The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-21
Her OWNER IS MISSING.
An Abandoned Sloop Lying
at Folsom Street.
TWO DOGS LEFT TO sTARVE.
Two Fine Dogs Were Left Several Days With
out Food or Water and Nearly
Persisted.

Who owns the little red sloop now lying
at Folsom street?
What has become OF the owner and where
did he hail fromp
What is the name of the tiny craft and
why is she abandoned?
These and several other questions OF
similar nature are troubling the policemen,
boatmen, watchmen and sailors whose Dusl-
ness keeps them near Folsom-street wharf.
The vessel referred to is an ordinary LOOK
ing sloop, about twenty feet long, paihteu
red. but with no name on her to tell wha'
she is or where she belongs. On 0oaId are
two dogs, which were left behind Dy thelr
master.
Just when the vessel arrived nobody
seems to know. 1t was first seen by tug
fireman about week ago, and al that tiine
was lying under the PROV OF British snip
loading at the dock.
The attention of the wharfnger was called
to it four days ago by the captain of the
ship, who asked TO have it moved, as MS
vessel wanted TO sail andiit wasln the road.
The captain did not know whom it belonged
to nor when she came. He had never seen
living being on board but the two dogs.
The wharfnger took the boat and tied it
up near the upper end of the dock and
thought no more of it. The British ship
sailed away.
People who saw the boat thought, Of
course, that the owner came to il at night
and did not pay any attention TO il until the
day before yesterday, when they were at
tracted by the bowling Of the dogs. AS
the bowling was stifkept up the wharfinger
went and made an examination and found
the animals were without food and water,
and. judging by their condition, must have
been so Tor several days. The larger dogs
mo fr. ri Ia
smaller was In sort Of crazy condition.
Both were so weak they could scarcely
stand.
They were given food and water by the
boatmen and ate and drank greedily. By
| night they were quiet aud seemed to be
doing very well.
A CALL reporter In company with two
police officers went on board the boat last
night and made an examination. The
larger dog was brown and white st. Ber-
nard and the smaller a white bull-!errier.
The ST. Bernard was still very weak, but
the bulldog seemed lively enough, although
his ribs made him look like a hencoop. He
was so thin that he seemed to have no
weight at all when picked up.
Both dogs were very good-natured, and
seemed pleased to have some one come near
them. The larger dog was in the cockpit
and tried to climb on the cabin roof, but was
too weak.
An examination was made of the side.
and stern of the boat, but no name could be
discovered. The cabin doors were locked
and the hasp was rusty and corroded, as If
1t had not been opened for some time.
The sails were not furled. but were
allowed to lie where they would. 1t looked
very much as man would leave boat IL
be intended to sail again in a short time
There was no way of ascertaining W hat was
in the cabin.
The officers feared the owner might have
been dead inside, but no odor could be de-
tected near the cracks. The vessel seems
TO be very eheaply built and quite old.
But what has become of the owner is the
great question. The man could not have
intended 10 remain away long, or he would
not have left the boat in the condition he
did and the dogs without the means of sus-
tenance.
Ii he had been arrested and sent to iail
be would have sent word to have his boat
taken care Of. as il is worth several hundred
dollars and the dogs are also quite valuable.
The only conclusion that can be arrived
at is that the man must have met with some
accident on shore or else when lie was at
tempting to get on board his boat at night
probably when intoxcated-he slipped in
some way and fell overheard and was
drowned. The latter is the most plausible
theory and the one most generally believed.
But at any rate it is a very mysterious case,
and the solution in one way or another Is
anxiously looked for.