The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-17
CHANGED COURSE.
Why the Caleb Curtis Is
III: Not at Australia.
A WOMAN'S PECULIAR WHIM
She Changed Her Mind and
s.. Steered for Hong-Kong
AFTER STARTING FOR SYDNEY.
Mrs. Captain Brock and Her Crew
- ..=@: i. Are Safe in CHINA Sur-
=. -. prise All Around.
A .WOMAN'S PECULIAR WHIM
AFTER STARTING FOR SYDNEY.

AIRS. Captain Rollo Brock changed her
Rrlnd way out in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean, and therein lies the secret Of the
cruise of the eX-pilot-boat, Caleb Curtis.
II was Woman's whim and 1t created lots
Of trouble. as wOmen's whims usually do,
for he course of the Curtis was altered so
:asstO point her bow in the direction of
Hong Keng instead of Sydney. Australia.
- 1t was a funny idea, that sudden deter
minstion TO go to China, but Mrs. Captain
Brock is really a very peculiar woman.
She is called eccentric, and proved herself
so when she took notion into her head TO
bay a vessel fit it with dollhouse apart
ments and start cut on trading voyage to
the South Seas.
The story that came up from Hon Olulu
several days ago limited strongly OF the
totsl loss of the Curtis with all hands on
board. People of Sydney expected the
schooner to arrive at that port long ago
and waited and watched for her coming.
The Curtis never came The hours, the
days ana the weeks sped by without bring
ing forth any news OF the only woman
trader in the World-the only. only Mrs.
captain Brock.
#*:''Where Is the Curtis ?" the cabiu-boys
asked the sailors. the sailors asked the
:T7rates, and the mates asked the shippers.
No answer The wherea bouts of the Cur
It's was as mysterious as the Identity of
title man who threw the brick at the State
;.:mill,ia.
:. Happily nothing worse than a change
.*d destination has happened to the femi-
:Riue navigator and her husband and her
- Sailng=master, George Ewart.
=. By changing her MIND in midOcean and
= ordering the helm put hard down and
= different track mapped out Mrs. Captain
'*:c5rcles and sewing circles that surprised
..khe maritime and domestic world.
r. On. June 5 last Mate Ewart, though over
::=Come by heat, extraordinary eXertiOnS
land an active endeavor 10 collect his
: wages, managed to direct letter to this
+. city to q gentleman we'll known here who
:=Iesides at Is Willow avenue, saying
..>t that the vessel had reached Hong-kong in
..:satety and explaining her sudden ana I'M
=: eXpected presence in oriental waters. Word
has also been forwarded TO Sydney, where
::.:the Curtis is given up as lost. and several
: Hundred thousand dollars worth of re-
Eth Insurance and bets on her have changed
81 Hands in the past three months.
..:.:: a fund had been raised by the ladies of
+" the AnrpOdes to induce the llte-savlng
- service there TO keep its eyes open for any
- "tyTeCkage that might drift ashore liz the
+. shape of the floating property of the only
= woman trader known to society and
i science.
I
;:rhe Caleb Curtis Trading and Cora Ex-
..-kTactlng Company, all Of which handsome
sum is said to be lost. The expedition, /
"]ahcording TO the HOng-kOng letters, is a
financial failure, probably brought to a
!. climax by strike among the crew of the
: schooner, which consists of one seaman
: :+8nd a kanaka cook.
:: !. The maintenance Of a crew has proven
= TOO severe drain on the eXcheQuer of the
execution and il is now said that the
n m laI har fOr 81 are'
= chattels is considering The advisability OF
selling out and returning TO San Frau
=: :ciscO to write a book on The Decisions
:Of the Tropics"
:: It costs money to operate trading YES
i: sci and the Curtis made a trip that took in
.@:p verifying IN the shape Of an island from
r Butaritari to RarOuT She arrived at
N anoutl, IN the Gilbert group, Oh Deem
Der %, 1893. and since that time touched al
=: {hlrty-Onr Islands, trading $1,000 worth of
: Calico tobacco and gewgaw5 for $1,000
:: wOr Of experience and $40 worth Of
:. dried cocoaButs.
~ Mrs. Captain Brock took a reef in her
:: apron, made fast her apron halyards
:: andsAius and sat down on the crews
: CLOTHES bag and gave herself up to thought
soon after anchcring at zap, IN the Cara
- lIaas. Ihe little game Of chance she had |
:. been playing with the sly barierers OF the |
:: south was all one-Sided, and the Curtis |
was losing money.
Rollo Brock advocated a swift run for |
home or Australia. and the proprietress of /
: the schooner sid that she had had enough |
OF the South Seas to last her through the |
" balance Of her natural life,
= Ihe crew hove short on the anchor and |
=. I1e traders got away few hours later /
e. destination Australia, ultimate Intentions |
!. clearance sale Of all old stock and pur- |
:: chase OF through tickets for California.
Out upon the sea OF uncertainty drifted |
Inc Gurus. The watched pot never boiled |
az sydney. and the life-saving service could |
add no fuel 10 lis heating fires. Mrs Cap |
tain Brock, the first and solitary female !
deaier Wltb the men who ate Captain |
!. Cook, was given up as lost.
Little cid the world know that the
famous woman had weakened in her pur.
pose and decided to 90 TO China. But for
the family letters Of Mate Ewart the secret
of the fate of the Caleb Curtis might
never have been made known until some
:enterprising reporter in Hong-KOng took
lit into his head to write her up.