The San Francisco call., 1895-07-15
ALONG THE WATER FRONT,
The Oregon Navigation Com
pany Wants Pacific-Street
Wharf.
RAILS FOR THE VALLEY ROAD.
There Was a Gale on the Bay Yes
terday, but Almost a Calm at
the Heads.

There was quite change in the wealth
er's traditional condition at the heads and
on the bay yesterday. AT Point Lobos ii
was not blowing strong enough to drive
the fog away at P. NJ, while off Meiggs
wharf the wind kept piping at 40-miIe
gait. The small yachts had, therefore,
all they could do to stagger along under
double-reefed canvas. At 5 P. NJ. the wind
had fallen at the heads from six to four
miles an hour, while in the bay it had In
creased, if anything. and the fishermen
and crabbers on the Powell and Lombard
streets wharves had hard time of it.
81 wonder what the speed of ocean
steamers will be twenty years hence?''
said Captain. ..Hawley of the Spreckels Tow
boat Company yesterday. 'The Atlantic
liners are now making twenty-five statute
miles an hour between New York and
Queenstown, and it is safe to say that that
record will be broken in the near future,
perhaps by the st. Louis. 1t is interesting
to note how rapidly the swiftest average
running of the best steamers has advanced
within recent years. Twenty-one years ago
there was still one paddle steamer in
the mail service of the Atlantic, and she
was one of the fastest-the old Scotia.
I1tI DtSU dN6EdRc DcbWStA NSW L yin anu
Queenstown was just fourteen knots an
hour.
'sIn 1875 the City of Berlin made fifteen
knots and the Germanic and Britannia of
the White Star line brought it up to fif-
teen and half in 1876 and 1877 The Ari-
zona left them behind in 1879, and in 1882
the Alaska touched seventeen knots. This
was the record for two years, and in
August, 1884, the Oregon of the Guion
n rtsarl
that was exceeded little by the Umbria
and Etruria. The City of Paris, now the
American steamer Paris, touched twenty
knots in September, 1889, the Campanla
exceeded twenty-one knots in 1898, and the
Lucania almost reached twenty-one and
three-quarter knots in 1894. 1t will thus
be seen that the rate of speed is just one
half more than it was twenty years ago. "
The sugar steamer Kahului arrived from
the Hawaiian Islands yesterday. She was
ten days and twelve hours making the
trip, so all the news was anticipated by the
arrival of the Miowera at Vancouver, b.
c., Yesterday. The Kahului went direct to
the sugar refinery.
The cruiser Olympia was thrown open to
the public yesterday and large number
of people availed themselves of the oppor-
tunity. The tug Ethel and Marion carried
many visitors to the ship until the boat
charged so cents the round trip and the
boatmen offered to make the journey for
half that price, and so secured the most
passengers, but the public did not make
much by the cheap rate. They all paid
their money going, but in returning many
of them could not find their boatmen and
had to pay a return fare on the tug.
There is movement afoot to have the
Harbor Commissioners arrange Pacific
street wharf for the Portland steamers.
At present the vessels dock at Spear street,
which is in an out-of-the-way hole and the
approaches to which are in state of ruin.
An antiquated one-horse car line runs
within block of the wharf ard then the
passengers for Oregon have to pick their
way along wooden pavement full of holes
to the wharf. If the change is made the
steamers will be in the middle of the traf-
fic on the front and thes passengers would
be convenient to all the car lines.
The steamer Portland, better known as
the Haytian Republic, came down from
Port Costa yesterday, where she has been
laid up for long time. She has been char
tered by the Alaska Packers Association
and will take supplies to the canneries and
bring down salmon.
The fact that it was Sunday did not stop
work on the steamer Washtenaw. The
San Joaquin Valley Road Company wants
her cargo as quickly as it can get it, so the
work OF unloading the rails into barges
went on all day. The Ajax was loaded by
noon and the steamer A. G. Freese at once
took her in tow and started for Stockton.
The Society of Old Friends will have an
proceeds are to be devoted to the cemetery