The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-04-04
UREY lOWN UKEF.
Particulars of an Awful
Marine Disaster.
SINKING OF AN OCEAN TUG.
Word Regarding the Foundering
of the Willard.
THREE ENGINEERS DROWNED.
Captain Higgins Nearly Loses His
Life on the Water Front.
Marine Notes.
SINKING OF AN OCEAN TUG.
THREE ENGINEERS DROWNED.

The bells in the old mission church at
Greytown, Nicaragua. rang solemnly dur
ing the latter part Of last month. The
| little town has reason TO mourn, and
mourn deeply, tor number of its young
men and a score of sub-co tractors in the
EN- ploy of the Nicaragua Canal Company.
! ffty-nine IN all, were lost in the Caribbean
Sea when the Nicaraguan tug Miliard
heeled over and sank with out warn
ing when only eighteen miles out from
Grey town on her way to Bluefields.
A telegraphic special from New Orleans.
dated February 10. confirmed previous
rumor that the tug with her three score OF
| human lives had been lost. No particulars
of the accident, which is one OF the most
appalling in the history of matters mari
time, were received until yesterday, when
adyices were brought by the City OF sgd
ney from Panama.
The Willard left Graytown in the early
part of February in command of Captain
Joseph Thomas, her regular commander.
On board of her were fOrty-seven men
bound for Bluetields to work for the Mica
raguan Navigation Company, besides
eight of the tugs crew, Allen Mcguire,
an American engineer, two French assist
ant engineers and young German from
Hamburg named Pracht
The workmen, carpenters, linemen and
native laborers were nearly all regular or
| temporary residents of Greytown and were
| going 10 work under SIX months con-
tract
1t has been discovered that the Willard
was overloaded when she lefs port, having
on board quantity Of mining machinery
besides heavy cargo OF supplies
The tug was only small craft, and won
! der is expressed that she should have been
allowed to put 10 sea in an apparently top
| heavy condition.
! Not word was ever heard from the Mil
! lard after her departure. She must have
! been caught in one OF the squalls that fire.
! Quently disturb the waters off the N.cara-
! guam coast and upset, all hands perishing.
! Wreekage drifted ashore. along the
! coast. showing that the tug went down
! beyond doubt.
| A special courier was dispatched from a
| little town, near Greyton. where several
! bodies had drIfted on the beach. The
corpses were identified as those Of two
native workmen and the German boy.
J Pracht.
! Greytown waited and watched anxi-
ously to hear from possible survivors and
then went INFO mourning For thirty
DAYS the church bells rang dolefully every
hour and the town has not yet recovered
from the dreadful shock of the disaster.
Captain James 5. Higgins of the we'll
known firm of Higgins 81 Collins came
near losing bis life at Jackson-street
wharf yesterday morning.
Captain James Higgins Jr. is COM
msnder of the steamer South Coast. His
father was going on board the vessel to
see him when the accident occurred.
Captain Higgins foot slipped causing
him to fall into the bay. His head struck
| a fender pile and the old gentleman was
rendered unconscious before he struck the
water.
Teamster John Holland was backing
his horses up TO the edge of the wharf
when Captain Higgins trlpped. Holland
very promptly threw down his reins,
grasped rope, and lowering himself over
the side of the South Coast caught the
stunned man by the coat.
Holland released his grasp on the old
| gentleman for few moments to try to
pass the rope under the latter's armpits,
and in so doing the captain went down for
second time.
Holland succeeded in securing hold on
! the sinking man again, help arrived, and
| the captain was lifted 10 the dock, where
he remained unconscious for several min
utes
Captain Higgins is very old man and it
| is feared that the shock will prove fatal to
| him. He is one of the best-known lumber
| dealers on the coast.
But for Teamster Holland Captain Hig-
| gins would have been drowned.
If the Union FlOurmills should enter the
milling com bine there is a probability that
the Union Transportation Company, that
operates line of steamers between this
city and Stockton. may give up the field TO
lis competitor. the California Navigation
and Improvement Company
The Union Transportation people say,
however. that the interests of the majority
| of their stockholders in keeping the line
! in operation is greater than the desires of
| Sperry and others of their bondh olders
who are mlllmen.
The company OWNS much floating prop
erty, which must needs be white ele.
plant ON its hands if the route were
| abandoned.
People of Stockton would run an Oppo-
stion line on their own account even if
! the Union company did give up the ghost
For nearly a year and a half the bark
| Bundeleer has been without a charter.
! She has been kept at Martinez, but yester-
day she was towed to this city and to-day
will 90 on the Merchants drydock for re-
! pairs.
She will carry coal from Nanaimo to
this city.
The big tea ship Somali will dock at the
Oriental dock on the high tide this morn
ing. The tugs Fearless and Vigilant have
been assigned the duty of docking her.
Officer Dover of the North Harbor police
arrested Frank Smith and Albert Fem for
stealing packages out Of delivery wagon
yesterday afternoon. The wagon was
standing in front of lower Market-street
wholesale house when the thieves at
tempted to rob it.
The schooner Marion was towed over
from Oakland Creek yesterday and the
schooner Annie Larson comes over from
the creek to-day.
The steamer Arago goes on the Mer-
chants drydock Thursday 10 he cleaned
Superintendent Of State Dredgers Will
liam Cruise says that during the month of
March 10000 cubic yards of mud were re-
moved by the dredgers This is the largest
amount of work performed in deepening
the water at the city docks in five years
@------
SIDNEY BELL AGAIN.