The morning call., 1893-10-22
A STEAMER SOLD.
The St. Paul Bought for
This Coast.
SHE WILL RUN TO MEXICO.
A Substitute for the Newbern Found
for the Mexican ROute-The
Santa Rosa's Escape.

A big deal took place yesterday in ma
rine circles. The pretty steamer st. Paul
has passed from the hands of the Alaska
Commercial Company TO those of the Pa
cific Coast Steamship Company. The price
paid for the st. Paul is as yet a secret, but
it is supposed that the steamer brought at
least $125, 900, and it is considered cheap at
that.
The st. Paul will 60 on in place OF the
Newbern between this port and Guaymas.
Mexico. 1t was the intention, so it was
rumored, of the North American Naviga-
ton Company to purchase or charter the
st. Paul and enter into the Mexican trade.
The purchase of the ST. Paul has been
the means therefore Of accomplishing two
things for the Pacific Coast Steamship
Company, viz. the acquiring of hrst-class
vessel to take the Newbern's place aud the
freezing out of a possible competitor Tor
the rich traffic of the Mexican route.
1t was at first the intention OF the Pa
cifc Coast Steamship Company TO charter
the steamer Iontserrat, but subsequently
the company concluded that it would be
better TO purchase steamer outright
The ST. Paul has only recently been
thoroughly overhauled and refitted, and
besides being a good freight boat is also
comfortable passenger steamer. She Is by
no means a completely modern craft.
but there is none finer built than
she upon the coast. She was constructed
id 1875, at Philadelphia, Penn, and
shortly afterward was brought to this
coast. For a number OF years she was
used by the Alaska Commercial Company
to transport freight and passengers be-
tween San Francisco. Sitka and ST. Paul
Island When the North American Com
al Rprlnp
sealing concessions from the Government
and the st. Paul was no longer required
for the northern work she went out OF
active service for a while. The ST. Paul
was latterly chartered by the North Amer
ican Navigation Company, which corpora
tlon employed her between Dan FRANCISCO
and Panama.
Important and interesting details con-
ceruing the ocean route over which the st.
Paul is destined to travel were given yes
terday afternoon by CAPTAIN Bennett,
superintendent of docks for the Pacific
Coast Steamship COmpan y.
Captain Bennett first told OF Captain
Won Helms explanation of how the New
bern went ashore, and further said that
the night before the accident occurred
Captain Alexander of the Santa Rosa spoke
to him concerning the set of the currents
around Point San Vincent, near which the
Newbern was wrecked The Santa Rosa
had been headed on her regular course,
but by some mysterious influence found
herself four miles further IN shore than she
had ever been before.
Captain von Helms has made at least
sixty trips to Guaynas with the Newbern,
and never had he been fooled by the cur
rents said Captain Bennett
ION the night that the Newbern
grounded she was beading on her regular
course and must have baen caught In
ourrapt eating m toward shore
Captain Won Helms explained that he
shaped his course as usual after leaving
Enseneda, past the Cedr0s Islands, so as
to pass Point San Vincent at from six to
seven miles off. He then turned in. first
instructing the first officer To call him
when certain point was reached and at
certain hour. At the time named the first
officer started from the bridge to go aft.
and a few seconds later the steamer was
high and dry.
NOW the Newbern's course had not
been altered point, but still there was
that unknown and unlocked for drift of
the ocean current out OF its regular track
which carried the steamer inshore.
81 can only account for Captain Alex
ander's experience and that OF the New
berD's skipper in one way. During the
latter rart of September in the southern
part of the North Atlantic and Pacific
oceans hurricanes occur which have ma
probable that the current never reached in
so far before as it did al the time the Santa
Rosa drlfted so close to Point San Vincent
and the Newbern went ashore.
ut is impossible for sailing-masters to
protect themselves against these freaks of
nature. do not think that Captain Won
Helms was to blame for losing his vessel.
because he had shaped her course precisely
as he had always done for years back"
The st. PauPs future route is to the
curio port of the Pacific. The Newbern's
strange cargoes often attracted consdera-
BILE attention on the water 'front.' Silver
in bullion and in crude ore is brought to
this port from Guaymas and Mazatlan.
Dry hides and dperskns by thousands will
fill the st. Paups hold, and her future
cargoes will fout in total way up in the
millions.
The ST. Paul is vessel of 888.57 tons
gross register, is 1877 feet long. 81 feet beam
and Is feet deep. She can steam about
IL knots an hour.