1892 — Feb 2, San Fran., CA whaling bark Tamerlane strands on rocks, Puna Isl., HI-18-19

–18-19 Blanchard estimated death toll:

We employ a range of 18-19 in that the NYT appears as a credible source in noting the names of eighteen fatalities, and U.S. Life-Saving Service, though not infallible in its reporting, was a generally reliable source, and we are not comfortable in ignoring its reporting of nineteen lives lost. Both numbers, by the way, are supported by other sources.

–19 Boston Daily Globe. “Mourning in New Bedford,” Feb 19, 1892, p. 2.
–19 United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1892. 1893, p. 280.
–18 NYT. “Loss of the Tamerlane. Eighteen Men Drowned…Wreck…Whaling Bark.” 2-19-1892, p.4.
–18 Wang. Captain Jotham Parsons (1783-1860), A Genealogical Biography. 2001.
–11 Eastern State Journal, White Plains, NY. “History of 1892,” 12-31-1892, p. 1.

Narrative Information

U.S. Life-Saving Service, Table 64.—Wrecks and casualties on and near the coasts and on the rivers of the United States, etc. — Continued:

“Date of disaster…1892…Feb 2…Tamerlane [name of vessel]…American bark…373 [tons]…San Francisco, Cal. [Port sailed from]…Whaling voyage…Total [loss]…Ballast [nature of cargo]…38 [number of crew]…19 [number of livers lost]…Puna Island, Hawaiian Isles.”

(United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1892. Washington: GPO, 1893, p. 280.)

Newspapers:

Feb 18: “San Francisco, Feb. 18 — The bark Tamerlane was wrecked off the rocks of Puna on the morning of Feb. 2. Sue cleared from San Francisco with a crew of thirty-eight. The voyage down was satisfactory, but it appears that the vessel lost her reckoning. The officers think that at the time of the wreck she was near Kalakeakua Bay, almost two degrees to the westward. No breakers were sighted by the watch on deck when the vessel struck, and the sudden shock threw the crew into confusion. Only two small boats were available, and one of them when lowered floated away before it secured an occupant. Capt. Howland, the first mate of the boat, the carpenter, the cook, and two others entered the second boat, but the ship was rolling heavily, and she was stove in. The waves rolled over her and the occupants were washed away.

“Those of the crew who remained on the bark were picked off by the waves one by one until the vessel broke up. Eighteen men, including Third Officer Pardee, managed to reach the shore with the aid of a plank. The others were all drowned.

The Lost. [18 names]

Capt. Walker Howland, New-Bedford, Mass.
Charles Tucker, New-Bedford, first mate.
William Oysterman, San Francisco, boat header.
Allen Wilber, New-Bedford, second mate.
John Allen, boat steerer.
Harry Solon, Minnesota, carpenter.
Fred _____, British cook.
Moses. Hawaiian boat steerer.
Henry Johnson, American
Michael Sullivan, boat steerer, American
Frank Hewitt, steward. Toronto.
Frederick Musman, Swiss.
Fred Kasper, Scandinavian.
John Anderson, German.
Ollie Anderson, Scandinavian, Boston, able seaman.
John Jouvette, Boston, able seaman.
George Knowles, San Francisco.
John Smith, American.

“The latter two were green hands. The Tamerlane was built in Wiscasset, Me. She had 115 barrels of oil aboard when lost.” (New York Times. “Loss of the Tamerlane. Eighteen Men Drowned by the Wreck of a Whaling Bark.” 2-19-1892, p. 4.)

Feb 18: “New Bedford, Mass., Feb 18. – Dispatches received from San Francisco tonight tell of the loss of the whaling bark Tamerlane and 19 of the crew on the island of Hilo, one of the Sandwich Islands [early European name for HI Islands], on Feb 2. The bark sailed from San Francisco on Jan. 13 for a cruise between seasons and then to the Arctic ocean. The Tamerlane was owned by Wright, Bowne & Co. of San Francisco, having been purchased this season of I. H. Bartlett & Sons. Capt. Harland was 42 years old and leaves a widow and one child. Mate Tucker leaves a widow and two children, who reside in this city.” (Boston Daily Globe. “Mourning in New Bedford,” Feb 19, 1892, p. 2.)

Sources

Eastern State Journal, White Plains, NY. “History of 1892 – The Chronological Record of a Memorable Year….Demons of Destruction.” 12-31-1892, p. 1. Accessed 2-6-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/white-plains-eastern-state-journal-dec-31-1892-p-1/

Boston Daily Globe. “Mourning in New Bedford” [Tamerlane grounding]. 2-19-1892, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=161072756

New York Times. “Loss of the Tamerlane. Eighteen Men Drowned by the Wreck of a Whaling Bark.” 2-19-1892, p. 4. Accessed 2-15-2022 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/02/19/108211693.html?pageNumber=4

United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1892. Washington: GPO, 1893. Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=ZYtIAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Wang, Joan Parsons. Captain Jotham Parsons (1783-1860), A Genealogical Biography. M. Wang: 2001.