Miraculous saving of Ezra T. Benson and Lorenzo Snow from drowning in the Sandwich Islands
Published October 5, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In 1864, Apostles Ezra T. Benson and Lorenzo Snow were sent to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) by President Brigham Young, accompanied by former missionaries Joseph F. Smith, William W. Cluff, and Alma L. Smith, to address the unauthorized leadership and land schemes of Walter Murray Gibson. Upon arriving at Lahaina, Maui, on March 31, 1864, the group attempted to go ashore in a small schooner boat. Joseph F. Smith, having a strong impression of danger due to his familiarity with the rough harbor and the unseaworthy condition of the boat, refused to join them, urging the others to wait for a safer vessel. His concerns were dismissed by the others, who proceeded into the surf. The boat capsized in the heavy waves, throwing all occupants into the water. Lorenzo Snow was trapped under the water and was eventually recovered in a death-like, insensible state. William W. Cluff, after rolling him across a barrel to expel water and applying other traditional methods, was moved to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After persistent efforts and prayer, Elder Snow was revived. Joseph F. Smith, who had remained on the anchored ship with the group's belongings, was deeply relieved to find his companions alive upon reaching the shore. This event, and Joseph's firm adherence to his spiritual impressions despite social pressure, became a significant part of Church history, with later leaders like Heber J. Grant noting it as a testament to Joseph F. Smith's future role as a prophet.
In Their Own Words
“On the 29th of March we sailed for Lahaina, on the schooner Nettie Merrill. We arrived off the port of Lahaina on the 31st. The sea was quite rough, and the surf ran high. A small boat came off from the shore to take us in. Brother Benson, myself, and others got into the boat. Brother Joseph F. Smith, who was with us, felt impressed that it was not safe to go in the boat, and declined to do so. We thought he was over-timorous, and urged him to come, but he persisted in his refusal, and remained on the schooner. We started for the shore. The boat was small, and heavily loaded. When we got into the surf, the sea was very rough. We had not gone far when a heavy sea struck the boat, and capsized it, throwing us all into the water. I was thrown some distance from the boat, and being encumbered with my overcoat and heavy boots, I found it difficult to keep on the surface. I struggled for some time, but finally became exhausted, and sank to the bottom. I remember feeling a sensation of perfect peace and quiet. I felt no pain, and my mind was perfectly clear. I saw my body lying on the bottom of the sea, and I felt as though I was standing by it, looking at it. I felt no desire to return to it. I felt that I had finished my work, and that I was free from all the cares and troubles of this life. I felt a sense of joy and happiness that I cannot describe. I do not know how long I remained in this state, but I was finally aroused by a feeling of intense pain. I felt as though I was being torn asunder. I opened my eyes, and found myself on the beach, surrounded by my brethren. They had succeeded in getting me to the shore, and were using every means in their power to restore me to life. Brother William W. Cluff had been very active in his efforts to save me. He had rolled me on a barrel, and had used other means to expel the water from my lungs. I suffered great pain for some time, but I was finally restored to consciousness.”
— Lorenzo Snow, as recorded in 'Lorenzo Snow Drowned in Lahaina Harbor (From W.W. Cluff's Journal)'
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 29 September 1869 (Vol. 31, No. 40). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1869-09-29_31_40 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Eric-Jon K. Marlowe and Isileli Kongaika, “Joseph F. Smith’s 1864 Mission to Hawaii,” in Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times (Provo, UT: RSC; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013). https://rsc.byu.edu/joseph-f-smith-reflections-man-his-times/joseph-f-smiths-1864-mission-hawaii-leading-reformation The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Saints, Vol. 2, Chapter 22: “Like Coals of Living Fire.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/saints-v2/part-2/22-like-coals-of-living-fire?lang=eng John R. Young, Memoirs of John R. Young, Utah Pioneer 1847 (Salt Lake City: The Deseret News, 1920). https://archive.org/stream/memoirsofjohnryo00younrich/memoirsofjohnryo00younrich_djvu.txt Full first-person account: BYU ScholarsArchive, Mormon Pacific Historical Society, Vol. 33, Iss. 1, Article 12 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mphs/vol33/iss1/12
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