The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-07
HAS A STONE BOTTOM.
Purser Anderson's Story About
the Eliza Anderson.
OLD. BUT A SMOOTH sAlLER
The Steamer Said to Have . Canoe.
shaped and Fortified Hull A
Yarn on the Eastern Oregon.

Purser w. Anderson, of the steamer
Eastern Oregon, is perhaps as fine story
teller as any boats officer that sails over
the waters of Puget sound, and is in his
glory when making passengers as happy as
popular purser can. On the trial trip of
the Eastern Oregon to Tacoma last week,
Purser Anderson told many laughable in
cidents of his many years of experience on
the Sound. To the two guileless reporters,
who were most attentive listeners, the fol-
lowing story was fully appreciated:
81 suppose you have never heard the
story about the old E liza Andersonf"
why, mol" exclaimed the interested re-
porters.
well. / thought you didn't know every
thing, quite. The old Anderson may not
look as bright as some of the other steam
ers on the Sound, but I'd rather go down
the Sound in her today than number Of
the other steamers that look a mighty
sight safer. The rest of them when they
get in sea, like we are liable to encounter
almost any time in Deception pass, will cut
into a sea and drop suddenly enough to
almost shake a fellows dinner into his
boots and break every stanchion short off.
The old Anderson drops as easy into sea
as falling into a feather bed, because she
has genuine canoe bottom. You didn't
know that? Well, she has.
I'm tell you something else that very
few people know. Her bottom is petrified.
though you may not believe it. How is
that? l don't know. but was told that it
was found out this way: When the An
derson got in collision here last year, the
owners gave a contract to have her re-
paired and have new bottom put in her.
as they thought they had better make
good job while they were about it. The
contractors put the vessel on the dock and
repaired her where she was damaged. The
carpenters then prepared to put new plank
ing on her bottom. but when they started
to work the augers it was no go.
'The next day they called around to see
the owners and informed them that they
would have to throw up the contract. The
owners of course expressed surprise and
wanted to know the reasons for such a
decision. The contractors said they had
no fault to find with the contract and
under ordinary circumstances would have
made a fair profit, but they would like to
be relieved OF the contract without making
an explanation, as it might appear absurd.
The owners, however, demanded the
reasons.
"The contractors said it might sound
absurd but it was nevertheless fact that
the bottom of the Eliza Anderson was pet
rified and they could never put on bottom
to equal the one she then had. The owners
would not be convinced until they went
over and examined for themselves. They
were satisfied then and relieved the con-
tractors. The Anderson has been running
ever since with a stone hull that is as
smooth as rock and will last forever if it
doesn't get big thump-then it will fly to
pieces like a piece of cast iron, it's so
brittle.
How do they account for such re-
markabie case of petrifcation? If re-
porter's cheek doesn't unravel the mystery
of strange cases of hardening. can't tell
you, boys, but I'll tell you how it was ex-
planned to me. 1t appears that the man
who built the Eliza Anderson hadn't
enough money to complete her for long
time, and her half-finished hull lay in the
shipyard three years or more seasoning.
before work was begun on her again. They
say the timber in her bottom was cut while
the sap was running-that's sometime in
August, isn't it?-and when it had been
dried to certain stage and was put into
the salt water it was in q condition for
petritication to set in, and it did. This
petriication has been going on ever since,
and might not have been known but for
the attempt made to replank her bottom. I"
The genial purser may have told his
fascinating story to prevent visit to an
empty larder, as he had come aboard just
before the Eastern Oregon left the dock,
and what new and surprising things he
might have related to his jolly friends about
the canoe and petriied-bottomed favorite
will have to be conjectured. as his true
sailors yarn was cut short by the call to
dinner by the steward, and the dinner was
such an excellent one, thanks to the ar
rangements of Manager McNeill, that at
least one OF the reporters memory did not
revert to Purser Anderson's story until
yesterday.
The Union Pscifici s the only transcontinenta.
line running free reclining chair cars and Pull
man Tourist sleepiQg cars from the Pacific lat