The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-10-27
Fog-Whistles and Other Matters.
STEAMER ANNIE STEWART.
October Goth. 1877.

October 26th. 1877
Ed, IyrELLfGENcER:- From different
parties who bad been spenii ~ a t-w
days at Port Townsend we gathered /
facts that will b. OF interest 10 ship /
owners. and as your correspondent
failed t, 1T. tn at the date of writ =
ing hi. communication two ships IN tow
of steamers were run ashore. one at
Poirt Ringgold and the other at Pom,
Wilson. the same nigh. IN a deu>e f',g.
one remaining on six hours Aid the
other, as luck would have IT. jas. touch
ing, the shore being sandy and wafer
very deep, she swung around -rd off
We heard rersun say that was on
board. he could have jumped Oh tn the
beach from her bowsprit Now We are
totally opposed to this supprcssing ma
rine intelligence. thinking it might i'll
jure the reputation of the steamboat
captains. When the facts are known
they cannot be blamed in the least, and
if these same captains wonld report the
dangers OF these points while towing up
add down Puget Sound in foggy wea-
ther and on dark nights, fog whistles
would have been ere this stationed
there. The old adage that 1.-The truth
should not at all tunes be told &C.,
won't hold good in tins and other mat
tiers. We met while at Port townsend
with j. F. Evans, Special agent of the
Treasury Department, and right here
let me say that this man means busi-
ness We had it from reliable source
that his every move is watched and
caves troopers are on the alert
to catch the least word Of conversation
he may have with parties. Mr.. Evans
was not aware of it until his attention
was called to it, and the facts proved
beyond a doubt. We did not ascertain
why il was. unless as out informant
believed. there was screw loose and
this man Evans was going to tighten it.
Let that be as it may. Mr.. Evans saw
the mOdns operandi of getting drunken
sailors OIL board of a ship after the
same had signed articles before the u.
S. Shipping Commissioner. Captain
Goodall, of the ship Brown Brothers,
had to pay $65. the cost of putting his
men on board. The captain had en-
ployed few Port Townsend boatmen
together with himself and Amos
Brown. They succeeded in getting
them off. One sailor had to be tied and
placed in small boat in charge OF two
boatmen, one rowing and the other
with billy or stretcher as they call it,
drawn over the sailors head. So en-
ragged was the sailor that he did his
best to get clear. The billy was
brought down on his head twice and
that quoted him. Such scenes in an
American port at the dock, in the pres.
ence of no less than 200 spectators,
would seem disgraceful. especially when
it is the duty of tho U. s. marshal, or
his deputies, after seamen have signed
the articles to put them on board.
Sheriff Miller, however, assisted and
did his oest. but could not act rs U.
S. marshal. Mr.. Evans, the special, had
the full benefit of witnessing this
transaction. We noticed that neither
Of the Townsend papers which came GU:
this morning, had one word to say
about it.
treasury DepartmenL' was enduring
after your correspondent to make in,
quiry as to the matter of fog whistles
on the several points. and found him
aud Mr.. Tibbals. of the p. NJ. s. S. Co.
He gathered facts in regard thereto,
and has reported 10 the Light House
Board the Importance of fog whistles
ut four or five different Joints on Pu.
get Sound. Mr.. Z. informed me it
was part of his special duty to inquire
into such matters.
At Port Ludlow we saw Mr.. Hall
of the shipbuilding firm of Hall Bros.
and he says they are going To continue
shipbuilding. The vessel now on the
stocks is all timbered out ready for
planking. Dimensions-135 feet keel:
on deck 100 feet over all; "a feet beam
and TX feet hold. She will carry
abont 500 M feet of lumber and will he
three'masted schooner. A part of her
is already sold to party in San Fran.
cisco; one of whose brothers is now in
Honolulu where they have sold the Gel
ebrated scho"ner NJ. f. Foster, IL new
vessel built here. Her model, made by
W. g. Hall. one Of the brothers. rc
ceivcd the first prize ut the Mechanics
Fair IN San Francisco over forty other
competitors Wa visited the COM
pany's store and offices and found
the obliging Harris on hand to show
us around. The work on the new mill
has been suspended, but when com plet.
cd Gas it will be next summer) it will
compare in capacity with any on Puget
Sound. At the Phoenix Hotel we met
Attridge. the proprietor, aud be knows
how to keep hotel, too We made it
"a point to inquire of csery ship captain
wa met IS to the Importance of fog
whistles. and received but one answer
and that was. give us fog alarms On
the principal points of the Sound and
the lights may be put out above Dun
Eeness- As to their use for shipping,
they claim that if fog alarms wcre
| placed on the pnipts meutsnpal tho-..