The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-28
ITEMS ALONG
SEA AND SHORE.
Whalers Preparing for Cruises in
Southern Seas.
Reported Loss Of the Schooner w. H. Harrison.
The Norma Ashore at Chinook spit-Four-
Masters Have Come to Stay.

The whalers that have not yet started
southwark are being put in readiness for the
the winters cruise in southern seas. The
Pacific steam Whaling Company's schooner
Mary Fl. Thomas Will be taken from Oak
land Creek tomorrow and placed on the
Merchants dry-dock. She will sail south
ward some time this week and will be COM
manded by Captain Robinson, late of the
Mars. Mate Sparks Of the John and Win
throp and Second Mate WalstiOn of the
Thrasher will also sail on the Thomas.
Captain Samuel Smith, whose place Captain
Robinson will take, will ship as first mate
of the steam whaler Belvedere, which will
also leave this week, either on Wednesday
or Thursday. The 1hrasher, Thomas and
Abram Barker are also being placed in
readiness for a cruise.
The schooner Lizzie Colby, 143 tons, sailed
from New York yesterday for this port.
She was cleared by c. r. Hill & Co., and is
for service on this coast. The schooner is
one of the fastest little vessels ever sent out
from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboard.
The steamer San Mateo arrived from Nan
aimo with 400 tons Of coal for the Southern
Pacific Company.
THEY HAVE COME TO STAY.
"The recent launching of the four
mastef barkentine Charles F. Croker"
said well-known ship-builder yesterday,
" makes 1t appear more evident than ever
that such three and four masted crafts are
daily becoming more popular ON both the
Atlantic and Pacific seaboards. My pri-
vate advices from the East say that even
three and four masted schOoners have come
to stay. About 80 per cent of the merchant
fleet built in New England this year has
been made fore-and-afters, which can be
run at comparatively small expense"
The schooner w. II. Harrison left Asto-
ria, Oregon, on Saturday, the Goth inst, for
ShOalwater Bay, and has not yet arrived at
her destination. 1t is feared that she may
have been wrecked In the severe gale that
was raging at the time along the north coast
Of California.
The, tug Sea King of the red-stack line
was placed on the Merchants Dry-dock for
cleaning aud repairing.
TWO HUNDRED LIVES LOST.
Private advices from London to the Mer-
chants Exchange yesterday in reference to
the burning OF the steamship Shanghai,
near Woo Hoo Shon, state that the disaster
was much more serious than ut first re-
ported. Earlier advices received stated
that the crew OF sixty Chinese natives with
several European officers were supposed to
have met death. either in the flames or by
drowning. 1t is now asserted that over 200
lives were lost and all by drowning.
A special dispatch to the Merchants' Ex-
change states that the schooner Norma
went ashore on Christmas morning at Chi
nook Spit. Five tons Of salt and some hay
were jettisoned. The Norma was towed 10
Astoria, where she rapidly filled with water
and came very nearly sinking at the wharf.
The barkentine Mary Winkelman arrived
In port yesterday, twenty-five days from
Honolulu, with 1873 bags Of sugar, con-
signed to Williams, Dimond & Co.
WAS SHE A PHANTOM?
The identity of the abandoned vessel,
which Captain Red of the ship Ericsson re-
ports to have seen off Cape ST. George. has
not yet been established. The latest SUR