The morning call., 1893-09-19
ON DRIED APPLES.
A Ships Crew Fed Nearly
Seven Weeks.
THE ALIENS ROUGH VOYAGE.
Captain Merriman Threatened With
Total BIindness-New Invention
for PropeIling a Rowboat.

SARATOGA
Buchanan, the ships carpenter yesterday,
charging him with battery. Buchanan
protested against the use of an unsafe la d.
der for tho men going ashore instead of
the safe gangway provided by maritime
custom. Neglect Of this duty had caused
injuries to John Forbes, the boatswain,
and it was through no good will of the
master that Forbes was not killed. Cap
tain Davidson struck at the carpenter,
who lodged and returned the blow, hence
the arrest
Since this event the crew, which had
agreed to maintain silence concerning the
disposition of and character of Captain
Davidson as shown on the voyage To this
port. could no longer restrain itself, and
yesterday the individual members joined
in making a statement of facts.
The statement is that about the seventh
week out one of the two water tanks
spraDg a leak, and eight feet out of total
of twelve was lost. This was One-ihird of
the supply. The allowance was at once
cut down from three quarts 10 TWO. Some
days thereafter the Saratoga was off Rio
de Janeiro with land in sight. TIE men
begged that he put into Rio for water
with fair wind ana not more than ten
miles to 60 he could have got in and out
within twelve hours. If IL had lot been
CIOSSlDE
line the water would have given out at
least three weeks before reaching port
As it was the ship arrived here with eight
inches of foul muddy water in one tank
The rain, not the captain, saved them
great distress.
SOou after reaching the Pacific the crew
sent in complaint about the beef. The
captain maintained that he could discover
nothing wrong and forced them to put up
with il, though 1t sickened them. Another
barrel was opened, and when shown TO
Captain Davidson even he had to acknOwl-
edge it was unfit for crows. Three barrels
of pork and four of beef, which the captain
had bought. were opened and all found in
the same condition. despite the fact that
the casks were sound and the brine all
right. Since arrival here the stuff has
been condemned
The crew were fftv-eight days without
meat, except "Soup and Bull" for Sun
day. The crew got One-half of a seven
pound can and the other half went to the
cabin. For two weeks marmalade was
substituted, and when they entered pro-
tests they were given dried apples and
one-halt pound of flour extra. This diet
lasted seven weeks until port was reached.
All the time the captain was eating a
variety Of pOtted meats.
There was no call for the inhuman
treatment of First Officer Macdonald, who
was dying Of cancer in the throat aboard
ship. He could have been fed with sagO,
corn flour and condensed milk, which he
could have swallowed easily.
The American ship Comm odOre T. H !
Allen, Captain Merrman, 156 days from
New York, with merchandise to J. w.
Grace q Co., arrived yesterday. On the
third day out she encountered a heavy
northeast gale with a hurricane. which
lasted seven days, the ship going under
the three lower tOpsals. the wind shifting
from northeast to southeast. making a
very ligh cross sea. The three lower top
sails were blown away, the wind carried
away the Jackstay, blowing the mainsail
and main topgallantsail out of the gas
ketS. The sails had to be cut away from
the yards TO save the ship.
She was entirely under water for hours.
The cabin and Lighthouses were flooded,
everything movable on deck washed over
board and % inches of water in the hold,
After this gale the voyage WAS calm.
The Alameda will carry very large
passenger list next Friday. principally
colOnials returning home. Among those
booked are: Sir Gervais Glyn and DR.. A.
w. James of London, who are making
tour Of the world; Miss Patten and Miss
Weaver Of Minneapolis. who will circum-
navigate the globe; I. 5. Blnn and wife
on the same journey, and Dr. II. Brigham,
Miss Brigham and Miss Julia Cook, mis-
sionaries 10 Que of the South Sea Islands,
Among the residents of Honolulu who are
returning home are: Hon. Z. G. McFar-
lane r. Holstead and wife, Paul Eisen-
berg and Charles NJ. Cook.
Offerings of freight for the Alameda
already equal the capacity of the steamer.
An odd shipment is thirty tons of corn
from Kansas TO Brisbane consigned to the
Department of Agriculture. Among her
cargo are $500 boxes apples, 5000 cases SAL
mon, 400 bales broom corn, 1000 doors. 3d.
0Q0 feet sugar pine lumber and twenty-five
ions of barley.
Many men have tried to put contrivances
into towbOats by which with elbow power
man could make better time than with
the cars, but zone of them have ever sue
ceeded. To-day the latest invention by a
local machlniSt Will be tried at Third and
Berry streets. The apparatus consists OF
an ''Oar" about two feet long on each side
attached to a short outrigger. To this oar
is attached a rod which is conn ected with
the machinery. This lies in the stern of
the boat and consists of a crosshead, which
on sliding bars. Through this cross
e is spiral staff This operates
ch acts on another cog attached
Inc mailer Shaft. By the addition of
c0mprehen1ecting rod four oars may be
tive Office !.
that he has hvance succeeds in equaling
tive hody re by oars the boat will have
ntage, namely: the oarsman
"oFeihoI bow. a set of machinery,
cesslon OF esher heavy nor complicated,
pressed hipced in an ordinary rowboat at
tive depar' shop, and the trial trip is
in conaAward 10 with much interest by
,ghborhood. The craft will have an
een-inch propeller.
10 ne many friends of Captain Merriman
Il the ship Commodore Z. H. Allen will
regret to learn that his eyesight is very
seriously impaired and that there is dan
ger of total blindness. A cataract is grow
ing on each eye and he is not able to rec
ogniZe faces. Perhaps an OPERATION may
afford relief.
The PRINCIPAL damage to the Mexican
steamer Alexandra, previously reported
total wreck, is the loss of rudder and pro-
pelleI. /; is likely she Will be towed from
Altata here, a distance Of 1400 miles, for
repairs.
The Alameda will sail for Australia
Friday, the 22d inst, one day later than
scheduled.
The United States ship Albatross of the
Bering Sea fleet left Sltka on the 18th inst.
for Port Townsend.
Puget Sound will have two more fifth
order lighthouses with Dabol trumpeIs-
one at Turn Point, the other at Patos
Island They will be lighted early next
month
II w Hitch baa 49,