The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-09
SEA AND SHORE.
The Bark Cribs Has a Narrow Es-
cape From Shipwreck.
Opposition Line Of Steamers to Victoria-A
Sailor Dies on Board ship-struck
by Terrible Sea.

The German iron bark Orbis, that ar
rived at this port from Hamburg, was 155
days on the passage. This is rather long
passage, and visit was paid to the vessel
by CALL reporter yesterday, during
which the following facts regarding the
voyage were learned: After the bark left
Hamburg and before she got down to the
Straits of Dover she had pretty rough
time. Gale after gale struck the vessel, and
for five days she was under nothing but the
two lower topsails.
The fifth night out, while lying hove to,
the lights OF large steamer were seen, and
almost before an order to shift the helm
could be given the steamer swept by so
close that one of the men took off his hat
aud threw it on board her. That night both
topsals were blown from the bolt ropes,
and the order was at once given to loose the
foreSai This was soon dune, and the sail,
which was q new one was blown away be-
fore the tack could be hauled down.
A CRITICAL SITUATION.
The vessel having no canvas on her fell
into the trough of the sea, and her decks
were swept several times, plumber OF the
crew having narrow escapes from being
washed overheard. The fore and main top
mast-staysails were yet on the vessel and
the crew went to work bending new sails.
This was accomplished by daybreak.
During the night the bark had drifted a
long distance, and al daylight the captain
found he was close To the dreaded Goodwin
Sands, where so many ships have been lost.
Sail was at once made on the vessel, the
captain assuming the risk of having the
mast taken out of his vessel by the pressure
of the canvas in the effort to clear the dan
gerous Quicksands. The ship was so close
to the sands that the crew expected to feel
her strike every minute.
PASSED AN ENGLISH SHIP.
AS the bark tore through the water with
her lee rail clear under she passed close to
large English ship lying on her beam ends
with the sea going completely over her.
and she soon cleared the treac!erous stretch
of sand. Three times the bark tried to
pass through the Straits of Dover but was
driven back each time by the furious gale.
Several sails were lost before, on the twen-
teth day after leaving Hamburg, she got
through and out into the English Chanuel
After leaving the channel another gale was
experienced and the sea was terrific. The
decks were full OF water several times and
for two days and nights the entire crew
stayed on deck fearing the bark would
founder before they could get on deck,
were they below.
ON HER BEAM ENDS.
vessel, sweeping everything movable off the
decks, carrying away the harneSsed casks
and tearing the tarpauinS off the main
hatch. The heavy sea threw the vessel on
her beam ends, and it looked as if she was
about to capsiZe. She slowly righted again,
and by miracle none of the men were
washed from her decks, but everything in
the cabins forecastle and galley was turned
upside down. AS soon as possible the oil
bags were got out and three of them hung
over the side. A change at once took place,
the sea ceasing to break, and the vessel rode
the gale in safety.
The crew of the vessel could not say
enough in praise .of the oil-bags. claiming
that without them the vessel would surely
have gone to the bottom.
THE ALBYN'S CAPTAIN
Nearly every British ship in the harbOr
had her ensign at halfmast yesterday out OF
respect to the memory of Captain Fisher of
the ship Allyn, who was buried yesterday.
He was sick for some time with la grippe,
which finally proved fatal. 1t was learned
that Captain Burnett, formerly in command
of the brig George ii. Douglass, will take
command of the Albyn.
AN OPPOSITION LINE.
The steamer West Indian, that arrived
here Tuesday, is the first of new line of
steamers that will run between this city,
Vancouver, Nanaimo and Victoria, s. c.
The new vessel has accommodations for over
fifty passengers and carrying capacity Of
over 1000 TONS. The vessel belongs to the
British Columbian Steamship Company, and
it is the intention of the company TO place
several other vessels on the route ami also
to establish a line between Victoria and
Australian ports. 1t is said the company is
a very powerful one. and it is thought that
freights will soon be away down.
Yesterday was remarkable for the alb
seuce Of arrivals. Not single craft of any
kind entered the harbOr
1t is stated that the $500, 600 in gold coin,
taken away by the steamer ZealanjIa, is
part payment for the large quantity of
sugar recently shipped to this port.
DIED AT SEA.
James Mccormick, a sailor, died on board
the schooner Compeer, that arrived hero on
Tuesday from Punta Arena. The man was
placed on board the vessel by the American
Consul prior to the sailing of the schooner.
Mccormick was n married man and resided
in San Francisco. The body was buried at
sea.
After a thorough investigation Collector
Phelps Is satisfied that the report that an
opium ring existed on the Pacific Mail Dock
is entirely without foundation. dc says
the reports arose out of the carelessness of
the men. Collector Phelps stated that he
should move men when he thought the
service required it and he found the men
were better adapted to other lines of the
work.
on THE DOCK.
The schooner Sadie f. Caller about which
such n fuss has been made, has been sent to
the Union Iron Works fer repairs There
is no truth in the story that the Chinese
tried to Scuttle her.
The first ship to leave Java in six months
will be the British ship ThOmasina Mac
Lellan, which has cleared for San Francisco.
She is laden with sugar.
The British ship Mount Carmel, that ar
rived at Bristol with her cargo damaged,
must have had rough time Of it. She re-
ports that on March 18TH during a heavy
gale. she was struck by tremendous sea
that carried away her pinnace, tore two of
the stanchions out of the ship, and started
the rivets in her waterway so badly that
large quantity of water entered the ship
and damaged her cargo.
WENT TO SEA
The following vessels lowed to sea yes
terday: The ship Falls of Alton, the five
masted schooner Governor Ames. the bark
Forest Queen and the barkentine Modoc.
The steamer Los Angeles also went to sea.
The ships Iverna and Hesperdes tOwed
down from Port Costa yesterday grain
laden, and anchored i'll the stream.
The weather was cloudy yesterday with
the wind in the south and southeast, blow
ing from eight to twenty miles an hour.
The barometer drODped from 30 90 To 30 a.