The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-01

cord with it. Among those who hold to
the idea that some accident to her ma
chinery has been the cause of the disaster
is Mrs, E. P. Schwerin wife of the manager
of the company. The inspectors say, how
ever, that the engines were in almost per-
feet condition when they were inspected
recently, but then there may be defects in
piece of machinery which are undiscov-
cradle until they cause serious accident.
The coast where the Colima went down
is not stormy one, particularly at this
time of the year, nor is it at all foggy. Pro-
lessor Davidson of the Geodetic Survey has
been all over it and has studied it, and he
says that the only regular storms of par
ticular severity are the "whiplashes."
They come up from the south following
the coast and go shrieking up into the Gulf
of California.
They are not due, however, until the
end of August, and he is unwilling to be-
lieve that it was one of these storms which
has caused her wreck. Neither is The coast
afflicted with fogs at this time, for fog
there now is unusual enough to cause gen
eral mention among coast captains and
signal service men.
The idea was also advanced that some
great seismic disturbance had caused a
huge tidal wave TO go plunging westward
over the ocean, and that this, catching the
steamer broadside on, had rolled her COM
pletely over. AS the volcano Colima is
Just now in active eruption and is near the
coast off which the steamer is supposed to
have gone down, the report was at first
given some credence. 1t is almost i'm
possible, however, that such should be the
fact. A tidal wave, of whatever height
and running at whatever speed, is not a
straight wall of water.
Its forward edge slopes backward to its
greatest height, and ship can ride over
it unless caught against a shore.
There are so many things, however,
which will send ship to the bottom, even
though she be of the stanchest, that moth
ing more than guess at what might have
happened is possible.
1t is said that the steamer was in almost
perfect condition as TO hull and boilers
only a short time ago; in fact, just before
she started on this fatal trip she was on
the dock for repairs. Yet the same was
said of the Columbia, now upon the dry
dock of the Union Iron Works, and the
bottom plates, which are being replaced
upon the hull, were so thin that a blow
with a crowbar would send it through
them.
The Columbia is fifteen years old ::and
has been doing duty in Columbia River
waters and over the bar for nearly that
time. The shifting sands of that locality
fill the water with gritty particles and
these have literally worn the bottom plates
away, so it is necessary to put in an en-
tirely new keel and two rows of plates on
each side of it. This state of the plates
was not discovered even after the Column
bia was on the dock. 1t was only when
the wo:kmen took crowbars to break out
the cement, with which her bottom is
lined, that they found the crowbars going
through at almost every blow. Before
that her hull was supposed to have been
perfectly sound.
Captain Niebaum of the Alaska Com
mercial Company tells an interesting story
of a somewhat similar condition of a ships
plates. The old iron ship Constantine,
built in Hamburg, Germany, and then
five years old, was off the island of Atu,
in the Aleutian chain, one fine day when
the sea was as calm as the water in basin.
Suddenly she commenced to sink.
The officers and crew took to the boats at
once, as she was settling rapidly, and lay
by at a safe distance to see her go down.
She sank five feet and then stopped, and
when the men boarded her again they
found that four plates from one of her
middle compartments had simply dropped
off. The rivets had rusted through and
had pulled through the holes. Water
tight compartments were the only things
which saved the Constantine, yet she was
only five years old, and an inspection a
short time before had resulted in her being
pronounced in excellent condition.
Weak plates may stand long time in a
vessel and the fury OF the seas may never
find them, but at a critical moment, when
keeled over by the wind or seas, weak
spot is lifted out of the water, q blow from
an advancing wave is likely to drive il in,
and as the ship rolls back she fills and
sinks.
Such was nearly the fate of the Charles
Wetmore, the first whaleback which came
to this coast. She had fat bow and as she
plunged from the crest of the waves into
the hollow beyond the receding seas would
thunder against her iron bows until the
plates were all started. She put into San
Diego, which luckily was near by, or she
would have filled and gone down.
The brig Fauntleroy was one time struck
by cross sea which sprung all her timbers
forward and wrenched her bows until the
water poured through the seams.
AS to the conditions of wind and water
which if present together will send a ship
to the bottom, mariners will tell that they
often occur. A ship driving before storm
will spring from the top of wave as a
diver springs from a board, reaching the
hollow she will dip her bows deep into
the water, and then if she has head
way and does not recover quickly the next
wave will sweet over her bows and her
momentum will only serve to drive her
headlong under the surface.
1t is supposed that both the Keweenaw
and the Monts errat went down in this
way, for both were heavy laden, and both
when seen last were scudding along with
the gale. That the Colima has done this
is not improbable, although no report of
any big storm has been heard of.
Again, there is danger of vessel getting
In the trough of heavy sea and being
rolled over The EScarn brio conoa r.,-s