In 1883 Capt. Isaiah Bray of the third "Star" had gone East to present to the Prudential Committee's sub-committee of the American Board on the "Morning Star," drawings for a steamer of a little over 600 tons, as the hearts of friends in Hawaii and the missionaries in Micronesia were fixed on this idea. The Prudential Committee, however, felt that the cost of building and maintaining such a boat was too great. Over twenty years passed before a steamer was acquired, and then it was only two-thirds of the above size desired. Capt. Bray was wanted East, nevertheless, to watch the construction of the vessel that was to be built. The fourth "Morning Star," of 430 tons, was launched into the Kennebeck River on Aug. 6, 1884. She cost $42,600. This "Star" was a barkentine (foremast only being square-rigged, main and mizzenmasts fore-and-aft rigs but carrying no topsails so far as pictures show). The first "Star" had been a brig of 156 tons, while this was 430. She had a hollow iron mainmast for a smokestack, for auxiliary steam-power for use in calms and strong currents and in entering lagoons. She had comfortable cabins, staterooms, etc., between the main-deck and a hurricane-deck, and three water-tight compartments below, the center compartment having the engine boilers and coal-bunkers. Upon the substantial hurricane-deck all the working of the ship was done, and it provided a promenade of nearly a hundred feet. The hope was expressed that by the time this splendid fourth "Star" was too old for profitable service, channels of commerce would have been developed so that the work could go on with other regular and far less expensive transportation. Religious services were held on board in the presence of a great crowd of friends on deck and wharf on Oct. 27, and on Nov. 5, 1884, she sailed. Capt. Bray of the third "Star" was in command, with Capt. Garland again as his mate. Within twelve hours she was in the midst of a furious gale which drove her for three days under a close-reefed topsail only. At the Straits of Magellan she became a steamer. Rigged for sailing, but with bare masts and showing no visible smoke-stack and no particle of smoke since they were burning hard coal, she moved up to her anchorage at the one settlement in the Straits, Punta Arenas, without even the sound of a whistle. The harbor-master was soon on board and his first words were, "Captain, what are you, anyway? —the Phantom Ship?" Taking on fresh supplies, they proceeded out of the Straits into the Pacific on Jan. 23, 1885. Said Capt. Bray, "We were both surprised and delighted to find ourselves through that difficult part of the voyage in less than half the time we had expected." They reached Honolulu March 15, 1885. During the stay there three gatherings took place on board; an entertainment which raised $60 for the Ponape Training School, the regular monthly meeting of the "Cousins' Society," and a meeting of Hawaiians to hear some of the Hawaiian teachers from the Gilbert Islands. She sailed on her first missionary voyage to Micronesia on May 2, 1885, and, with no delay for calms or head winds, reached one of the Gilbert Islands in just three weeks, May 23. She went on through the group to take on teachers and preachers for the Annual Meeting at Kusaie in ten days, instead of the previous sixteen to sixty-two days. Reaching Kusaie June 12, she went on with the usual tour, doing all the necessary work with abundance of time at each island, in half the time required by the old "Star."
Capt. Bray resigned in April, 1886, and Capt. H. N. Turner took command. Capt. H. N. Turner, returning to Honolulu on April 4, 1887, reported: "Number of stations stopped at, 46; number of Islands visited, 23; number of miles sailed and steamed, 13,846; number of miles of boating, 748. The engineer reports fifty-five days and five hours of steaming during the voyage." Next, in 1887, Capt. George F. Garland, mate from Capt. It was during this period that trouble began through the establishment of foreign sovereignty in Micronesia by European nations. Fortunately, foundations had been more or less firmly laid by this time, however, and mission work was progressing. Spain took the Caroline Islands and Germany the Marshall Islands in 1887, while the British took the Gilbert Islands in 1892. The greatest trouble and persecution occurred in the Carolines, much less in the Marshalls, and very much less in the Gilbert group. In the same way the French had caused considerable trouble in the Marquesas Islands at the very first beginning of mission work there in 1853, as well as at later times. The fourth "Morning Star" included San Francisco in her schedule, as well as Honolulu, although spending eight months of each year in touring among the islands. During these tours missionaries visited different stations, preaching and encouraging native workers, organizing churches, receiving new members, starting schools, etc. In July, 1891, we learn that the "Star" went to San Francisco for extensive repairs and new boilers, frequent small repairs being made at Honolulu. On the 1894-5 tour we read, "The only mishap of the voyage occurred at one of the Marshall Islands, where the 'Star' ran her bow on the reef and remained there four hours till floated off by the tide." In 1897 she again had extensive repairs at San Francisco. In 1898 she was nearly a year at San Francisco because of the war with Spain. This "Star" served long and well until 1900, when she was sold for the "carrying trade" between San Francisco and Cape Nome, Alaska, as otherwise such heavy repairs would have been required. There now followed a break until 1904, when the fifth "Morning Star" was obtained.
Tanzania 1999;400;SG?
http://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/ht ... Baker.html