The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-30
DRIFTED ASHORE.
Schooner Witch of the Bay
on Goat Island.
THE SAN JOSE WAS LIGHT.
She Brought the Smallest Cargo Ever
Carried Since She Has Been
in the Service.
DRIFTED 4
THE SAN JOSE WAS LIGHT.

The novel sight of a schooner under
doubled reefed fore and main sails drifting
upon the shores of Goat Island was wit
messed yesterday by passengers upon the u
o'clock Oakland ferry-boat.
The schooner the Witch of the Bay,
which has been unloading lumber al Oak
land, left the Oakland estuary yesterday
morning. bound for San Francisco. stiff
southwest breeze, assisted by n strong TIDE.
carried the vessel rapidly toward the south
shore of the island, where she struck heav-
lily upon rock, and was sunk in several
fathoms of water.
The crew. which consisted of three men,
landed safely, and were transported to this
city On the lighthouse keepers sfoOp. The
vessel is owned by Higgins & Collins,
lumber-dealers, and was built at San Fran
cisco In 1870.
No blame for the accident is attributed to
her sailing master, as heavy sea was run
ming, which, together with the strong wind,
was rapidly drifting the Witch upOn the
flats between the island and the Oakland
shore. An attempt was made to bring the
vessel about and steer for South San Fran
Cisco, which, after two or three trials, was
considered imprac'icabe. Captain Shaw
then tackled the Witch toward the south
shore of the island, and was caught by the
ebb tide and wind and thrown upon the
sharp rocks which line the Islands shore
west of the lighthouse.
The Witch is a fat-bottomed schooner Of
81 tons register.
The steamer San Jose arrived yesterday
from Panama and way ports, with her
water-line a number Of feet higher above
the surface OF the bay than usual.
The cause of the extreme lightness of The
vessel is attributed to the fact that She
brought up from Central America one of
the smallest eargoes ever transported dur
ing her term of service. Two hundred
bales OF merchandise and a few odds ana
ends Of freight constituted her cargo, and
the general impression among steamship
men IS that hereafter the position as purser
or freight clerk upon a Pacific Mail steamer
Will be a sInecure.
L is very evident that the North Ameri-
can Navigation Company is already begin
ming 10 get in its work on the north as we'll
as the south bound business of the older
company.
Passengers Interested In Central America
who came up on the San Jose report that
the advent Of the new company's steamers
was hailed with delight throughout all of
tropical North America. he mail COM
paDy'S charges for freight and passengers
have always been the bugbeaT Of the Cen
trail American coffee planter, and In the
presence Of the North American NaviGa-
ton Company's steamers be sees the reali-
cation OF his tOndeSt appropriation.
There Is no doubt OF the success Of the
new line so far as the Central American
end If the route is concerned.
The San Jose trip was uneYentful. The
officers were unable to obtain any reliable
Information regarding the war in the south.
Sumo little trouble was experienced by
the San Jose's Chinese crew, some of
whom had bought considerable merchan-
disc at Panama 10 trade at ports EN- route.
The heathens attempted to bring the goods
asbors as baggage, but the articles were
cOn1lScatel Oy the customs officials
The San Jose brought two Chinese in
transit to China.
The North American Navigation Com
pany announces that 1t will cndFavuF to
secure the steamship George w. Elder to
sail for Panama on April q.
No definite conclusions have been arrived
at as yet, however. although IL is generally
conceded that the Elder will be the CHOSEN
vessel.
The Elder is owned by the Oregon Rail-
way and Navigation Company. She is &
comparatively small vessel. She registers
ITO tons. She was built IN 1874 by John
Roach & Sons.
The Pacific Coast Steamship Company Is
arranging torltS regular summer excursions
TO Alaska. The City OF Puebla will leave
this port on June and connect at Port
townsend with the steamer Queen. The
latter vessel departs for Sitka on June 7 to
arrive a Its destination on June T.
The revenue cutter Bear has been depuied
L
Townsend, where the old warship is to be
converted into quarantine hulk. Prices
named by bidders. in answer to the Guyern-
ments call for volunteers TO do the work,
were considered toe high, hence the Bear
having been detailed to do the work
a. Petersen, a sailor, alleges to have
been with Henry Estiego, the Petaluma
workman. on Tuesday night. the evening
which the latter claims to have been
drugged and an attempt made to shanghai
him from Browns sailor clearinghouse
Petersen says Estiego was very much
under the influence of liquor. At about s
O'Clock in the evening two men approached
the Petaluma man in an East-street saloon.
and shortly after the trio quarreled, ad-
JOurnng 10 the sidewalk to have Il nut
EsiegO got considerably the worst of the
fight, walked down toward the boarding
house mentioned, and when in front of the
place was knocked down By one OF his adj
yersaries. who had followed him.
Petersen thinks that EStego's assailant
was a man named SlRtherey, who has been
hanging around the shipping office lately.
Estiego had quite little money with him
upon the evening in question, and it is more
than likely that subsequent to his scrim-
mage he was drugged for the purpose OF
robbery instead of shanghaiing.
The lighthouse inspectors steamer Column
bine VIII 60 on the Merchants drydock TO-
morrow for>repairs.
The lighthouse tender MadIono has re-
turned from her southern cruise.
n T. y y 4