The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-31
IT WAS A CLOSE CALL.
Rough Trip Of the Steamer
Portland.
ALL HANDS FACED DEATH.
Drifting for Hours in the Midst Of a
Raging Storm.
An ACCIDENT 10 THE SiK RAFAEL.
HarbOr Commissioner ChadbOurRe Makes
an Effort to Keep East Street
Clean.

The steamer Portland formerly the
Haytian Republic) arrived from Nanaimo,
via Victoria, B. c., yesterday after being
away from this port nearly two months.
Captain Holmes had a thrilling tale to tell
of the experiences which the vessel went
through on her downward voyage. She
struck the same gale that proved so disas-
trous to the lost GOLFERS Montserrat and
Keweenaw, but, fortunately, she managed
to get back to port before the elements got
the best of her.
1t was on the 18th of December, after
leaving Victoria with her cargo OF coal for
this port, that she steamed into the midst
of the storm. AS Captain Holmes says,
the waves were rolling mountains high
and the vessel plunged and strained every
seam in her wooden sides. An effort was
made to put her about and then the
alarming discovery was made that the
rudder had been damaged by angry seas
and the vessel would not obey her helm.
1t was then that even the stout-hearted
skipper felt that there was no hope of
saving the vessel from the fury of the
elements.
For hours the steamer plunged about at
the mercy of the waves, and the crew,
although obeying such orders as might be
given in a manly style with death staring
them in the face, felt that they were,
doomed. They even shook hands and bid
each other farewell before sinking into the
watery grave that they felt assured was
awaiting them. Captain Holmes and the
officers did the same. The great fear that
Captain Holmes had was that the heavy
seas that swept over the decks would reach
the engine-room and eXtinguish the fires.
In such an event the vessel was doomed.
Captain Holmes, his officers, and every
man were on duty for forty-eight hours in
one of the worst storms which ever swept
along the Pacific Coast. Every moment
they thought that the steamer would
plunge into the sea and go down.
ANY vessel that was in that storm,
said Captain Holmes, would have to have
been seaWorthy in every respect to ride
such seas as swept over US"
After successfully battling with the
storm the steamer put into Victoria, and
then went to Esquimalt and locked at
the British Admiralty dock. There she
was repaired. In the meantime Captain
Holmes was laid up at the Driard Hotel in
Victoria. He has not been in good health
of late, and the exposure to the elements
for such a stretch of time completely
Frustrated him. The steamer brought
down 1160 tons of coal consigned to John
Rosenfeld's Sons.
The States side of East street presented
an unusually clean appearance yesterday.
1t was also noticeable that the usual array
of express wagons and other vehicles did
not stand In the way of the hurrying pas
sengers eager to catch the sometimes elu- |
sive ferry-boat. This marked change was
brought about by Harbor Commissioner
Chadbourne, He called upon Chief Wharf
niger Boobar yesterday morning and told
him to put a force of men at work with
barrows to clean the basalt blocks and
bituminous payements OF all debris; also,
to see that the expressmen did not leave
their wagons standing along the street and
Obstruct the entrance TO the various
wharves and ferry landings as they have
been in the habit of doing.
Mr.. Boobar at once called body of
sweepers from the docks and put them at
work, with the result that one side of East
street looked cleaner than it ever had be-
fore. II the process Of cleaning is kept up
1t will be great improvement, but it may
interfere with the forces who look after the
docks, unless the Harbor Commissioners
decide to increase their expenses some |
what by putting on additional men.
The news reached here yesterday that |
the steamer Coptic, which belongs to the |
White Star line, has left Belfast for this |
port, and she will be entered into the ser
vice of the Occidental and Oriental Steam
ship Co. for the purpose of plying between |
here and China and Japan. She will sup
plant the Oceanic. The Coptic has re- |
Gently been undergoing extensive repairs |
at Belfast under the direction of her build |
ers, Harland d Wolff. On her trial trip |
the steamer made 16M knots and it is |
expected that she will reduce the running |
time between here and Hongkong.
The steamer Walla WaIla sailed for |
Puget Sound ports yesterday morning AS |
she passed out the vessel presented a pic |
turesque appearance Her rigging was |
a mass of gay bunting. Captain Wal |
lace before his departure was presented |
with the commodore's flag of California |
Harbor No. is of the Masters and Pilots |
Association OF America. There were many |
friends OF the genial captain present at the |
presentation ceremonies, and congratula- |
tons were the order of the occasion.
AS the ferry-steamer San Rafael was
backing out from her slip at 4:30 o'clock |
yesterday afternoon she collided with a
small raft that was drifting between the /
docks. The raft caught her rudder and /
snapped the connecting chains attached to
it. She was obliged to put back into the |
slip and her passengers were DELAYED until !
the steamer Sausalito arrived and she took
them across the bay and also made the
later trim