The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-12-13


mical for navy use and will be burned
exclusively by the North Pacific squadron
hereafter Tacoma News.
The British ship, Captain Robinson, ar
rived here on December 5th from Swan
sea, aftsr a passage Of 100 days, says rhe
Examiner. When the ship was off the
River Platte she encountered hurricane,
lost number OF her sails, sustained sun
dry damages and had her cargo shifted.
The captain then determined not to round
Cape Horn, but to make a run to the
eastward past the Cape of Good Hope
and come around Australia and New Zea-
land. He did not fare badly either, for
although he encountered another hurri-
cane off the south end of New Zealand
he made a quicker passage than about
eight of the fleet, now in port, that came
around Cape Horn. The Reliance is not
by any means the first ship that has
adopted this plan OF coming west by 60
ing east. There seems every evidence
that a weak ship will do better by avoid
ing Cape Horn when bound to California
ports, and making her way eastward as
though bound lor Australia or New
Zealand.
The Louisiana arrived here February 8,
1894, after a passage of PIP days flom
New York, says the Commercial News of
San Francisco. When p days out she
was off Cape Horn and encountered ter
;'lble weather. She fought against head
gales for quite a while and then turned
tail and came the way the Reliance came.
The large four-master Hawaiian Isles,
when bound from Swansea to this port,
met with severe weather off the Falklan1
islands and bore before the brave wester-
ly gales and reached here by way of
Australia after a passage of 1S9 days.
The Hawaiian ship John Ena arrived
here from Swansea January 81, 1893, after
passage of 1GC days. She tried to round
the Horn, but after a whole set of sails
had been blown away changed her course
and ran to the eastward and came
around the other way. The iron ship
Macmillan made quick passage along
this route She took her departure bear
ing from the Lizard on May g. 1881;
crossed the equator on June 18th, crossed
the meridian of Greenwich in 3s s. on Ju'y
9th, kept along the 39th parallel and
reached Bass straits on August 7th;
crossed the 1S0th meridian in 3S 8. on
August nth; twelve days later crossed
the equator in 1856 west and on Septem-
bef 2Sth arrived at San Diego, 126 days
from the Lizard l2S days from Antwerp.
In 1876 the British ship Wasdale made
the passage from Liverpool to this port
in 1856 days by way of Australia.
The barkentine G. c. Funk, which ar
rived from the Sound yesterday, says the
Call, reports that early on the morning
of the 5th inst, In latitude 3S degrees 30
minutes north and longitude 124 degrees
II minutes west, she collided with an un-
known schooner. The night was dark
and foggy and when the lookout saw the
stranger she was close aboard, heading
diagonally for the barkentine's port bow.
So suddenly did she drop out of the fog
and so quickly did she approach that al
most Immediately she plunged the tip OF
her bowsprit into the barkentines b',.
warks, smashed the rail and carried
away some of the gear. For a moment
she hung to the larger vessel, the seas
banging her against the side of the bark
entine. Then she broke away, dropped
astern and was quickly swallowed up in
the night and fog. Not a soul was seen
aboard of her nor were there any voices
heard. Even her lights were invisible,
and whatever damage she sustained cam
not be guessed at. The G. c. Funk was
quickly put over on the other tack to
heave her wounded side well out of the
water and an examination made. But
no lo'' nor serious injury was found.
Th' ttq H. however Of this midnight col
lision may he found in the report from
the 'o@ Of the schooner Excelsior, which
arrived from Port Blakeley yesterday. On
December 5, in latitude 3S degrees IS min
u'oz -1rth and longitude 14 degrees 8
west, she spoke the schooner
q lna bound for San Francisco With
her bowsprit gone. This vessel seen so
near the locality Of the collision, which |
occurred a few hours before. must have
been the ambitious schooner that dropped |
out Of the fog 10 play swordfsh with the |
big barkentine. The Gotama was not |
seriously disabled, and was |
making good headway with a jury bow |
spirit.