were tied together

with the longboat in the lead.

Captain Mitchell planned to reach

some islands to the north

but the wind changed continuously,

and further hampered by periods

of sun, rain, and flat calm,

the desperate men had covered

only 300 miles at the end

of the first week.

At times the boats were driven backwards

and the variable winds meant that it was

impossible to maintain their course.

Captain Mitchell realized that

they could not hope to reach the islands

for which they were heading

and in his logbook for May 18th he wrote:

«the most awful night I have ever witnessed».

It took all his skill to keep the boat

from capsizing in the heavy sea and torrential rain.

The longboat towing the other two boats

was found not to be a good arrangement

in the conditions and it was eventually decided

to let each boat make its own way.

The remaining provisions 

were divided equally

before the boats separated.

The two smaller ones 

were never seen or heard of again.

After four weeks the longboat 

picked up the Trade Winds.

They had given up hope

of reaching the mainland

or the islands of the north and east.

With fair winds they began 

to make some goo progress westward.

Captain Mitchell was now heading

for a group of islands shown

on some 19th century charts

as the «American Group».

They were said to lie about

half way between the Revilla Gigedo Islands,

600 miles west of Manzanillo, Mexico,

and the Hawaiian Islands.

The group of islands proved to be non-existent,

the longboat having sailed right over 

their supposed position on June 7th.

It was now becoming a race against

thirst and starvation, although the Captain

had rationed food and water to two crackers

and a pint of water from the first day

according to Henry Ferguson's diary.

The water rations had been supplemented

by conserving rainy water, and fish and seabirds 

helped to eke out the meagre diet.

To the west there were another 1200 miles before Hawaii.

There were now no provisions and only a little water.

On June 14th Captain Mitchell recorded in his journal 

«Six weeks in the boat today.  Still running. 

Nothing to eat and water for one more day

only yet I feel better than I could expect.

Too weak to write. God has been merciful

We may yet be preserved».

The same day Henry Ferguson wrote

«most lovely rainbow last evening,

perfect with color, most vivid,

and supplementary bow very distinct.

Certainly is a good sign.

Saw new moon. God has spared us

wonderfully to see it…»

The next day he recorded

«God be forever praised

for His infinite mercy!

Land in sight!»

Friendly natives 

observed the longboat

and noticed its danger.

They swam out and guided the boat

through a small pass in the reefs 

to a small settlement, Laupahoehoe.

The 15 men were transferred

from their cramped home

and carried ashore

for nourishment and rest.

This voyage is a world record

for combination of time and sea

and distance sailed -4000 miles

in 43 days, from near the Equator

to the islands of Hawaii.

Another day at sea no doubt 

would have cost lives.

Now all were recovered,

even Samuel Ferguson

who was suffering from tuberculosis.

After a few days the men

were transferred to Honolulu.

A young journalist, Samuel Clements,

happened to be in Honolulu 

at this time where he was working 

for the Sacramento Daily Union

and sent a weekly report to his newspaper.

He was in the hospital where

the survivors of the «Hornet»

were taken to recuperate.

Thanks to Samuel Clements,

alias Mark Twain, we have the report

on the survival of the 15 crew

and passengers from what seemed

to be a hopeless situation.

That all 15 survived from 43 days

in an open boat is in itself extraordinary

and stands out as a remarkable record

and is, first and foremost, a tribute

to Captain Mitchell, an experienced 

seaman who recognized the need

to take command and give hope

and courage to those with him.

Such an experience inevitably leaves

a lasting mark and shows beyond doubt

the qualities demanded of those

in a similar situation...