The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-22

ron ferry an immense crowd of people,
who, anxious to be on time, took passage
on the Ukiah when she left on the 1920
trip to the number of 100. When she left
on the noon trip she carried over 1000, and
there yet remained so many anxious to wit
ness the exhibition that the James N. Dona-
hue was pressed into service and she car
ried large number, followed by another
crowd en- the Ukiah on her 2 o'clock trip.
At about the latter hour the scene at Ell
Campo was one of the most picturesque
that any one could wish to see. 1t was a
living picture. The sun-browned slopes of
the hills that are dotted with thick foliage
trees formed the background. On these
slopes were thousands of people who had
ranged themselves so as to obtain view
of the exhibition. The varied colors Of
the dresses worn by the fair sex gave the
slope the appearance of an immense pas
ture of flowers of many hues. Along the
beach there were any number OF sight
seers San Pablo Bay was crowded with
rowboats filled with pleasure parties
steam launches with gay colored canvas
awnings; graceful yachts, with pennants
flying and clean white canvas set to the
anchor was the schooner Nellie Richard,
which was to represent the wreck from
which the life-saving crew was to save the
men who were on board.
Down in a space inclosed by ropes was
the life-saving crew, in white duck suits
and white tarpaulins, waiting for the signal
that would tell them that their services
were wanted. To the rear OF them was the
apparatus for their use, while On the hill
side, to the south, alongside of flagstaff,
was mau in white, a lookout watching
for vessel in distress. Then in the pavil-
ion were many couples who danced to the
music of Blum s band while waiting for the
exhibition to commence.
Shortly before o'clock the crew in white
commenced to patrol the beach under COM
mand of Captain Frank Burke. At the
same time the Nellie Richard weighed
anchor, sailed out into the bay, tackled
several times and, on the last tack, when
heading for the stake at which she was to
be wrecked, some hundred and fifty yards
from shore, she ran to the masthead the
signal from the code signifying that she
needed assistance-then she sent up a
rocket. The man on the lookout responded
with rocket and hoisted the responding
signal, informing those on board that help
was at hand. The schooner fired another
rocket to give notice that the signal was
understood. Then the lookout ran down
to the captain and informed him that a
vessel was in distress. The latter then
gave orders to man the beach
cart, the men losing no time in running
to the rear and dragging the cart to the
shore line each man attending to his par
ticular duty prescribed by the drill, and,
in moment, two men were digging a
deep hole in which to place the sand
anchor, two wide boards, four feet long, in
form of a Geneva cross, to which was
fastened a line and double block; two
other men lifted from the cart the taking
box containing the shotline and projec-
tile. then the wrecking gun was placed in
position, and, in few minutes-the work
being somewhat slow to enable the specta-
tors to understand every movement
everything was in readiness. There was
report, the projectile few from the wreck
ing gun followed by the shotline, which,
fired across the vessel and to windward,
fell across the deck Just abaft the fore
mast-a well-directed shot The line car
ried card of instructions, and acting on
these, the men on the vessel hauled in the
line which brought to them the whip"
an endless line, which was then used to
convey to the wreck the hawser on which
the breeches buoy was subsequently run.
There was some delay by reason of the
fact that the hawser had been selected for
a certain distance, and the schooner had
Dee0 ancnOreu DeyOHu THAT ulStdnce,
therefore, she had to be moved in, which
act proved the wreck" to be an accommo-
dating one. Still the error was corrected,
the hawser made fast to the masthead, and
then hauled taut by means of the blocks
and tackles elevated by crotchpoles. The
breeches buoy was, by means of the whip,
conveyed to the masthead, to which the
men on the wreck-some twenty-were
clambering. This buoy is large one, to
which is affixed a short pair of stout
breeches. Into this a man dropped a
pulley, to which it was fastened, and by
tuck It hung on the hawser, came down by
the run, but before half the distance had
been reached the hawser sagged. and the
man in the buoy went down in the water,
and then men on shore had to haul him in
by means of the whip. Three men were
rescued in this manner, and when within
wading distance two of the crew plunged