The San Francisco call., 1895-10-13
ALONG THE WATER FRONT,
A Railroad Wreck Delays
Many Passengers of
China Steamer.
WHALING WAS A LOSING GAME
Ship-Owners Causes Much
Ill-Feeling.

The Pacific Mail Company's steamer
City of Peking sailed for Hongkong via
Yokohama yesterday evening. She was to
have left at P. NJ, but owing to the wreck
on the Southern Pacific Railway near Los
Angeles Friday night some of the intend
ing passengers could not reach San Fran
cisco on time, so the steamer was anchored
off Meiggs wharf and awaited their COM
ing. When the belated travellers reached
Oakland they were placed on tug and
taken to the steamer, which sailed imme-
diately after they went on board. The
cabin passengers on the Peking were:
]. H. Ingram and family, Mr.. and Mrs. C. o.
Lieutenant Herbert Wilson, U. S. N; Judge
Putnam, John R. Putnam, Israel Putnam, A.
G. Boscowen, Miss Boscowen, Miss Henrietta
Taylor, Captain Piorkowski and Mrs. Pior-
kowsh OF Russia, Miss Christian Cummings, II.
S. Wheeler, L. Samilof, Mrs. Alice Coates, Min
Yung Chan.
Among the belated ones was A. G. Bos-
cowen, private secretary to Sir Michael
Hicks-Beach, the British Colonial Secre-
tary.
Captain G.. G. Trask took out the Peking,
but on her arrival at Hongkong, Captain
Smith of the Rio de Janeiro will take COM
mand. First Mate ]. ]. Cattanarich of the
Rio will be promoted to master and bring
the vessel home.
The Peking took away as part of her
cargo $799, ,097 in bullion and Mexican dol
lars.
The anti-pilot movement is gathering
strength. The Ship-owners' Association
received word from the Chamber of Com
merce yesterday that the subject would be
discussed at a meeting to be held next
Tuesday. General w. H. pimond, CHAIR
man of the chamber, is in favor of the
idea.
Shipping masters, butchers, ship chan
dlers and others who have contracts with
owners of British ship-owners are indig-
nant over the following anonymous circu-
lar, which was received by an owner in
England, September 49,
To Oacners of Ships Bound to Sa7, francisco: I
beg to call your attention to the shipping of
seamen and also to the supplying of butchers
meat, etc., at this port.
The majority of masters of British ships ar
irving here lately have been tied down by con-
tracts made by their owners in England, with
one or two firms in the above branches of bust
ness, which has shut out from competition all
other firms and individuals here, much to the
disadvantage of the vessels interest.
AS a matter of fact meat can be bought in
the open market at much less rate than that
contracted for.
The shipping of seamen, too, which is no in
| considerable item in ships disbursements, can
be curtailed very much by being left to the
discretion of the master of the ship. In one
case alone, the Somali, saving of $500, or
! $50, for shipping the crew could have been
made if the ship had not been contracted for
previous to her arrival here. The Lord Shaftes-
| bury and Lord Spencer could have done the
| same.
Times have changed greatly in San Francisco
of late years, and shipping masters and butch
| ers are satisfied now with legitimate profit,
where they charged extort1onate prices before.
1 think, by leaving your ships free, you will
save money.
The ship-owners in England have come
to the conclusion that they were never bet
ter served than now, and in consequence