The morning call., 1893-10-29
THE SHIP DOOMED.
Listed More Than Ever
to Port.
FATE OF THE NEW YORK.
Expected TO Go TO Pieces at
Any Time.
A VISIT TO POINT BONITA.
The Insurance Companies Preparing
to Sue the Pacific Mail Line for
Culpable Carelessness.

not a very auspici0us opening of the day
for the crowds of wreckers and stevedores
engaged to help save the stranded steamer
City of New York.
At 10 o'clock yesterday morning two
knot breeze was reported off Point Reyes
and only the slightest bit of an undulation
disturbed the peaceful bosom Of the ocean.
Sky and water formed a strange contrast.
Above omiDous looking clouds and feecy
shifting fog drifted in from the sea like
the fOrerunner Of a stiff blow from the
southwest, but on the surface Of the water
hardly a Whitecap showed its foamy head,
and the slow measured stroke OF sleepy In
coming rollers literally rocked the dam
aged steamer in "the cradle of the deep"
The usual feet of fishing boats, tugs and
steamers were in attendance upon the
pinioned liner as soon as the sun rose in
the east and the veil of fog had been partly
torn asunder.
On Point Bonita groups of anxious
watchers fled up and down the steep cliff
roads. while cameTamen were as numer-
Gus as the flowers that bloom in the spring.
Tugs. like consoliDg friends, were beside
the rocky deathbed of the great steamer,
and the sound of their whistles and bells
was like the death knell of the once proud
L
terdav was the death day for the City of
New York, as experts pronounced 1t i'm
possible to save her. She is sinking, sink
ing, sinking, and must soon break the last
tie that holds her between sky and water
and slide into sixty fathOms Of brlny ocean
unless Captain WhiteIaw proves himself
veritable maine magician and the Edison
of nautical mechanical science.
Vessels from this city visited the scene OF
the wreck all day long, and at Il :45 P. NJ. the
State fire tug Governor Markham took out
a party consisting of the Board of Harbor
Commi ssioners and numerous prominent
people. A CALL reporter accompanied
the sightseeTS.
The City of New York has listed more
to port than she was on the previous day.
When the Markham went alongside there
were only two vessels made fast to the
wreck There was very little breeze and
scarcely any sea. The surf was not break
ing on the beach, and even in the offing
vessels lay idly drifting westward with
scarcely breath of air filing their sails.
To the southwark two deepwater ships
bore away from land. all their canvas
spread IN clouds of Tapping topsails, stay
sails and jbs, while TO the north several
steam schOOners sent volumes of black
smoke floated along the undulatng edge
of the sea, A gleam of sunshine had
pierced the fog IN the direction of the Far
Rllones bringing into prominence the big
black hull of the outbound steamer Aus
tralia which was churning its way toward
the west, leaving a wake of laughing waters
which seemed to bubble and hiss and scoff
at the helpless. wounded ocean traveller
which was TO have passed over the same
route many hours before had no accident
occurred.
1t would be foolish waste of words to
go into minute details of the every attempt
made to save the wrecked steamer. AS
already explained, a great deal of wreck
ing machinery has been placed on board,
but ii has not been possible TO make use OF
much of it.
Men we're put to work easing up the
stays to the mainmast and the miZZen rig
ging was dismantled.
The Pacific Mail Company thinks that it
can save the steamers engines and will
probably give Captain Whitelaw orders
to go to work lmmedl lately to get them out.
The steamer is supposed to be stove in in
two places. The first hole is amidships on
the port side and must be at least feet in
diameter. Many persons think that 1t has
been made larger by the strain made by
the tugs to get the vessel off the rocks.
The second hole IS further forward and is
not so extensive. All the cargo in the
lower hold is undoubtedly entirely de-
str0yed
On the port side of the New York, be-
yond the rocks. is deep water, as there is
forward and aft of the pinnacle on which
the steamer rests. 1t is evident that a
great strain exists on the vessels structure
amidShips, and the power of one big wave
would lift her off the rocks and lower her
again with such force as to break her into
two uarts.
The steamers decks were strewn with
wreckage yesterday and mad the appear
ance of junkstore Parts of machinery, 1,
boat-davits, aud yardarmS and ropes I'M
DRda6 DrOUroec W hila awaiting ramOVal.
The work of removing the cargo was
continued all day, which resulted in the
steamer listing more to port than ever, as
the unchanged goods were taken out OF
the part above high-water mark.
When the tide was rising the water in
the steamers hold dubbed up beneath
the engine-room and created quite an eddy,
IN which twirled scraps of merchandise,
pianklDg and other buoyaDt articles AT
ebb tide the suction was great in the
vicinity Of the impaling rock, and ii was
Impossible for diver TO work successfully.
WHAT is your theory of the size of the
rock that holds the steamer fast and how
great is the damage?" was asked of one of
the steamers officers.
Il believe" he replied, thoughtfully.
that about eight feet of rock pene-
trates the plates, and, furthermore, / con-
slider all attempts to float her as fruilless.
The ship will be entirely lost if any effort
be made to get her off. There are no pom
toons to be had at San Francisco of suffi-
cient size to float the steamer. II this
wreck had occurred at New York, Phila-
delphia, or any Eastern port, the ship
could be saved. This weather is not going
to last long. / am surprised that the sea
has renamed calm so long as it has"
Captain Frank Johnston TO all appear
ances is extremely popular, but not even he
has escaped the censure of public opi nion.
1t was publicly argued yesterday that Cap
tain Johnston was n a measure account
able for the accident.
He should have had sense enough to
know that the pilot was going wrong"
said tugboat captain. "He was on the
bridge and had authority TO take command
if he thought that all was not right"
Pilot johnson is man Of some wealth,
but Captain Johnston mas saved little out
of his earnings. The Pacific Mail Com
pany has always made 1t a rule TO discharge
every captain who even so much AZ touched
bottom with a Mail Company vessel, and
it is generally supposed that the captain
will he blacklisted by his recent employers,
even should he be fortunate enough to
clear himself Of all blame.
Captain John Delane Of the Empress
.Eugenie line of steamers out of Hamburg
is staying in the city and visited the wreck
Yesterday. Captain Delane once ran one
of his company's steamers on the rocks Of
1-.4..l and waa euaPpacfnl in