The morning call., 1893-10-27

. At 3:15 o'clock Yesterday afternoon the
5000 ton steamer City of New York, bound
for china. cast off her lines from the
" Pacific Mail Steamship Company's wharf
and dropped into the stream. Captain
Frank Johnston was in command and
=: Pilot George johnson was on the bridge to
~esteer the big steamer through the channel
: of the Golden Gate.
: a heavy fog was rolling in through the
.harbor entrance, blotting all view of the
=: ocean from sight, but in the south arm of
: the bay there was not the least sign Of
mist or thick weather.
The City of New Y York was headed down
the bay under good pressure of steam,
her hull low in the water, for on board of
., the vessel was one of the largest and most
valuable cargoes that has been shipped to
the Orient for some time. Those who saw the
stately craft little thought that in less than
:: an hour word would be flashed over the
wires from the Merchant Exchange Signal
Station. conveying the appalling intelli-
:gence that the steamer with her quarter of
a. million dollars in freight was groaninG
: on the rocks just this side of Point Bonita.
=: No one has ever questioned for mo-
s.rfent the ability of Pilot johnson to safely
guide vessel to good offing. His record
in bis peculiar capacity has never been
"a Qes stioned Years of careful and honor
able service earned for him the reputation
-: of being uuapproachable as judge of San
Francisco Bay currents and Pacific Ocean
:tngs.
But like all men who have too great
confidence in their ability, Pilot johnson
:: apparently allowed himself to become
%careless. Some persons even accuse him
of more serious negligence, but owing to
rheexcitement of the moment the presence
of innumerable rumors and contradictions,
1t is only fair to say that johnson has yet.
perhaps. chance to explain himself.
:: It was about 4:10 o'clock when the City
:of New York passed Meiggs wharf. and in
a short time she disappeared in the banks
Of fog which by this time had completely
hidden Point Bonita, the Sausalito hills
land all vestige of the bar 1t was an un-
usual fog for this time of year-Iow and
thick and only lightly stirred by an eight
knot westerly breeze.
: The telephone bell in the exchange rang
. at 4 :45. and Keeper John Hyslop at the
associations station sent message that
=. an unknown vessel was on the rocks near
" Point Bonita. Rockets had been sent up
=. and signal-guns were booming
~ in a few minutes all of the tugboat COM
-panjes had been notified. and so had the
Several morning newspaper Offices.
: Redstack tugs and the boats of the
.:*Spreekels line were soon booming down
.the bay IN race to the rescue. Seven Of
these little craft were in the feet that
First put off to the assistance of the
stranded liner. They were the Fearless,
the Alert. the Reliance, the Sea King, the
Joaeph Redmond, the Vigilant and the
=. 4Ktna. When they reached the point
where the City of New York had struck it
+:was found that the steamer lay Just this
side of The point, heeled over on her port
side, with her stern pointed toward the
::west. The fog was so thick that it was at
rst difficult to Judge of her exact position,
=: but later it was. ascertained that the reef
=: Of rocks on which the vessel is impaled Is
"A few hundred yards south Of the little
sand beach, which is southwest of the
lighthouse.
. -. The sea was smooth. and only sligh ht
swell created an indistinct line of surf
Close to the shore, which was visible but
vaguely at intervals when the moon found
=: It's way partly through the shroud of mist
that enveloped the whole scene. The tugs
Menarch and Alert remained close by for
a while. and a consultation was held be-
tween the officers of the several towboats
= and the New York's commander as to the
advisabiIity of making an attempt to get
the steamer off. The Sea King dropped
alongside, as did the Fearless and the Wig
liant The aforementioned boat proceeded
Immediately to take off the passengers, OF
whom there were two in the cabin and 13O
IN. the Chinese steerage. There was also
one passenger in the EuroDea steerage.
= All of the passengers were brought to
this city and landed at the Mail dock. the
baggage Of the cabin passengers also be-
ling taken to dry land.
The City of New York had nine feet Of
:: water in her hold, and appeared TO be
pretty high up on the rocks. Her cargo
:: can only be partly saved, and the vessel, it
. ls"1eared. will be total loss. There is
Just one possibility of saving her, and at a
late hour last night 1t was determined TO
Jettlson part Of the cargo, which consisted
mostly OF -four thus tightening the
steamer sufficiently to make it possible to
drag her On to the sand beach mentioned
heretofore.
Even should this be accomplished. the
: City OF New York will probably never be
saved. 1t might permit of the Wreckers
getting at her more handily, ana might re-
suit In saving some of the snipuents of
canned goods and other articles from the
. Eastern manufacturers. which are stored
deep in the vessels hold.