The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
Captain Houdlette's First Christ.
mas Ashore in Over Twenty
Years.
CARPENTERS WORK CHEAP.
Repairs on the Barkentine Wrestler
Only Cost Ten Cents a Day
for Mechanics.

The crew on the Oceanic Steamship
Company's Australia were made happy
yesterday. The steamer got i'll last Mon
day morning and Purser T. c. McComber
saw the agents III order to arrange
for paving off the men at once so that they
could have some money on Christmas day.
This wish the Messrs. Spreckels promptly
acceded to, and yesterday everybody on
the Australia from the captain to the
ca boy was paid off in full.
Captain H. c. Houdlette and Chief
Steward 7. K. James are both feeling jubi-
liant over the fact that the Australia is in
port to-day. Captain Houdlette has been
going to sea for thirty-six years, and in
twenty-three years of that time this is the
first Christmas that he will have eaten din
ner ashore. James was a chief steward
when he was Is years of age, and during
the generation that has elapsed since then
he has invariably eaten his Christmas din
ner at sea until to-day.
During the holiday seasons that have
passed Captain Houdlette and Chief James
have eaten their dinners in the tropics
and among the icebergs around Cape
Horn; off the coast of Australia and
within days steam of Hongkong or
Yokohama; off the coast of Mexico, lying
in the port of San Jose de Guatemala, Or
worse yet, sizzling off the port of Panama.
North, south, east and west have they en-
joyed Christmas fare, but this is the first
time in years that they will be able TO en-
Joy California cheer on California soil.
The American ship Ben jamin F. Packard
is going to make another start for Europe
with her load of wheat. Next TUESDAY the
work of putting in the grain that was dis
charged on Mission Rock will begin.
When that is accomplished a new crew
will be shipped and the voyage will begin.
The Packard was lying almost loaded at
Long Bridge.
In attempting to tow her into the
stream the tug Hercules ran her on a
ledge of rock between Mission Rock and
Long Bridge. She was towed off and
beached on the mud fats. Her cargo was
discharged into lighters and she was
locked. 1t is said that the repairs and
other expenses have cost $25, 900.
H. Nelson, the ighthouse-keeper at
Goat Island, had a narrow escape yester-
day. He was boarding the lighthouse
tender, which was lying at the Clay-street
steps. The gangplank broke and he was
caught between the boat and the float
Sergeant Tom Mahoney luckily saw the
accident and he managed, after consider
able trouble, in getting him ashore 1t
was nearly ten minutes before he recovered
from the effect of his immersion in the
filth of the Clay-street sewer.
The big four-masted schooner John D.
TaIlant sails for Honolulu to-day with a
full general cargo. She has been chartered
bv the Spreckels Bros. Company and will
carry sugar from the Hawain Islands to
San Francisco during the coming season.
All the sugar boats are now being put in
commission and the feet between here
and Kahllui and Honolulu will be big
one for some time to come.
The barkentine Wrestler which was dis.
masted off the japanese coast and repaired
at Y okohama, had probably the smallestex-
pense bill of any vessel that ever came
back to San Francisco. She was almost
rebuilt and all the japanese carpenters
demanded was 10 cents day. For that
sum they performed the hardest kind of
work, labored 10 hours day and fed them
selves. The captain of the Wrestler says
he hopes the next time his vessel requires
repairing that he will be in the vicinity of
Yokohoma.
The electric guide lights recently erected
by the Harbor Commissioners are more
powerful than the captains of the ferry
boats want. The latter petitioned the
board for guide lights at the ferries, and
Engineer Holmes was instructed to erect
them. He placed in position three 2000-
candlepower electric lamps, and these
are so powerful that they are almost
equal to a searchl;ght. The pilots on
the steamers were unable to see the
ships in the bay IN consequence, and now
they want less power. Engineer Holmes
is now going to have ground glass shades
placed in front OF the lights, and only
during fogs will these be raised.
The British ship East African got to sea
yesterday. Captain Putt discharged all
his old men and shipped new crew early
in the morning. Herman Sparf is now
"on the beach" and is trying to get work
on coaster in order to get away from
San Francisco.