The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-26
AROUND THE WATER FRONT
The Aztec, a New Iron Steamer
for the Pacific Mail,
Arrives.
BIG TIMBERs FOR A DREDGER.
Commodore w. L. Merry Upon the
Distances In Pacific Ocean
Navigation.

The new 3500-ton steamer Aztec arrived
yesterday in ballast, nine days from AGA
pulco. She is one of the two vessels re-
Gently purchased in England by the
Pacific Mail Company for freight service
between San Francisco and Panama She
sailed from Barry, in Scotland, March 9,
making the passage to Panama in ffty-one
days.
a strong rivalry exists between the up
coast steamers, and the people of Eureka
are getting the advantage of the cut in
fares. The Pomona still holds to the old
rate of $40 for cabin passage but the
North Fork and National City have re-
duced the rate to Sc. The Humboldt
left yesterday with a still lower cut of S..
The schooner General Garfield yesterday
brought down from Grays Harbor load
of the longest timbers ever brought to this
port. They are from 40 TO 40 feet in
length and 20 by 20 inches at base, and
are for a large Government dredger now
being built at Hay & Wright's shipyard,
Oakland, for work on the Sacramento
River.
Ell Campo was decked out in holiday at
tire yesterday and was crowded with ex-
eursionists from Healdsburg, Santa Rosa,
Petaluma and way stations. The occasion
was reduction of railroad fares from the
points named to the pretty little grove on
Marin shore. The excursionists were made
up principally of women and children, but
there was a general sprinkling of men.
The day was all that could be desired and
it was most delightfully."- spent.
Captain johnson of the steamer Whites
boro, which sailed yesterday, was struck
by hawser while getting underway and
Knocked overheard. He was rescued and
taken on board his vessel somewhat
shaken up, but not badly damaged.
This is a bad season for deep-water yes.
sells and every ship that comes in from a
long voyage reports the severest weather
ever known, especially in the south tenn
perate zone.
The British ship Drumcliff, Captain
Davies, arrived yesterday, 139 days from
Liverpool, after tempestuous passage.
She sailed February 6 and had to put into
Holyhead the next day for shelter. She
made another start on the 9th and on the
18th encountered a gale that blew away
half of her sails. The blow lasted steadily
for two weeks and Captain Davies states
that it was the hardest he ever expert
enced. Off the River Plate in the South
Atlantic they encountered fearful thun-
derstorm, which lasted day and night.
The lightning famed around the vessel in
cessantly and she being iron, it was mir
acle that she was not destroyed with all
hands on board.
A gale came on next morning which tore
away almost all their remaining sails and
the foretopsail yard. For over a month
the storm continued so fiercely that they
were unable to replace the lost spar, and
had to battle with the tempest without it.
The storm followed them all the way
around the Horn until the vessel was well
up in the Pacific. Several men were in
jured during the bad weather, but fortu-
nately no lives were lost, though COM
plete set of sails was blown away.
The cruiser Philadelphia, which left
Honolulu on the Eth, has not yet arrived,
and it is supposed that her starboard en-
CINE, which was disabled on the trip to
Honolulu, is yet in weak condition, ne
cessitating slow speed.
Commodore William L. Merry, speaking
of the opinion held by some people that the
Nicaragua canal might divert commerce,
shows by the following statement that the
effect will be just the contrary:I
The publication of the "Pacifc Ocean Pilot
Chart" obtained by the efforts of the Cham Der
of Commerce) has enabled me to officially
prove the correctness of my assertions in this
respect. Some three weeks since a letter was
addressed, at my suggestion, by the Chamber
of Commerce to Commander Sigsbee, United
States Navy, photographer, Navy Department,
Washington. requesting him to delineate upon