The morning call., 1892-08-30

| port Is brought by deep-water ships, carry
| ing back wheat. The next source OF supply
! is New South Wales. Then follow the coal
mines of British Columbia, which, like the
preceding, afe on foreign soil. A small
| quantity focal comes from American Sound
potts, notably from Seattle. But for prac-
teal purposes the coast Is estitute of
regular supply of coal except FROM impor-
tations. and the Alaska product, if good,
| may prove boon to the nation in one of
those emergencies which even the astutest
| politician cannot fOresee.
California has numerous seams of coal
scattered impartially through the counties.
| but there is not one mine in the State of any
account except for local consumption. and
| then only as a makeshift Nearly all the
| California coal is merely "lignite' or fossil
wood, and of very little value for heating
or Illuminating purposes. The Mount Di-
! ablo mines have long been worked out and
those in Amador County, between Gait aud
| Lone cannot hold out much longer. The
! Seattle coai is trihs better. but the supply
is small. The British Columbia coal is
far better article. but the supply Is largely
controlled by a monopoly which threatens
to obtain exclusive possession. Under these
| creums tanees the arrival Of a cargo of 1850
| tons OF genuine coal from Alaska is well
| come indeed.
The Alaska Coal Company have not yet
announced their plans. but it is believed
that favorable report will shortly be made
| by the prospeetors as TO the number and
| availability of tie mines. and that in the
| near future a regular line of steam golfers
| will be established between Cooks Inlet
| and this port.
| The latest evidence adduced In connection
with the fatal bay collision en- Sunday.
| when the American ship Alameda ran into
! the schooner Maid Of Orleans, leaves little or
no doubt that the schooner was to blame
| and that the exercise of very ordinary care
| by Captain Ireanor would have averted the
| catastrophe, AS Captain Treauor Is one of
| the three victims the court of inquiry,
which will probably meet on Saturday.
| lacks the testimony of the principal witness,
but there is an abundance of other evidence
| available.
Mate Nell Macleod was found by CALI.
reporter on the deck of the Maid of Or
| leans ut Main street yesterday. He had
| hard days work before him getting out the
damaged spars and rigging. The mainboom
| and head Of the mainmast, with the main
| t0pmast Feak and rigging. fioated In q con-
| fused mass on the starboard quarter. The
| forerigging bad been carried away. the
! mainmast snapped well below the cap, and
| hole, six feet across, showed where the
| bulwarks in the wake OF the mainrigging
| had been stove In by the AIameda's stem.
| Quite considerable portion of the taffrail
| was gone also, and the galley had suffered
| badly. The mainmhst had been unshipped,
but the pumps had fortunately escaped.
| 1t had been freely asserted at the time of
| the calamity that Captain TTeanOr was the
| only sober man on the schooner, which car
| ried four hands before the mast besides the
| two mates and the cook. Mate Macleod
promptly indicated himself by proving
| that he bad not touched drop of liquor fer
/ three years Ho said: There Is no truth
| in the statement that all hands were drunk
| at the time the accident happened. The
| men were peaking the nlainsail when Cap
! tain Ifean0r gave the order to bout
| ship We were then nearly. abreast Of the
Terry. ID the neighbour God OF Goat Island.
| on the port tack There was quite strong
| breeze blowing at the time. The captain
was standing in the weather alley giving
| orders to the man at the wheel. While we
were peaking the mansal the captain gave
tie order 20 round her to. As he gave the
order she came up on the wind and stopped.
| The ship vas right on top Of us. The tide
had just started to ebb. 1t was about
| o'clock IN the afternoon. When the ship
| struck the schooner if threw the latter over
on her beam ends. The other vessel was
/ towing four or five knots easy. AS soon as
| the ships 1lbbo0m struck our forerIgging ii
tore rlght along and next caught the MAIN
] san, swapping the mast short of. The cap
toius etCNhiu anu COOK were thrown INTO
\ the water and drowned"
Being pressed upon the matter Of the So
| briefly oil the crew Mate Macleod admitted
| that two OF them, who were very drunk,
had been left ashore.
The schooner is owned by Preston & Nc
kinnon aud the latter was on board during
the afternoon sizing up the damages with
| an expert shlp's carpenter. Mr.. MckinnoB
was asked II he intended TO hold the Ala
media or the tug Vigilant liable for the dam.
age. lie shook his head doubtfulIy and
merely said. We shall see in most of these
cases they expect us TO bear it,"
Captain Hawley of the towboat company
SAID there would be no liability on the tugs
part. She had IT'S fathoms of hawser out
and there was plenty Of room for the
schooner, II properly handled. either TO
luff up or wear.
The damage TO the schooner will take
$1,000 TO repair That done 10 the Alameda
which was towed TO the Union-street wharf,
has not yet been estimated, but will prob
aDy reach $1,000. and the schooner will
doubtless be held liable
Nearly every nautical man.consulted said
mat the schooners should have borne away
instead OF luffing up. but that even IL she
had iu1ed up the accident could have been
aTerted had she been handled in time.
inquiries at the Main-stree wharf elected
that the captain and most of the crew had
been drinking quite freely Just before the
vessel started and several fights mad taken
place. The schooner carried a union crew.