The morning call., 1893-11-10
WITHsTANDING THE WAVES.
Pontoons TO Be Employed to
Float Her.
THE PACIFIC MAIL HOPEFUL.
Differences of Opinion as to the
Steamers Damages and the
Chance of Saving Her.

Rough weather has not yet broken up
the steamer City of New York, and the
Pacific Mail Company announces that il
will float the vessel in spite of prophecies
of failure and adverse criticisms.
1t has been remarked that several wreck
ing companies have been engaged to save
seem from information secured from the
owners that the steamer is strictly under
their supervision alone.
The action of the corporation in pacing
Captain Whitelaw second in command is
supposed 10 have been instigated by fears
of salvage claims. Whether or not this be
true, The CALL is not able to say, as 1t is
sim ply hereSay.
when the New York disappears en-
tirelv from the rocks off Point Bonita
loss, but not before" remarked q sea cap
tain of experience as wreeker yesterday.
"On Wednesday afternoon | would not
have given 500 for the wreck. but from
the looks of the water off the point this
morning pontOoDs might be brought into
successful requisltion if used speedily.
In tbirty-fiye years Of experience as a sea-
faring man / do not think 1 ever saw or
heard of a wreck holding together so well
as the New York. Almost everybody is
afraid TO make any predictions concerning
it now"
Like a flock of birds only temporarily
dispersed from choice bit of grain field
the wreckers went back 10 the New York
yesterday morning, Her decks showed
- signs of the severe washing down which
they had received the day and the night
previous. but the big black hull was in
exactly the same position as 1t was when
Pilot johnson erred in his judgment of his
position.
Loose material was piled up against the
bulwarks by the wash OF waves. but the
pumping machinery had wea,hered the
storm in good shape.
Captain Whitelaw went alongside in the
morning and eYinced a disposition to save
his pumps. 1t Is said that the captain
does not favor the pOntOOn scheme. and is
rather tired Of the part he has been forced
TO play in the wrecking of the steamer.
lie is practically the only experienced
wrecker on the coast and naturally enough
be feels a little sore at the turn which
affairs have taken.
TIE Pacific Mail Steamship Company
has the assistance IN mechanical way of
several persons connected with iron works
of this city, but most of the PREPARATION
being made to save the New York are di-
Tectly controlled by the steamship CON-
pany's agents.
The four pontoons from the old sectional
dock at Mare Island. heretofore mentioned
in THE CALL, are being calked at the
Southern Pacific Railroad shops at West
Oakland. These Will be ready 10 be tOwed
TO Point Bonita by this afternoon or to-
morrow morning.
The plans adopted by the Pacific Mail
Company about one week ago are To be
put into action. Though very slow about
getting to work the attempt will be made
before long.
hOd ryo ho ooI
that the New Y ork had failed 10 break up
after her terrible humping on the rocks Oh
Wednesday night
The question of just how the pontoons
will be used is now being agitated. The
tugboat men say that unless the water be
perfectly smooth it Will be impossible to
get the poGtoOns alongside of the steamer.
1t will not be so much OF a task TO get
them on The port side of the wreck as on
the sfarbOard side. Rocks may interfere
Wi IN work on the s;arbOard side.
Lieutenant Schwerin is still managing
the planning for lifting the vessel for the
Pacific Mail Company.
Quite little sensation has been stirred
up among the wreckers and toWboat men
over the way in which Captain Whitelaw'S
and Captain Gray's suggestions have been
ignored. All claim that Whitelaw would
undoubtedly have got the steamer off the
point if he had only been left alone As
1ar as Inc bIack-S lack IugDoat Company
is concerned Of course it was simply en-
plOyed TO do the freight and pulling,
and It's management has not so much rea-
son to feel chagrlned as the doughty
captain.
The Pacific Mails men were rigging
b0oms on the vessel yesterday. An officer
of the Mail Company averred that it would
be utterly impossible 20 pump the vessel
ont, and that canvas bags or pOntoOns
were the only things that could save the
vessel.
Captain Whitelaw," he said, "could
never have raised the ship by pumping.
think that first pull on her by the Fear
less and Relief must have torn her some,
and at any rate it is evident thai there are
holes innumerable in her plates"
Tugboat men rdicule the idea of the
tugs having torn any Of the steamers bot
tom plates declaring that she did not move
when the boats were hauling at her.
Eight out of every ten persons claiming
to have knowledge of marine matters still
say that the New York is immovable. and
that the Mail Company's pontoons will be
as useless as were Captain Whiteaw' s
pumps.
IOE4N SON ON TDEAF