The morning call., 1893-08-15
Government Justice Will Be
Invoked.
EXCITEMENT ON THE BOAT.
Men Cursed the Corporation and
Women Screamed at the Danger.
Then All Cheered.

What seemed a deliberate attempt to
force the Rosaie into collision was made
al the mouth of Oakland Creek yesterday
morning. 1t is startling aud serious charge
to make. but the facts bear out the asser-
tion, and 200 persons standing in the bow of
the little craft belonging to the Davie Ferry
and Transportation Company were eye
witnesses to the action of a Southern Pa
cific freightboat that twice crossed the Ro-
saie's bows in such close proximity that
a disaster was only averted by the latter
boat backing water furiously. These men
are willing to swear to these facts and the
captain of the Rosalie will lodge a COM
plant against the pilot on the other craft.
Owing to a steambarge being in the way
the Rosalie was few minutes late In
leaving her Oakland dock on the 10 O'Clock
trip yesterday morning. She had on board
over 200 people, the largest weekday load
yet carried at this hour. Merrily she
steamed down the creek, the engines work
ing at full speed TO make uD the lost sec
onds. Her decks were black with people
and the crowd was happy one, even il
all could not be accommodated with seats.
AS the little boat was plowng her way
down the placid waters of the creek the
Southern Pacific fregntboat Transit put
out from the railroads freight-slip and
sz4s- r-z- ,ler ccu1ca for San Francisco,
running on a parallel line with the opposi-
ton boat but near the left-hand shore and
ahead of the other craft. At the mouth
OF the creek are extended two banks of
seawall between which boats pass out
into the bay. The channel is wide,
thoroughly dredged and there is not an
obstruction in il.
When 'yhree or four hundred yards from
the bay the Transit, heavily loaded with
freght-cars. was steaming along close to
the left-hand seawall and the RosaIie next
to the embankment on the right. There
was room between them for man-of-war
10 pass. Following the regulations for
pilots, the Rosalle's whistle sigualed that
sne would keep to the right. lie, on the
course she was steaming. Her whistle. a
loud one, can be heard for a mile ahd was
as audible on the Transit, then perhaps
one hundred feet in advance bnt at least
200 feet to the left, as it was on the decks
of the boat that gave the sound. For half
q minute the two continued as they. were.
Then suddenly the Transit changed her
COulS6t tuIubu W UOdlu anu
aimed to cross the Rosalie's bows.
Heavens! what are they trying to do?"
exclaimed the pilot.
But Captain Graves had been closely
watching the Southern Pacific's boat He
jumped for the bell-pull and the signals
sharply rang out. The Rosalie's engineer
is under instruction to stand by the lever
during the entire trip. and in two seconds
the engines were reversed and the screw
racing at full speed astern. Nearer swung
the heavily laden Transit. 1t was nip and
tuck, but the Rosalie's bow missed the
freghtboat by about five feet.
Not content with this the Transit
crossed back again across the bows Of the
little vessel and then took up her course
for the city as by this time the boats were
nearly in the bay.
There was great excitement on board
while the dagger threatened, and panic
was only averted by the cool-headed action
of several men and the reaSsuring near
ness of the shores on both sides. As 1t
was several women cried out in alarm.
my God! why don't they stop?" ex-
claimed one.
Are they trying to kill us all?" asked
half-dozen.
AL who could rushed to the port side TO
watch the Iransits actions then recrossed
TO the starboard. Had the Rosalie been a
f1at-bottomed, cranky" boat the weight
thus suddenly thrown from one side to the
other would have caused her to capsiz :,
She is. however. being propeller. quite
stiff and deep in the water. But as it was
she rolled perceptiby at the time
She was running easily twelve miles an
-four when the collision seemed imminent
Fortunately she answers readily to her
rudder and is easily Influenced by the re-
versal of her screw. The majority of boats
could not have been backed and turned n
the short time given. As it was, the i'm
mediate throwing of the helm hard over
and the reversal of the engines just en-
abled her to escape. A collision with the
transit would have meant the sinking of
the Davie boat and very little damage to
the Southern Pacific craft. Tho latter is
four times the size of the former and was.
as said before. heavily laden with freight
cars, two rows of them standing on the
steamers deck.
At the time Of the Transit's crossing the
Rosalie's bows the ferry-boat Grace Bar
ton of the Whitney line was coming from
San Francisco and was just entering the
creek Had the two boats, steamlng from
Oakland, come into collision the little
craft running toward that place would
have been mixed up in the crash. AS II
was, the BartOn's passengers saw the
occurrence, and as the boat they were on
board came up they cheered Justify and