The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-11-22
FAr1OUS SHIP LOST
The Ericsson Wrecked in
Puget Sound.
THE FIRST cALoRIc VESSEL
Attempt of the Engineer After Whom
She Was Named to Provide a
Substitute for Steam.
Special to THE MORNING CALL

VICTORIA. B. c.. Nov. 21.-The American
ship Ericsson of San Francisco is total
wreck on Entrance Island in Barclay
Sound. The steamer Alert arrived this
morning from the west coast, and brought
the news that the Ericsson encountered a
gale Thursday last, and Saturday morning
was being beaten to pieces on the rocks be-
tween two portions CT the island, directly
north of Cape Beal Lighthouse. She was
on her way from San Francisco to Nanaimo
in ballast. The captain and crew reached
the shore safely. When the Alert left the
vessels bow was ON the rocks aud her hull
was in splnters. She was in deep water.
There is no vessel in the American mer-
chant marine that has had a more memor-
able career than the Ericsson. When she
left the hands of her builders and slid off
the stocks at Williamsburg. N. Y, in 1852,
the event marked an era in navigation.
The craft had been constructed
under the personal supervision of John
Ericsson, who then was occupying
the position of one of the greatest mechani-
cal engineers Of the time. A quarter of
century before DE competed with George
Stephenson iu trial of steam carriages in
England, and later he had constructed the
first screw-propeled naval vessel, the
Princeton.
This was the man who had been bending
all his energies TO produce motor which
should wrest from steam the supremacy of
the sea. With his ealorc ship he predicted
that he would be able to cross the Atlantic
in one-half the time occupied by the crack
steamship of the Collins line and at less
than one-fourth the cost.
The day of the trial trip came aud all the
leading journalists and business men of
New York were on board. On the way
down the bay the steamer Baltic was
passed coming into port from transatlantic
voyage.
Her passengers and crew looked with
amazement upon the beautiful fabric that
was gliding seaward, with no Changing OF
engines and no black clouds issuing frcm the
small, handsomely painted cylinders that
took the place Of the ugly smokestacks.
She seemed to be breathing her way along.
The trip was a success. The Ericsson had
made over ten miles an hour. with only
portion of her power brought into use. The
next day the papers of the metropolis were
loud In their praises Of the inventor and his
hot-air ship.
Henry J. Raymond wrote In the Times:
L
caloric has come" Ericsson was ranked
abover Fulton as benefaetor of mankind.
But, alas, the inventors triumph was
short lived. A few weeks later another
trip was made down the bay and on the
return trip the ship was struck by squall
which caused her to careen over and several
of the ports on the lee side having been left
open the water rushed into the empty hold
and she filed and sank
Later she was raised, aud then Ericsson
c0nclud ed that after all his caloric engines
were not a success; the cylinders were not
large enough, and he decided 10 take them
cut and replace them with steam.
This was done. and the vessel was used
for several years on the line between New
York and Havre. but she was never
popular vessel, and it is said that her own
ers lost good deal of money on her.
When the war broke out she was char
tered to tie Government and was used as
transport in the South Atlantic squadron.
She was in the Hillen Head expedition and
was one Of the steam vessels that conveyed
the famous stone fleet to Charlest on, where
it was sunk on the bar, it being the expec-
tation that the entrance could be closed in
that way.
At the close of the war the engines were
taken out and she was turned into a sailing
vessel. Fifteen years ago the Ericsson
sailed into this harbor. and soon after was
purchased by Captain Plummer, who made
a number OF voyages in her to China.
Later she was put into the lumber trade
on the northern coast, and for the past four
or five years she has been carrying coal
from Nanaimo to this port. Two years ago
she went ashore near the Cliff House, but
was towed off undamaged.
The Ericsson was 1915 tons register, and
built of the very best of selected live oak-a
fact which accounts for her having passed
through so many and varied vicissitudes
unscathed.