The morning call., 1893-12-03

evening Will be answered the Sunday following
Only questions that are of general interest will
be replied to. Do not inciose stamps expecting
personal repyl
ONEIDA-C. P. R., Vallejo. January %,
1870. the United States steamship Oneida.
Commander E. p. Williams,l left Yoko-
hama. Japan. homeward bound. after a
cruise Of three years in Asiatic waters.
At about 7:30 o'clock the same evening
she was run down by the Bombay. q
British steamer, and sank in 10 minutes.
OF her crew. 176 officers and men, only
fifty-six were saved. The night was dark.
but not stormy. The Oueida had banked
her fires, blown off steam and was moving
slowly under sail when the collision Oc-
Cured. The Bombay struck on her star
board quarter. carrying away her poop
deck and cutting her stern, but did
not stop to see what damage had been
done, though the Oneida's men shouted
lou dly. blew the whistle and fired several
guns. Captain Eyre of the Bombay de-
clared he did not hear either whistle or
guns, but it was subsequently shown that
his crew heard the signals and would have
turned back had the captain permitted.
ms officer gave no notice of what he had
done upon reaching port and nothing was
known at Yokohama of the accident until
the next morning when the surgeon OF the
Oneida arrived with fifteen of the crew.
The cause OF the great loss of life on the
Oneida was the want of boats. She had
but two. Captain Williams had asked for
more before he left port but was refused.
The sick members of the crew were
first put In the boais, then such others as
they would hold. There was no scramble
Tor places. 1t was known that more than
half must perish. and there seemed to be
noble pride in the officers that held them
back from attempting TO save their lives
under these conditions. Captain Williams
refused TO take place in the boats, though
urged to by his subordinates. Il go down
with my ship" he said. and stood at his
post when the vessel sank. The most per-
feet discipline prevailed to The last. En-
sign Capp. after aiding 10 get the sick men
from The ship, returned 10 his station be-
low. A comrade told him his ship was
sinking and ne must leave his post if he
desired TO save his life. Il will wait here
til, relieved" he said. and he. too, went
down with the ship. Captain Eyre was
tried for his neglect to give succor, and
was severely censured and for some time
suspended from command.
GENERAL SHIELDS Oaklauder. Gen
eral James Shields was mustered out of
the service after the Mexican war ON July
20. 1S4S. He was appointed Governor of
Oregon Territory and resigned the Office
on being elected United States Senator
from Illinois. He served in the Senate
from December, 1S49, to March, 1856. Then
he moved to Minnesota and when the State
government was organized he returned
TO the United States Senate as one of the
representatives OF the new State, taking
his seat in 1858 and serving until 1859. AT
the end Of his term he settled in California,
but his residence in this Slate was brief,
Tor at the beginning OF hostilities in 1861
he was representing a mine in Mexico.
He Joined the Union army, resigned his
commission as brigadier-general in 1863
and again moved to California. but soon
removed 10 CarrOlltoD, Mo-, where he re-
sumed the practice OF law.
HIsToRIAN-C. o. r., City. u) 1t is dif-
fcult to say who is the greatest living his
torian. Lecky and Froude probably share
the honors. James Anthony Froude was
born at Darlington. England. April %,
1918. and was educated at Oxford. His
principal historical works are: The Lead
ers of Public Opinion In Ireland, ,""The E g.
lish in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century,"
Caesar: Sketch" "Reminiscences of the
High Church Revival" ''The English in
the West Indies" and the Life of Lord
Beaconsfield." William Edward Hartpole
Lecky was born in the neighborhood of
Dublin March %. 1888. He was educated
at Trinity College. Dublin. His aeknnwl-
and Influence Of the Spirit of Rationalism
in Europe" History of European Morals
From Augustus to Charlemagne," and
History of England in the Eighteenth
Century" (2) The largest ferry boat is the
Solano, used by the Southern Pacific to
nf
To parse the words of Lord Byron you
mention is beyond the province of the
query column. This Is not matter of gen.
ersl interest.
GILDED NICKELs-Mrs. w. j. D., Santa
Cruz County. If you have "gilded five
cent pieces of 1883 that look like and would
pass for SIS easily you had better throw
them into the fire rather than try to dis
pose Of them for So 80 apie ce. Do you
wish TO get somebody arrested for passing
counterfeit money? The Query editor has
not given your correct address because it
would not be well for you to have 1t known
that you are anxious to dispose of these
rieces. You have been imposed upon by
the person who said the coins were worth
more than their face value as coins Either
keep your breastpin intact and sell it as
pin or destroy it.
IRON SHIPS. r., City. Iron vessels
were built early in the present century for
canal service, then for river servics and
later for packet service On the coasts of
England. In about the year 1888 iron YES
sells of small dimensions were built for
ocean service. The largest iron vessel
built up to 1S41 was less than 200 feet long.
In 1S43 was built the first ocean-going
steamship in its present form, constructed
OF iron and propelled by the screw. This
was the Great Britain, 2S6 feet long, pro-
jected and designed by Brunei. who subse-
quenty was one Of the designers of the
Great Eastern.
FREE CITIEs-H. l.. B.. Oakland. Free
imperial cities" is the ordinary English
trans of Freie Rechs-Stadte, a TECH
nical expression in German history. In
the midst OF the dynastic confusion of the
Middle Ages a number of towns succeeded
in maintaining or acquiring more or less
complete independence Of the State or
sovereign within whose territory they were
situated. at the time of the French revo-
luton these towns numbered ffty-one,
but their rights were gradually abridged
until to-day the only free cities in the
German Empire are Hamburg, Lubbock
and Bremen