The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-26
Christmas Day Celebrations on
Deep.Water Ships in
the Bay.
THE C. H. WATJEN's BRASS BAND
Heavy Weather Delayed the Steamer
China-The Baltimore in
Hurricane.

Christmastide held full sway on the
water front yesterday. At noontime all the
crews of the deep-water ships had their
dinner and then there was a general exc
dus. At 2 P. NJ. there was not sailor to be
seen on East street, and the whole front
was given over to the saloon-keepers, who,
finding their occupation gone, closed up
their places temporarily and followed the
sailors uptown.
Even the steamers and sailing vessels
bound here did not seem to care to come
into port on Christmas day, and the only
arrival recorded up to 5 P. NJ. was the
steamer Eureka from Fields Landing and
Arcata. The Willamette Valley sailed for
Mexican ports, the State of California for
Portland and the Mexico for southern
ports These were the only movements
that broke the Saba th-like calm OF the day.
The only vessel in port on which there
was anything like a celebration was the
German ship c. III. Watien at Union
street wharf. Their is fine brass band
in the forecastle and the men are clever
performers. They have fourteen instru-
ments and Captain Brunnings says his
band is the equal of most of those to be
found on men-of-w Last night there
the band turned out and played Oh rismas
carols for helf an hour. First thing yester-
day morning the entire crew headed by
Captain Brunnings and the band assem-
bled in the poop. The band played pre-
lude and then everybody sang in German:
All hail the pow er OF Jesus name,
Let angels pr st ate fell
Brig fort he royal adem
And crown him Lord OF all.
Then the German national anthem was
given with will and everybody went To
breakfast Captain Brunnings is a great
favorite with his men and there has not
been half dozen changes IN the crew of
the Watjen in three years.
All the coasters that have arrived dur
ing the past forty weight hours have tales
of heat winds and heavy seas to tell. The
Topgallant had the worst experience of
any of them, but, nevertheless, tie ships
Spartan and Louisiana did not escape.
Both of them came in with lists to port,
and with considerable damage about the
decks and upper works. The storm was
heaviest off the Columbia River, and it
was there that the cargo shifted in both
instances. The Louisiana was thirteen
days and the Spartan fifteen DAYS from
Seattle with coal.
The contractors for the Pacific-street
wharf are making good progress with the
work, which, when completed, will be tue
most solid pier on the water front. After
the piles are driven large iron cylinder
is put over them, and the space between
the pile and the cylinder is then filed
with cement. This, IL is expected, will
make the piles teredo proof and the life
OF the wharf will thus be indefinite. The
work is in the nature of an experiment,
which the Harbor Commissioners are
watching very closely.
The steamer China encountered her first
really heavy gale during the last voyage.
1t blew hurricane and for twcnty-eight
hours the vessel was Eove-to. The United
States cruiser Baltimore was in the same
storm, and when the officers OF the China
last saw her she was making heavy weather
of it. Commander Impey Of the United
States steamer Monocacy came over on
the China. and will report for duty at he
Brooklyn Navy-yard. He says that every
thing was quiet in China, and that in
Japan the war spirit had disappeared and
the people returned TO mercantile pur-
suits.
The British ship Drumlanrig, 166 days from
Dunkirk, and the Ross-shire, tifty-nine
days from Newcastle. n. S. W., got in last
night. They report stormy weather, and
the Drumlanrig, like other late arrivals.
had some narrow escapes from icebergs
when rounding the Horn.
The missionary schooner Robert Logan.
which lett here last month for the South
Seas, has arrived in safety at Honolulu.
Among the passengers who went away on
her was Hugo Fisher Jr., brother of one of
THE CALL artists, and in letter which he
sent by the China he says the little mis-
sionary yacht behaved splendidly and made
good time during the trip. Fisher will re-
main in Hawaii, but the Robert Logan will
proceed to the Marquesas and Gilbert
islands.