The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-07
SEA AND SHORE.
Wonderful Phenomenon Wit.
messed by a Ships Crew.
Bad Day for Bay Steamers Discovery of a
Dangerous Rock-ships in Collision-A
Chilean Ironclad.

An interview which CALL reporter had
yesterday with the captain of the Chilean
balR Guinevere, now lying at the sea- wall,
goes to show how little reliance can be
placed upon the news sent out by either
party to the internecine strife now sapping
the strength and prosperity of the South
American republic.
In last Sundays dispatches from the seat
of war appeared an item in which it was
stated that the Chilean ironclad Pilcomayo
had gone over from the support of Presi-
dent Balmaceda's cause to that of the rebels,
whose sympathzerS were cOrreSpondingly
eated. The impression conveyed by the
item was that the Government had been de-
serted by q powerful man-0f- war and that
| Balmaceda'S Government was approaching
crisis in its affairs, whereas the fact as
known to the reporter and verified by the
| GuineVere'S captain is that the PilcOmay0 is
an unarmOred gunboat Of go tons, mount
ing three small cannon. She was built in
| England for the Peruvian Government and
rugged as tOpSail schooner. During the
war between Peru and Chile she fell into
the hands OF the conquering power after a
ten-mnute fight with the gunboat Caya-
dOnga She had originally speed of ten
knots an hour, but through the tinkering
methods of her captors. who altered her in
several particulars, her present speed is not
more than half what it once was.
Prior to the present outbreak she was
used as a transport. She was one Of the
first vessels seized when the trouble began,
| and consequently could not have deserted
| the Presidents cause. The entire Chilean
fleet tugs, gunboats, and men-of-war in
cluded, numbers but fifteen vessels.
A BAD LEAK.
The crew Of the schooner Sadie F. Caller
| had hard spell OF pumping yesterday in
| order to keep atioat. She was lying in the
stream ready to sail for Alaska, and in the
gale which prevailed in the morning prob
ably started a butt which allowed the water
to pour In.
A wild rumor quickly flew around the
front that the Chinese had tried to scuttle
! her by boring holes In her bottom, but the
report is not credited by those on board.
She had nnety-fve cOOlie passengers for
| the Alaska canneries and as it was fount
| that she was unfit for sea they were put
ashore and are now having high time on
the months advance paid them to sign the
| contract
The vessel will have to discharge her
cargo and go on the dry-dock. This will
| be done as soon as possible. AT present
| she is lying in the mud at Mission Flats.
SURROUNDED BY wATERsPoUTs.
A battle between streak of lightning and
a waterspout is not often seen, but the crew
| of the British ship Lock Eek, recently ar
rived at HiOgo from Philadelphia. according
to the report of the captain, were treated to
the strange sight not long ago.
According TO his story, the fight was won
| In the first round by the lightning. The
| crew say that during gale the sea around
| the vessel began to boil, and in short time
the ship was surrounded by waterspouts
| travelling in all directions. The biggest
| spout was in the middle and was over 800
| feet high. Inside OF is was seen smaller
| one whirlinG in the opposite direction. The
| sp0uts remained in sight until next day,
| when the gale subsidized and all but the large
| one disappeared. This was gradually get
| ting nearer and nearer the ship when sud
| denly streak of f0rked lightning shot from
| the heavens and striking IL near the center
ran down to point near the base aud eX-
| ploded with terrific report, whereupon the
| immense column OF water dropped back
| into the ocean.
NOTICE TO MARINERS.
Captain Delehanty of the Coast Survey
| steamer Hassler makes known the discOv-
| cry of a sunken rock on the coast about
| twenty-four miles southeast OF the Point
| Sur Lighthouse. The rock rises from
depth of ten fathoms and has only ten feet
of water on it. 1t lies just northwest of the
north point Of Twin Peaks Cove, and its
| bearing in nautical miles on well-known OBJ
| jects is as follows: Lopez Rock, northwest
| by west, seven-eighths west, distance 1.26
| miles; Lopez Point, northwest three-quar-
| teIs west, distance 30 of mile; warehouse
at Handys Landing, east, five-eighths north,
distance miles; the Twin Peaks elevation
| 800 feet), northeast by north; outer cape.
| San Martin Rock. southeast, distance $40
miles.
Coasting steamers working n0rthward
| against heavy northwest weather are often
| dangerously close to this suuken rock.
S. |. kimball, General Superintendent of
the Life-saving Service, has issued crcu-
| lar calling for bids for the construction Of a
| life-saying station AT Ilwaco Beach, twelve
miles north of the Columbia River. The
contract will be let at O'Clock in the after
| noOa on the oath inst at Washington, ID. G.
The Pilot Commissioners have decided to
take room Mt the southern end OF the hall
| in the building they now are aud move from
| their present damp quarters.
CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.
| The steamer Mare Island, known as the
| Berkeley steamer, broke a crank-pu while
making the II O'Clock trip to the city yester-
| nay morning. The captain ut once slgr ed
| for assistance and the red-stack tug Wizard
was soon alongside tie disabled vessel,
| which had drifted down pretty close TO
Alcatraz. The Wizard took her in tow and
brought her to hers berth. The captain
stated she would be ready for work this
| morning.
Tie ferry-steamer San Rafael also met
with an accident yesterday. As she was
docking, after making the o'clock trip. she
was carried against the pilpg by the COM
bined strength of wind and tide. The crash
produced a small-Sized panic among the
passengers. The steamer had her rail
smashed and two of the spring piles were
demolished The accident caused her to lay
up until o'clock.
The steamer Sunol is laid up for repairs
and the Hope is on the route in her place.
On the up trip last Saturday she broke a
crank-pin, but made the trip with one wheel
going.
The banks Templar and Alden Besse
were in collision yesterday morning. The
| Besse dragged her anchor in the gale and
drifted down across the Templar's bows.
The tug Active went to their assistance and
lowed the Besse TO clear berth. The
| Templar lost her jib-boom and all her head
gear. The Besse had her fore chains
smashed and lost her anchor.
The ship Henry 3. Hyde, lying down the
bay, began to drag her anchor about noon
yesterday. The captain at once signaled
for tug and the Vigilant went out to her
assistance. BY the time the tug got there
the Hyde was too close to Blossom Rock for
comfort. She tTipped her anchor and was
| taken to safer anchorage
FOR REPAIRS.
The steamers Oregon and Humboldt are
| both laid up for repairs. 1t will take q
| HOUtH W lutuu Tue lOEiutt, anu COHCbIulHS
the latter it is reported that she has made
her last trip to Humboldt Bay, and that her
place will be taken by some other vessel.
ARRIVALS IN PORT.
The mail steamer City of Rio de Janeiro
came into port yesterday afternoon from
China and Japan, after a passage of %
| days. She brought II cabin passengers and
% Japanese and 30 Chinese in the Storage
The steamer has n cargo of 1929 tons, among
which are 36,026 mats of rice, 2319 packages
of tea, 1897 of raw silk. 574 cases of curios.
40 cases of opium and 76 sacks OF mail.
The ship Henry B. Hyde got in yesterday
after the fine passage of 10S days from New
York. She has general cargo
The German bark Orbis was 155 days
coming out from Hamburg with a general
cargo on board.
There are at the present time 10 less than
! fftpan Amarican huiIt SCALING nerc