The San Francisco call., 1895-12-23
Narrow Escape of the Bark Top
gallant From Total
Destruction.
a COMMANDERS QUANDARY.
The Crew Ordered Captain Killman to
Turn the Ship Back, but
He Refused.
The voyage of the American bark Top.

gallant from Port Blakelev to San Fran
cisco was 8 most sensational one. For
days the crew stood up to their waists in
water, expecting the vessel to go down
with them, AMI on several occasions not
even "hardtack" could be procured from
the storeroom.
The vessel was leaking like a sieve and
even when the deckload of lumber was
thrown overboard it did not help matters
much. Then e7ery stitch of canvas that
the bark would carry was set and she was
put on the port tack. She heeled over to
the breeze an6 the master and carpenter
went over the side and nailed canvas over
the open seams This remedied the evil
sufficiently to enable the Topgallant to
reach the Farauones, where the tug Re-
lance picked her up and towed her into
port.
The disabled condition of his vessel was
not the only thing that Captain K1llman
had to contend with. AS soon as the Top
gallant began TO fill, the mate headed the
crew. and, going aft, demanded that the
bark be put about and run for Puget
Sound. The captain did not think this
good policy, but he invited the mate into
the cabin to discuss the situation.
As soon as he got the latter away from
the men he called him mutineer and
began to administer justice. The stout
but disabled bark pitched and rolled in
the trough of the sea, the water poured IN
through her open seams, and the men on
watch labored away at the pumps in vain
endeavor to keep out the water, while the
captain and mate were settling their diff
ferences in the cabin. When it was all
over the bark was half waterlogged, the
mate was a battered wreck, and Captain
Killman was master OF the ship.
On FRIDAY morning last the ship Dash
ing Wave arrived from Puget Sound and
reported having passed quantity OF lum-
beI and latts ninety miles from Cape Flat
terry. Both lumber and laths were from
the bark Topgallant.
The Topea.lant loaded lumber at Port
Blakeley for San Francisco and sailed about
two weeks ago. Off the Columbia River a
heavy gale vas encountered, which ranged
from SOUTHEAST to southwest. This raised
a choppy sea, in which the bark strained
great deal Suddenly, in the midst of the
storm, a trOss-sea struck the Topgallant
and not OILY twisted the stem, but almost
stove the Flow in. The hawse pipes were
all looseued and the water poured into the
hold at stCh rate that the pumps could
not keepEer clear.
There vas $1,000 feet of lumber on
throwinei it overheard. They worked like
beavers, but it took them forty-eight hours
to get The deck clear. Then it was found
that her nose was still down and that the
leak continued. The attention of the
crew was then turned to the forehold and
1000 bundles of laths were taken from it
and thIown overheard. 1t was then that
the Topgallant was heeled over on her
starboard side and the open seams on the
port side closed up with canvas. Before
this coIld be accomplished the captain
and tIF mate had their fight, however,
and no7>the mate is threatening to have
the capain arrested for beating and wound
Ing him on the high seas.
II have been sailing between Puget
Sound and San Francisco for over twenty
years. said Captain killman yesterday,
land ] don't think l ever experienced
such weather.. 1t was not that it was
blowing so very hard, but the cross seas
were terrific. When the one that did all
the damage struck US l thought We had
run on a rock. l ran forward to see
whether or not we were hard and fast, and
it was only when l saw the wreckage
floating by and got look at our twisted
stem that knew what was the matter.
Then the men wanted me to put back
for Cape Flattery, but knew that it would
take the best found snip afoat to stand the
gale that was then blowing in the vicinity
of the Cape, so l refused to put about.
Then the mate and | argued the point and
| gained my way.
t'We got all our deck load of lumber over
the side and then the seas began sweeping
as fore and aft The bulwarks went like
so much kindling wood, and the wonder is
that no one was washed overheard. l
never saw such seas. They would come
together, and joining forces, would
come down on US like stone from a slung-
shot. Lord, how they did batter us, and
with sulkv crew on my hands, you can
imagine had pretty hard time of it.
The greater part of the damage was on the
port side, so when we got streak of fair
weather we put the bark on the port tack,
and as that heeled her over, the carpenter
and I went over the side and nailed can
vas over the open seams. Then we nailed
battens over the canvas, and when some
of the sails were taken off we found the
Topgallant was comparatively water tight.
From that on we had fair weather.
ssYou see, had to lick the mate in or
der to get my vessel to San Francisco. In
the open sea we had fighting chance
even If we did get waterlogged, but in the
cross seas that prevailed off FIattery we
would have been crushed like nut. No
Cape Flattery for me when I'm in dis
abfed ship. Give me the open sea and
room to move around and I'll weather the
gale somehow, but don't want any rocks
In mine"
The Topgallant will start discharging
to.dav and will then 60 on the drydock for
a thorough overhauling. She will require
a new stempost and will have to be re-
caIked throughout