The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-06-25

to take is apparently in the shape OF a
raft, strong, yet light and perfectly fex-
ibte, that 1t may not be damaged by be-
ing dashed against the wreck nor go to
pieces ON the crest OF some mountainous
sea. The collaps.ble rubber boat patented
some time since by a New York man,
mention Of which has been made, goes
fer to solve the question OF life-saving
at sea, but to the person who VIII IN
vent raft that does not require tine as
sistance of the crew to launch and which
when afloAt can be managed by THE pas
sengers, no matter how unused they may
be ito the sea, there Is assured fortune.
The New York correspondent of Fair
play, writing under date of May Is. says
The Big Liverpool paid $1,000 this week
to tow 800 miles to st. John, N. B., to get
cargo Of deals thence ito Calcutta; the
Eulomene sailed for Newcastle, N. S. W.,
in ballast; the Forest Had for Portland,
Oregon, In ballast, and the Claverdon to
the same port from Boston also In ballast.
The above are all British ships, but the
dearth of freights is felt equally by Ameri-
cans. The big Wandering Jew Is going
to Java for ballast for orders, while the
Henry Failing and Independence, as Weld
as the barks Western Bell and Bell OF
Oregon, all well known In China and Pa
ciflc coast trades, are carrying coal coast
wise in tow in default of something bet
ter. Why the Euiomene and other ships
did not go down to Nova Scotia and take
coal from there to San Francisco instead
of going round the Horn In ballast Is
conundrum probably to be answered only
by the lack of enterprise Of the Nova
Scotia mime owners They could not
,arffe n
Atlantic coast to San Francisco, because
the law excludes foreign ships from that,
being a domestic trade, but they could
get bituminous coal cheaper at Nova
Scotia than at Baltimore, and the dis
tance is very little greater, besides which
THE duty would be no greater at San
Francisco than the duty on coal from
Australia. 1 am not aware that Nova
Scotia coal has ever been shipped round
the Horn but much of 1t has been sent
to the West Indies and South America,
and the quality of it Is much better now
on an average than was the output OF
o few years ago. Yet the only foreign
export from the Canadian provinces that
any one seems to consider desirable is
either timber or fish.
Somewhere in the locality of HalSodate,
Japan, says the Colonist, of Victoria, the
Victoria sealing schooner Rosie Olsen,
which left here in command of Capt. A.
b. Whidden ON the 2Sth of December
last, is total wreck, she being the Sec
ond of the home fleet lost this year. Just
where the accident occurred is not stated
in the cypher caIblegram which Mr..
Andrew Gray-one Of her owners-re-
ceived from Hakodate. The message On
nounces that the crew are all safe, and
That the schooner's catch of $50 skins was
landed in good condition. From this
meagre Information the owners have
come to the conclusion that the schooner
dian ashore at the entrance to Hakodate
harbor-a most dangerous and treacher-
Gus channel, much dreaded by navigators.
According to arrangements the Olsen was
to put into Hal1odate on June 10, and
from this and THE evidence of the saving
of her valuable cargo In good condition.
the opinion is formed that 1t was at the
entrance of the harbor she foundered.
The intention was that she should land
her skins at HalSodate and There fit out
for Bering sea. 1t is probable that now
Captain Whidden and his crew of five
whites and some twenty odd Indians from
this coast will return home as soon as
possible. The Rosie Olsen Is insured for
$500, nearly her whole value. Her own
ers are Messrs. Andrew Gray Of Spratt &
Gray A. K. Monroe Ghey having a half
INTEREST,", Captain Keefe and Messrs. Cook
and Dempster The schooner was
bought on the Sound about five years ago,
where she was employed as a steam
freighter. She was built about 1879 on
the Columbia river but on being regis
tered under the British flag her machin-
cry was taken out and she was converted
into a sealer In 1892 she was one of the
schooners captured by the Russians for
alleged trespassing on their territorial
waters. On that occasion she was re-
christened the Prize by the Russians,
who, upon finding they could not hold her
prisoner, sent her back to Victoria, with
the crew of some of the other sealers
cs ptllred the same year. This Is the
second season for the schooner on the
Japan coast, and If her years operations
mad not been SO abruptly ended she
would, it is expected, have secured very
profitable catch. Further particulars of
her loss are anxiously awaited, but her
owners do not expect to receive them
until Captain Whtdden arrives. The Rosie
Olsen was THE first steamer to leave port,
having got away before the old year was
out. Her mishap has been officially re-
ported to Collector Of Customs Milne.