The morning call., 1893-10-28

NJ. Amieux, who Is now visiting Califor-
MIA. is charmed with our climate and re-
sources and prefers native wine. which he
does not seem always to be able to get at
least in New York. On this point he is
probably little misled by labels. for a
considerable proportion of the wine which
processes to come from France and Ger
many has in reality come from California
and is only masqueraded in bottles which
have been produced abroad. That little
imposition may be cured in time. 1t may
be hoped that some years hence. when M.
AmieGx comes again, he will ind it un-
necessary to vaunt the praises OF French
sardineS. The smaller fishes of our own
coast, from the sprat 10 the anch0vy aud
sardine, will can just as palatably as the
sardine, pilcbard or sprat Of the South OF
Engla and Bay of Biscay-provided the
right care be employed and good quality
OF olive oil be used. California can actu-
ally supply the olive oil, and as to packing
in tins il is only question OF due attention.
Sardines are luxuries for which people
are willing to pay. but it is absurd to i'm
port them forever when they can be canned
at home.
Twenty years ago wreck similar TO that
of the City of New York occurred in the
Golden Gate during fog at night. The
Costa Rica, then in the Hawaiian trade,
under Captain Lapidge. AMI also owned
by the unfortunate Pacific Mail Company,
undertook to run in with out pilot, and
in a very dense fog took bottom on the
north side. The cargo of sugar was
ruined by the nine or ten feet of water
in the hold, hut the vessel was of wood
and held together in a quiet sea as
we'll as the salvage wreckers could have
Hha ahat of ffar
patching and good deal OF pumping she
came off the spit and kept afoat with the
pumps going. 1t is quite possible that the
City of New York may have the same
good fortune if her bulkbeads are reliable.
For these disasters in the fogs Of the
Golden Gate there is no remedy by bell,
foghOrn or whistling- buoy beyond a certain
point. Everything depends on accurate
steering, and with steam power under the
pilOt-h0use this is attainable. The most
modern cOmpasses, too. are unlmpeachable.
especially those which are now coming
into use in the French navy. by which the
course is given as sharp as silver wire
The report which M. Cos. the French
expert. is prepared to make to the Depart
m ent of Agriculture in France on Califor-
MIA wines is evidently one that should
please our viticulturists with its justice of
competent criticism. M. Cos is astounded
at the progress that we have made in wine
making. He was not prepared to find
such excellent brancs of good, well ma
tured and blended wine, not prepared to
see such admirable methods of handling
the product OF the vineyards. We seem
to be even ahead of Europe in this respect,
save, we may imagine, in the best ap-
pointed large wineries OF renown. All
this is encouraging as to our future. for
what may be done in few vineyards with
capital may be done with many. Natur-
ally NJ. Cos has sampled some very bad
wine. He expected to taste raw products.
but he has not encountered any exceptional
proportion of undrinkable vintage, and
may with reason reflect that In France
there is much which would give the con-
noisseur wry face. California must con-
tlnue to go ahead.
1t is good to see some protest made
against reducing the wages OF seamen to
the pittance OF 500 month. One effect of
running wages to very low point Is to
drive good seamen ashore in search OF any
employment rather than follow fore
castle life. A sailor is very skillful man,
and it is impossible he can learn his pro-
fession without years of hard service.
Very few Americans are now found In the
forecastle. They make sailors who cannot
be excelled in hardness, courage and ln-
telligence. and in the past American sea-
men on clippers have brilliant record.
But where is the encouragement to them
to-day, even in the c0asting trade, from
which foreign vessels are eXcluded? Very
low wages can only result In getting mon
grel crews, unreliable in times of emer-
gency and scarcely fit for any duty without
supervision, which often takes the form of
much profanity and personal abuse.
1t is mistake to describe death by hang
ing as occurring in ten or thirteen minutes