The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-11
THE WEBER OFF.
A Stockton Steamer Gets
Out of a Tight Place.
TEN DAYS ON A MUD FLAT.
Hard Times for Expressmen and Boat
men on the City Front-The City
of Panama Arrives.

There was quite little commotion on the
water front yesterday when the new Stock
ton steamer Captain Weber came down.
The general idea was that the steamer
would not come down for two weeks and
thereby hangs tale.
Itdid not answer the purpose of the Union
line that the Captain Weber should rest
comfortably on the mudbank where high
tide and strong wind grounded her ten days
ago.
The precise point where the steamer
grounded is well known TO nayigators of
the devious sl0ughs OF the approaches of the
Slough City.
About FIVE miles below Stockton there is
a sharp bend to the left. coming toward
San Francisco. and five miles below this
there is another equally sharp bend to the
left. 1t was at the latter bend. known as
'Dutchman's Reach" that the Weber
grounded ten days ago. No skipper of
earthly foresight could have avoided the
m shap; the rains had filed the San
JOAQUIN; there was a back up, and high
tide al that.
The Weber ffOated on to the tule beds.
the tide receded and there she lay in a bed
which she soon dug out for herself.
I'VE went right on top of the fiat" said
CAPTAIN j. b. Sears to a reporter Yesterday.
I'VE tried 10 get the Weber of with tackles
three or four times. The water gradually
lowered, and every day made matters worse.
Then we got a tTe-engine TO play two
streams OF water on the mud bank that was
holding her NJ, and that did the business.
When we ran aground the hank was three
feet under water. Tie lowest water we
got when the food ran off was about a foot
and a half, and the steamer draws six
feet. You can Judge what job il was.
''As to running on the bank. a man
couldn't see where the bank was. We are
all right. The Weber Is not strained, not
the least little Bit We washed the mud
from under her and came right on down
without fear. There was rise on the slough
on account OF the heavy rain. and that
helped u.s. of course When we started down
here last night the people we're very anxious
about the leyees. There were over go men
distributed along the banks for miles down
ready to patch up a break. There will be
trouble along that part Of the San JOa Quln
below Stockton, sure, II the rain continues.
The gopher holes make the banks insecure.
and If We have two or three more rainy
days the pros peet is not reassurlng.
I'VE are going up tonight When we
left the water was up to within an inch or
TWO of the wharves at Stockton. The upper
river water has not all got down, and the
Costumes and MOkelumne are bank-fuh.
at is a very different thing running
DOdl up 10 olOck Ton IN the winter anu lNo
summer The old-style boats used TO kind
Of carrom off one bank TO another. They
were round at the bows and rOuud-bOt
toned 1t is different with the new boats.
We came down from Stockton at 30 last
night and did not get here till 7:15 this
morning. We were short OF coal, otherwise
the Weber could run down TO San Francisco
without stopping In eight hours"
The Pacific Mail steamer City OF Panama
arrived Yesterday from Panama and way
ports. She had nominal passenger LIST,
not more than dozen all told. She brought
up 2745 bags of coffee.
The steamer Corona took out two
nom union crews for southern ports
yesterday-one for Newport. the other for
San Diego. Special Officers Cullen and
Browne went down with the crews and
trouble is expected. The schooner Sailor
Boy for Grays Harbor, the Novelty for Sa-
llnas Cruz, via Puget Sound. will also take
nOn-union crews.
There is considerable speculation as to
the identity of find by tie schooner Serena
Thayer, which got in yesterday. The find
consisted Of the top Of a house and skylight
Of a large ship. 1t Is believed that the
house may be part Of the upper works Of
the bark Detroit. which left here January
% for Puget Sound. Others suppose that
the part seen by the Tbayer may belong 10
the dereliet sighted by the Retriever few
days ago. The objection Is that the latter
wreck was bottom I'D and copper bOttOmed.
which the Detroit was not. The Detroit is
thirteen days out.
The Ship-owners' Protective Association
Will hold a meeting next tuesday for The
election Of officers.
The sum of 5000 has been claimed by the
tugs Nglant and Fearless for towing the
City Of Picking from the FarallOnes into
port.
The schooner Bowhead, which left here
for the Japan Sea few eeks ago, has been
sighted by a steam-schOoner. She has al
ready 103 sealskins aboard picked up along
the coast.
The eXpressmen AMI b0atmen on the city
front have been having hard times during
the rainy spell. Very few vessels have
come IN and the eXpressmen. who reckon to
clear SO a day In good times and 50 day
in tie ordinary run OF luck. have not paid
hOrsefeed for several days. The man VINO
has cleared dollar day has been con-
sdered lucky.
Old Tom FitZ, who has been an express
man on the city front for many a long year,
is among the missing and is reported in
critical condition from pneumonia
Old Trainor, a pioneer and a familiar fig
ure among the buatmen at Clay-street land
ing. is also reported on the missing list
The British ship Homestead, which had
been given up for lost, has been sighted.
She is 1873 days out from Liverpool.