The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-31
SEA AND SHORE.
Stormy Passage of the British
Ship Oimara.
Tidings From the Sealers in AIaska-Two
schooners Seized-Arrival of the City Of
Peking to the Orient.


tanned in her battles with the elements dur
ing her long passage.
The Oimara had run Of hard luck from
the day she left the Tyne, and for fifteen
days was compelled to contend against the
worst kind of weather before she had
cleared tho English coast. In the North
Sea the weather WAS something terrible,
and, TO make matters verse. & thick fog
prevailed during most Of the time. On the
second day after leaving Newcastle the en-
tire starbGard hatch was washed clean out
OF the fOrecaStle.
In the hustle of leaving port the plugs
had been left out of tho hawser pipes, and
whenever the vessel dipped into a heavy
head sea she filled the forecastle at every
plunge. On the fifth day out the ship mar
rowly escaped the rocks under Duugeness
She was on the starboard tack and tearing
through the water at ten-kuot clip, when
suddenly the fog lifted and 10 the horror of
the crew the vessel was only II very short
distance from the land, while the high
cliffs seemed to hang almost over their
heads.
Hard down with your helm" shouted
Captain Brown, "hard down for your life
All hands about ship" The wheel was
jammed hard-a-lee, and the vessel obediently
swung around like yacht not a moment
too soon, as the muddy water plainly showed.
The ship was soon standing off the land on
the other tack. Most of the men had been
in tight places before, but, as the first Off
Ger said, they could not have been in a
tighter place and come out again.
THE WIND WAS A HURRICANE.
That night the wind blew perfect hurri-
can, tons OF water poured over the yessepS
decks ana everything movable was swept
away. Shortly after midnight the reefed
foresail and the lower main-topsail were
blown clean ont OF the bolt-ropes, and there
after a terrible sea struck the ship, smash
IT n no hAnrc nf W vi ND
filling it with water and starting two panels
or the bulwarkS.
Very shortly after daylight the gale mod
Grated somewhat and all hands were set to
work bending new sails and making things
snug on deck. Before shutdown it was
blowing harder than ever and the heavy
sea was going clean over the ship. The
main-hatch covers were torn off and much
water entered the hold. During this night
several of the crew were sent aloft 10 secure
tile upper main topsail, which was blowing
out of the jackets. One of the seamen
named Black was knocked from the yard
by the sail and fell overheard. No boat
could live in such sea and nothing could
be done to save him.
This event cast such a gloom over the
men Of the crew that they went aft in q
body and demanded that the vessel be put
into Falmouth for repairs, stating that
there was great danger of the foremost
going over the side, as the rigging had
stretched so badly that the lower rigging
had to be propped together. The parrel of
the fore-topSail yard was gone, moreover,
and the heavy spar was only kept In its
place by the lifts and braces.
TIE CREW oUT-TRICKED.
Captain Brown heard what the men lad
TO say and then told them that when he put
into any port it would be San Francisco.
The crew then refused TO do anything more
and went into the fOrecastle. AS the ship
was very close to the French coast and the
"A bod a 9 H.
were told that if they would 60 to work the
vessel should be taken into Falmouth.
Thinking they had gained their point, the
men went to work again, the yards were
squared in and the ship was soon flying
down the channel with gale of wind before
her. The sailors soon discovered the trick
that had been played and again refused to
work.
They were then placed on short rations,
while the mates and apprentices took turn
about steering the vessel. The wind held
fair, and as the ship was under short canvas
there was nothing to fear. Short ratiOns
soon brought the forecaStle hands to their
senses, especially when every minute was
carrying them farther away from the Eu-
glish coast, and they soon sent v ord to the
captain that if he would give them good
square meal they would go to work again.
This was done, and once more the crew
cleared up the decks and bent new sails in
place of those that had been blown away.
The ship experienced another ten days
blow off Cape Horn and lost several sails.
Her decks were swept time and again by the
heavy seas, but after entering the Pacific
Ocean nothing but high head winds or Gains
to port was experienced.
TIDINGs FROM ALASKA.
Two steamers arrived yesterday from
Alaska, the st. Paul, from Oonalaska, and
the Bertha. from kodiak. The first named
had several passengers, and in her hold 352
packages of furs, 227 bundles of whalebone
a nIr ,-I,. r. a..
al a>ka, on July 20th, the following named
vessels we're at that port: United States
cutter COrwin, steamer Al Ri, the whaers
William Lewis, Belvedere, Dora and Kar-
LUX, and the schoonerS Allie 1. Alger, Henry
Denis and NJ. Turner.
The Bertha came down loaded with sal
mon. and has quite large number of seal
skins on board. Before departure from
Kodiak it was rumored that two sealing YES
sells had been seizsd, but nothing certain was
known, save that one was the schooner Mol
| lie Adams. A letter received yesterday
from Captain Plummer by GoOdall, Perkins
| d Co., furnished, however, more news of
| the sealers than has been received for some
| time in fact, the first of any moment since
| the war-shpS sailed for the Arctic.
The letter is dated July 18th, and states
that the Al Ri arrived at Oonalaska after
run of ten days from San Francisco, and
that every marine sent up from Mare Island
| was laid up with sickness. Four DAYS after
arrival at Alaska the AL XII had work on
hand. as the cutter Corwin made her ap-
pearance with the British saaler Z. C. Mar
win in tow. The latter had been captured
and bonded, and her officers and crew,
twenty in number, were sent on board the
prison-ship Al HI. They only remain ed two
days. however, because they were trans
ferred to the British war-ship Nymphe
The pirate was dispatched to Victoria with
the plize crew in charge.
SLIPPED IN UNEXPECTEDLY
10 80 ,-I,f
| into port very unexpectedly yesterday
afternoon. and the people at the Mail dock
were taken by surprise, because she was
not expected until to-day. She brought
1886 tons OF cargo. 63 cabin and European
steerage passengers, while in the Chinese
Storage she had 112 Chinese and Japan
ese. Out of the seven whites In the steer
age four wore the uniform Of the United
States Navy. They had been sent home
from the United States steamer Monocacy,
which for some time has been stationed n
the China station. One OF the men is on
the sick list and the others were sent home
to be paid off as they are considerably over
their time. Among the are cargo 1853 mats
of rice, 2o,7l3 chests of tea, 1920 packages of
silk and 1855 bales of gunnes.
SENT BACK TO THE ORIENT.
The mail steamer Belgic left for Yoko-
hama and Hong: Kong at O'Clock Yesterday
afternoon, carrying away quite number Of
cabin passengers and about 40 Chinese
One OF the number was young girl who
had been rescued from the slums of China
town and was sent back by the mission.
Eight coolies who came over on the steamer.
but who failed To find a way ashore, were
unwilling passengers when the big steamer
slipped out from her berth. Locked up in
one Of the r0ons In the after part OF the
ship were also four Japanese, who had
slowed away on board the steamer when she
called at Yokohama on her recent trip. and
were sent back as warning to future stow
always.
While hosting timber from the wrecking
steamer Whitelaw, yesterday afternoon,
Captain J. II. Mack right hand was caught
in a pulley chain and badly injured. At the
Receiving Hospital four fneer-tips were
amputated.
FROM PANAMA AND WAY PORTS.
Hardly had the City of Picking reached her
perth than the mail steamer City of Sydney,
from Panama and way ports, was seen com
inc the Larhn Shn hral,r.I,t 4l,...s