The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-08
ON THE DUBOURDIEU.
A Fencing Bouton the French
Warship.
ITALIAN GUESTS WELCOMED.
A Prospective Revival Of South Pacific Whal-
ing - The Police Commissioners Nay
Build Patrol Boat.

President E. V. Lonigo and a party of
members of the Italian Athletic Club paid
a visit to the French warship Dubourdeu
yesterday afternoon. They were taken off
in launches and boats, and for two hours
made things lively on the cruisers deck.
The particular feature of the aftern oon's
entertainment was display of fencing be-
tween the visitors and the officers Of the
ship There were no ladies aboard, and it
was a stag party In the strictest sense OF
the term.
The first parti was between Mate Guedon
of the Dubourdieu and Louis Tronchet,
fencing instructor of the Olympic Club
Guedon is no novice with the foils, but
Tronchet taught him more in two minutes
than lie had learned in his life, and, after
touching" him about score Of times, fin
ished with an unequivocal thrust under the
sword arm-a seconde en- carte-that would
have furnished the undertaken Job in a
short time had tue contest been on the field
of bOnor Guedon accepted his defeat grace
fully and Ironchet was loudly cheered by
the officers and crew of the cruiser as he
retired.
The second parti was between Professor
Ansot of the California Fencing Club and
NJ. COurtois, a Quartermaster of the ship.
1t was much more evenly contested affair
than the preceding, and al the conclusion
hOnOrs were about even and both men
GREATNESS.
A still more interesting event was that
between De Smet of the Olympic Club and
Scarabela OF the Italian Athletic Club.
The former wore white and the latter
black suit, close fitting in both instances.
Scarabella, a 1.-the active little fellow, took
a great many liberties which he would
scarcely have INDUCED in had the affair
been serious, but he parted well and made
his points effective, so that when tie pair
retired he was silently accorded the palm.
Professor Ansot next engaged with Cue
don, with bonors about even, and then came
a very lively encounter between Tronchet
and DE Smet, IN which both broke their
folls. Nothing could exceed the ease aud
elegance of 1ronehet in tie most difficult
situations. While his eye never for an in
slant quilted his antagonist and his foil
seemed almost TO be glued to his antag0n-
lists be bowed and smiled as If the physlca
eXerton involved and the incessant vigil
lance entaled were the merest trifles. De
Smet outdid himself In this bout and he
probably never fenced better in his life.
Nevertheless at the close there was only
one man in it and that man was TrOnchet.
As De Smet afterwaTd expressed II, be had
been killed twenty times Ia this single en-
counter.
Guedon and Tronchet now took up pair
exercise. Each mans head was guarded by
a rubber band over the crown aud each
wore thick gloves and stomach pad. The
blades came down on the shoulders and
arms Of each with a force that must have
left manya red mark, but as before Iron
Chef demonstrated superior skill. and would
tap his opponent over the scOnce with
seemingly playful Indifference and appar-
emily leaving himself absolutely unguarded.
Nevertheless whenever Guedon stroye TO
make cut the parry was ALWAYS there on
time. IrOnchet was again loudly cheeEed.
Trenchet then took up the foils with
Courtos and, after breaking one. disarmed
his antagonist several times and touched"
him just as he pleased. At the close ne
deliberately walked toward his antagonist,
parrying every thrust and shortening his
foil piQued him playfuiy in a dozen places
and retired laughing. He finished by parry
ing a lunge from C0urtOs at full distance,
changing foil from right to left hand and
jumping in on his antagonist, proddng him
In half dozen places, while the spectators
r0ared with laughter and tile sailors cheered
till the welkin rang. 1t was a little humiliat-
ing for Courtois, but be took it quite good
The last bout was between Trivellini and
GgedCn with the broadsw0rds, honoTS being
pretty equally divided.
Commandant Besson witnessed the sport
with great glee, aud Admiral Paragon
came on board just as the last bout had con-
Guided.
The officers Of the Dubourdieu have ac-
cepted invitations to witness the assault-at-
arms ard exhibition by the Italian Athletic
Club at Bersaglieri hall on Sunday.
The DubOurdieu Will leave on the 2Sth
inst for Acapulco. Lima and Valparaiso.
L. II. Hanson of the firm OF Wright,
Bovine IL Co. has purchased the bark Gay
Head in New York, and the vessel is now
en- route from New Bedford to Patagonia.
The idea is to revive the almost extinct in
dusiry of South Sea whaling In the days
when Herman Melville wrote "Typee and
Owee," and Dana his Two Years Before
the Mast" South Sea whaling was the great
enterprise of the time in the Pacific. The
whaers traversed the Indian, South At
lantlc and South Pacific oceans, plying their
avocation so successfully that the right
whale soon became an extinct species. Now
adays a few vessels Of the whaling fleet
make trip as far south as the western
coast OF Patagonia, but the systematic pur-
suit of the whale in the South Pacific and
South Atlantic has been abandoned for
anumber of years. AS q result the species
has increased rapidly in Antarctic waters,
while the hyperborean ocean has been al
most depopulated. The Gay Head will call
at st. Helena, and will be fitted out for
three yeaTs' cruise, during which she will
call at St. PauIs Island, in the Indian
Ocean, and go as far west as Honolulu,
horn was sold by auction at the Merchants
Exchange to II. Rogers of the johnson
Wrecking Company for 1920 and the coal
on board for S45. The Golden-horn was
wrecked three weeks ago on the island of
Santa Rosa, in the Santa Barbara channel.
The steamer Truckee ran into the schooner
Maria Nelson on Thursday aftern Don, carry
ing away the schooner's bOwsprit
The schooner Caroline took out Messrs.
Haas and Meiggs on Thursday night for a
moonlight trip. The party paid visit to
the cruiser San Francisco and the British
ship w. j. Pirrie.
1t is understood that the Police Commits
si0ners will be recommended to build a
boat for waterfront patrol purposes, as
neither the Tia Juana nor the skip has
proved suitable for the purpose. The esti-
mated cost is 5000.
The United States Lighthouse Inspector
for the Twelfth District has given notice
that the single-pile beacon Diamond bea-
COM surmounted by a fixed red light. indi-
eating the edge of the channel ON the north
west end of Coronado Island, San Diego Bay.
has been knocked down and will be re-
placed as soon as possible; also that the
Blnnts Reef whistling buoy. off Cape Men
docino, is not in working order. Mariners