The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-10-17
OUR san FRANCISCO LETTER.
Per :. >. China, san Francisco, octo-
Der 9. 1890.
(trom our correspondentD
Sugar News.

638 cents.
The local and eastern markets are
without feature, the refners and buyers
having reirained from operation while
the tariff bill was pending Granulated
is quoted locally at cents.
This much-disputed measure was final
ly passed by Congress and signed by the
President on the 3rd. Thus lar no au-
thentic copies of the bill, as it finally
went through, have been received in
San Francisco. However, copies OF the
Conference Committee bill have been re-
ceived, which is practically the bill as it
went through.
The British ship Ben Douran has ar
rived from Manila with 99,9l5 bags OF
sugar for the California Refinery. Re-
ports indicate that the Philippine crop
will be short this year.
Wrecked Within Port.
The brigs J. D. Spreckels and Lurline,
from Hawaii, narrowly escaped being
wrecked on the North Heads at the en-
trance to the harbor on the 1st inst.
These vessels and five other deep-water
ships arrived off the Heads within an
hour of each other, and refusing to en-
gage tug boats took advantage of the tide
and wind to enter under sail. The Lurline
and J. d. Spreckels were close together
and were about opposite the Fort, when
the wind died away. The briggs were
then helplessly carried to the north, the
Spreckels getting into little blight in
side Point Diablo, from which she was
hauled by the towboat Relief owned by
Spreckels.
The Lurline, however, was not so for
tunate, as she drifted to the north. Cap
tain Mattson, who was in command,
threw over his anchors, but without
| avail. She swung around and went on
the rocks outside Point Diablo with a
smash. Another swell lifted her up a
little higher and smashed another hole
| in her bottem. After this it was nothing
but succession of thumps, and in five
minutes she commenced TO settle at an
alarming rate, taking heavy list to star
board (the otfshore side) as she Gid SO.
| Captain MattSOn feared that she would
slide off the rocks and sink land hurriedly
launched both his life boats. Into one
| was put the two passengers, Mrs.
Schultze and Mr.. Dowd of Honolulu,
with two of the crew, and the remainder
OF the crew, with the exception ct the
captain and mate, took to the other.
! Henry Peterson, the oarman, was out in
his whitehall, and pulled up with an
offer of assistance. JEST then the Relief
arrived. Captain Haskell ran in as far
as he dared, but thump of the tugs
keel on the rocks warned him of the
danger, and he backed off just in time to
avoid sharing the Lurline's fate.
Peterson then ran line to the brig
and took off Captain Mattson and his
mate, who were afraid that the moment
the brig was pulled off she would 60 to
the bottom.
By this time her decks were awash,
and when the Relief pulled her off she
settled another foot. Haskell thought
he could keep her afioat, however, and
started at full speed up the bay as soon
as her anchor chains were slipped. After
a mile or two the tug Alert came along
side the half sunken craft and made fast
| bow and stern in such a manner as to
| buoy her up as much as possible. The
| Relief took up a similar position on the
other side, and with the Lurline between
| them the two tugs made race for the
Mission bay mud flats.
1t was a question of minutes, for the
Lurllne was sinking constantly, and
every pound of steam the tugs could
stand was put on. The boats with the
passengers and crew were towing astern,
and when Mattson saw that the prospects
were favorable for his vessel keeping
afloat. he endeayOred to board her again.
This Captain Haskell would not permit,
claiming that in the absence of any one
on board when he made fast the Lurine
was an abandoned ship, and his by right
of rescue. Later on he releI.'ed, and
made salvage contract for $l0,c 4. The
tugs won the race, but with l. q or
nothing to spare, and rushed their capt
ure well up on the flats at the foot OF
Second street, just as she was common
cling to roll and wobble and give other
signs of going to the bottom. She was
| full of water when landed, and had
considerable depth on her decks.
An examination OF the Lurline's cargo
shows that a good deal of the cargo
melted, but fully four-fiths of the bags
were taken out with their contents intact
brt~for the salt water. The refineries
handle this sugar, but there will be
| considerable reduction in its value
; from the intricacy of the process neces-
sary to get rid of the salt water flavor it
has acquired. The insurance companies
will have to bear the loss, though it was
a case OF Spreckels' tugs saving Spreck
| els sugar.
| Steamship Communication.
The House of Representatives failed
| to pass either the mail subsidy or the
| bounty bill, and considerable speculation
is being INDUCED in as to what the
Oceanic Company will do in regard to
the Colonial steamers. 1t is understood
however, that the Company has not vet
formulated its plans. An abandonment
| of the service is not to be thought OF in
| view of the trade that has been built up
and OF the fine prospect for getting the
! shipping bills through at the coming
session OF Congress. The general belief
is that the Spreckels Brothers will decide
TO run the steamers for at least three
trips Gin December, January and Feb
ruary) after the Colonial subsidies run
out in order to learn what Congress will
do at the closing session. This will be
done to hold the trade, and to prevent
any competitor from entering the field,
for it is we'll understood that the North
German Lloyd Company would not be
averse to taking the Oceanic Companyis
place in case OF the abandonment OF the
service.
Messrs. Livingston, Clarke & Co. are
considerably disappointed over the failure
of the Hawaiian Legislature to support