The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-04-06

" ~ anu al ScthcIS alter hnOWleGge OF gen
era interest D.
Catch questions will not receive any attention.
T., no 90 opnion VIII be given Ia tins column regard
hrms In this city or elsewhere
questions answers 10 which are in the nature
oil an advertisement, viii not be answered.
Every inquiry must have the true ard full
name oil The sender as we'll the correct resi-
oehce. Any inquiry that has not she cor
be treated as II it WAS not signed, and the
writer need nut expecr an answer.
E-1SA4gIERRA NEVADA WREcK-O. A., San
s1ss Luis 0bispo, Cal. The paddle
sa&SE steamer Sierra Nevada was built in
1851 for the Texan trade, but a demand
arising for steamships in the California
trade, Commodore G. K. Garrison pur-
chased her and she made eight trips be-
tween New York and Chagres. On the
18th of December, 1852, she was sent round
the Horn 10 San Francisco. and in the
spring Of 1858 made her first trip to San
Juan in the transit line. In 1860 she was
purchased by the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company and subsequently by Ben Holla-
day and the North Pacific Transportation
Company, of which Holiday and BRENNAN
were the agents, and who ran her in the
North and South Coast trade. The Sierra
Nevada on her last Inflated voyage, left
San Francisco. under command of Captain
j. c. B0gart, for Santa Cruz, Monterey, San
Simeon and San Luis Obispo, on Saturday,
October 1G 1869, with forty-two passengers,
including SIX women and three children,
crew OF thirty-six and 124 tons OF freight
Santa Cruz and Monterey were left on the
Sunday following. As night closed the
weather became thick, and dense fog set
in, so that according to the reports pub
lIshed at the time, it was impossible to see
beyond few ship lengths. There was lit
tie wind and the sea calm. About 10
O'Clock at night two heavy shocks
were felt, and the smoke-Stack was
Knocked over and by the board. Only a
moment or two before, the breaking of
the surf was heard, and the Captain had
ordered the course changed. The steamer
was thrown on her beam-ends and swell
coming on landed well on the reef. The
bottom was knocked in, lifting the boiler
from its bed and breaking it so that the
steam escaped into the sea through the
aperture. The reef was about three miles
north of PiedraS Blancas and about fifteen
miles from San Simeon. The captain,
officers and crew stood bravely at their
posts, and every passenger was safely
helped into boats, though one in his
excitement fell overheard aud was rescued,
while lady fell and broke a rib while
coming up ON deck. The boats were all
fastened and anchored and the dawn of
day was waited fer. At break of day the
log fioated of and the boats made for San
Simeon Bay and reached land i'll safety.
The captain afterward returned to the
wreck and found her almost submerged
Only the effects of the passengers were
saved by some whalers engaged for that
purpose, Captain Bogart having 10 borrow
SUIT OF clothes 10 present himself in upon
arrival in this port. One report of the
wreck OF the Sierra Nevada did not conceal
thai in the opinion Of many she ought to
nave been some time ago Withdrawn" No
insurance was carried on her. One Of the
passengers was tile late Governor Wood of
Iowa, then 70 years of age.
GYPSUM IN CALIFORNIA - G. N. A.,
Winters, Cal. According to the State
MineralOgists report there Is belt of
gypsum in Kern County, scattered along
the foothills from Caliente to Long Tom.
There is unquestionaby," says the re-
port, ga great quantity of Of gypsum seat
tered through this belt, but no place was
seen where there seemed to be any large
amount OF 1t that was very pure.
Most of what has been called gypsum here
appears to be light-colored clay rock or 4
very fine grained sandstone, with more or
less sometimes indeed very high percent
age of gypsum scattered all through
its mass in the form of very minute
particles" Again the rocks In the north
eastern foothills of the Santa Ana range of
mountains, some three or four miles south
from South Riverside in San Bernardino
County, "are sandstones and clay shales,
quite soft and containing much gypsum and
good deal broken up" Gypsum is also
found in the mountains of San Luis Obispo
County at the headwaters of Arroyo Grande
and on the Navajo Creek. The deposits Of
Santa Barbara occur upon the southern side
of Point Sal, the veins lying back in the
mountains about one and a half miles from
Point Sal Landing. The mineral can be
mined and placed on board of vessels at the
Point Tor about s. per ton. a large bed is
found in Ventura County in the Ojai Val
ley crossing the hills below the grade road
that ascends to the.upper valley. A large
deposit has also been reported as having
been found in the western portion. besides
which it is found in small quantities in
other portions of the county.
SECOND PRE- EMPTIoN CLAIM-M. s., An
atone, Wash. The Department of the In
terror very seldom allows a second pre-emp-
ton. The exceptions are as follows: "A'
filed for tract OF land. having built a CON-
Portable house and endeayored TO obtain
water; he dug q well, but could not obtain
any for himself or stock. The house acct
dentally caught fire and was destroyed. Be-
coming discouraged, he abandoned the
claim and the department allowed him to
file again. Uand Decisions Vol g. y. 4i6
Same ruling in L. D., Vol. 9, p. IS, where
the springs dried up and party was without
water.) These are the only two decisions
covering your query, and are very recent,
thus showing only where second filing has
been permitted. The general rule is that
party should examine the land thoroughly
before filing and know what he is about and
what kind of land it is. The Supreme Court
of the United States held in Baldwin VS..
Stark 10T u. s., page 1863 that "a person is
not entitled under existing statutes to more
than one presumption right" The depart
meut rule is as follows Q4and Decisions,
Vol. Z, F. $685. ''The presumption right is
exhausted with one filing" no matter when
made. You can therefore Judge for your
self under the rulings first quoted whe Their
your case is as strong as the TWO exceptions
noted.
VELOCITY OF LIGHT-H. a. S., City.
Light moves so rapidly that it seems to re-
qure no time at all to pass over any dis
lance on the earth. Its velocity was first
determined by Romer, Danish astrono-
mer, in 1915. by observing the eclipses of
Jupiter's moons. BE concluded that it takes
light about sixteen minutes to cross the
earth's orbit, distance of about 100 100000
mlles-a velocity of about $4,000 miles
second. According to Fizean, who expert
mented with tOothed wheels. the velocity is
1880; Foucault, with revolving mirrors,
1855. l59; Bradley, from study of alteration
OF light, l9l, l02 miles per second; Tyndall
accepting 1872. coo as correct and Schellen
thinking $4,000 nearer the truth. But
other authorities give different figures,
hardly any two agreeing on the exact results.
However, estimating the distance to be o.
0CO.00O miles, the light passes from the sun
to the earth in 50 minutes, while the rays
OF the moon, 100000 miles away, reach the
earth in second and quarter. and Jupi-
ter's (6l7,000,000l in 50 minutes, so that you
can continue to doubt, il you please,
whether 1t is possible for light to travel in
such short time"
THE GREAT EAsTERN-R. C. D., City.
o. The Great Eastern, now about to be
broken up for the metal, is 692 feet in
length, So breadth, IS depth at side and "a
in the hold. (2) The original plan contem-
plated by the Eastern Stenm Nayigatinn