The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-09

2,76o tons of coal for the
THE wETNosE. Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company. san Francisco The cargo is
valued at IS, 300. and the loss of the wetmore Is
estimated at $l75,0o0, partially covered by insur
ance. The steamer is owned by the Pacific
Steel Barge Company and hailed from Everett.
PORTLAND, Sept. Especial. THE Orceonidn's 9
Empire City, Or, special says: The whaleback
steamer Wetmore left Tacoma on Monday NOM
Ing last bound for san Francisco with 2. 100 tons
OF coal on board and q crew of twenty-five men,
ali told. They had light and variable wind and
dense logs, On Wednesday evening she
twenty miles off shore by observation. At12:31
O'Clock on Thursday morning she struck North
Spit, off Coos bay, at the top OF high water, and
Immediately commenced taking water and
laboring heavily. aud at noon today il was evil
dent that she would be a total loss. The life
saving crew with three boats went out and took
all hands off and landed them at Empire City.
The wetmore now lies 500 yards to the north
ward OF Coos bay bar. Capt. J. A. O'Brien has
not yet made . statement Us TO the cause OF the
wreck.
EMPIRE CITY. Or, Sept a-The whaleback
freight steamer Charles w. Wetmore, which has
met with SO much i'll luck since her arrival on
the Pacific coast has run ashore, and in all prob
ability she will prove a total loss. At 12:So a.
m today, while dense fog hung over the water,
she went ashore on North Spit, near the entrance
to Coos bay. The ill-fated steamer at once began
to blow her distress whistles. which were heard
by the Coos Bay hfe-savins crew, but owing to
the density OF the fog prevailing it was nearly
noon before the crew reached the vessel The
life-saving crew summoned the tugs Hunter and
Liberty, aud soon as the fog lifted sufficiently
to enable them to proceed they started to the
assistance of the whaleback's crew. The entire
crew. numbering twenty-five, were rescued and
brought to this city.
The wetmore left Tacoma on Monday morn
Ing last, bound for San Francisco with q cargo
OF 2.l00 tons Of coal Her cargo was listed
heavily to port Capt. J. A. O'Brien and Second
Mate John C. North were on watch at the time
the vessel struck. she being headed south by
the standard compass and south half-west by
the steering compass. The wetmore 10 now
lying parallel with the beach, and breakers
which roll over the vessel are slowly pounding
her to pieces. There 10 scarcely hope that she
will ever be fioated again. When the crew were
taken of she was leaking badly Capt. OBrien
expects to go on board with his men tomorrow
TACOMA, Sept. ESPECIAL. president W. H.
Fife, OF the De Lion Dry Dock Company which
docked the Wetmore recently, expressed no sur
prise at the news OF the whaleback Wetmore
going ashore at Coos bay today. He says that
that style of vessel will never prove q success
for deep sea navigation. A vessel must have a
wedge shaped bow and stern before it can come
back with the waves
The wetmore was built by the American
Steel Barge Company, of West Superior, Wis,
from plans of Capt Alexander McDougali, of
Duluth, Minn This remarkable vessel has Gre
ated more talk in marine circles, both here and
In Great Britain, than any vessel that has been
built since Ericfson's famous monitors.
In the summer of 1883 barge built on the
new model was launched ut Superior. Wis. IL
registered 437 tons, but carried 400 tons of
grain iron ore-a remarkable load. Its ap-
pearance made the lake navigstors hilarious
Wherever 1t was towed the fresh water sailor
laughed and ioked over the new vessel. IL was
built of steel and the bow stuck up out Of the
water forward just like the snout of pig when
it swims. The resemblance was the greater be-
cause the two hawse pipes were not at all uu-
like nostrils, while turret placed near the bow
for the sailors to live in easily imagined to
represent erect ears. and railing along the
back was for all the worh like the bristles Just
awash. The new barge was called Tho Pig.
The owners say they laughed almost as much
over the pig as the other lake merchants did,
for they divided $4,000 clean prof. on her in
two years She had only cost A5,0Oo.
The whaleback Is an American idea, and is
strictly OF the utilitarian type; il was designed
for business. and has no pretension TO beauty.
Her hull ID built OF steel plates, which are
laid as to give it the abdominal contour OF a
duck. The Wetmore is the pioneer of a type of
vessel which her designer and builders believe
will create complete revolution in the con-
structiou of sea going merchant and passenger
vessels. The leading idea OF her designer ap-
pears to have been to present the smallest possi-
and thereby to secure great carrying capacity at
a light draught Below the water the Wet
mores lines do not vary greatly from those of
an ordinary sea-going vessel; but above the
water line the difference is radical and some
what startling to mind OF conservative ten
denotes.
OF her 265 feet of total length only about forty
feet are more than six feet or so above the water
line The exceptions are central turret for
ward, with outlying pillars, the whole support
ing a small deck for lookout purposes, capstan
n..hf y hA nf md
larger turret aft supports double deck. the
upper one OF which accommodates the ships
boats. gearing. etc, and The lower the captains
aud officers quarters. the galley. chart house,
wheel house, etc., whilst underneath the main
deck are the engines boilers, etc, aud quarters
for the engineers and stall
The dirlensions of the Wetmore are Length,
go: beam, 81; depth of hold, "a feel; gross ton
mage, I,399.s5. net. i.J7s, and shc hes dead
weight capacity oi 5000 tons Her central por-
ton forms one vast hold, which Is closed In by
steel matches screwed down tightly aud fitted
with rubber Innings, so that they become abso-
luteIy water tight The extraordinary carrying
capacity OF the vessel may se judged from the
fact that she can carry 81 ,000 bushels of wheas,
and actually carried $3.50 bushels on a mean
drau1ht OF Is feet 10 inches. IL Is Predicted that
the whalebaek steamer will do Tor American
ocesu commerce what British tramp steamers
have done for the United Kingdom
The xetynore's engines are OF 4 vertical direct
acting, surfaee-condeasing type, ser fore and aft.
sud drive q propeller. The high pressure eyiiu-
der is ~ Inches diameter. low pressure 20 inches,
and both have q stroke Of ~ inches. The sur
face condenser, also arranged 10 work as let
condenser IL required - fitted with k-inch tex-
ternal diafaetcrl tubes packed with patent paper
packing; they expose q cooling surface of 20
square feet The main shaft Is 1ni< inches in
diameter, and is supported by three main jour
nsis. The crank pins are . inches in diameser
and ID inches long. slesrn is supplied ty two
scotch boilers. ii feet sinches in diameter and
IL feet inches long. The combined heating
surface IL 2,5so square feet, and the combined
CRATE area il - square feek The boilers are con-
strueted Tor a working pressure OF f25 pounds
rcr square inch. The engines indicate on the
average run about SO horsepower. but can
easily be worked up 20 i.fyJ9 horsepower. The
engines snd boilers are placed ia the alter part
OF The vessel.
superst!ticus mariners say che Wstmore Is
hoodoned. she had no trouble On the great
lakes, took a cargo Ia England snd then sailed
for Eyere.r. around Cape Horn. On the tDsuni-
b.a sac loxr her ruadeF and drIftei help easily
uutil picked pp BY The Zambesl, Which loNe1