The San Francisco call., 1896-01-26

George Starr and the tugs Barrett and
Evarts, which brought them up to the
steamship company's dock.
captain Merritt of the wrecking COM
pany arrived at Long Branch at 'clcck
Alter looking the situation over very care
1ully he said he expected to have hard
time IN getting the vessel safely off and
into deep water. The flood tide at o'clock
slowly worked the vessel nearer to the
shore and she finally lined up broadside
to Tie beach.
We st. Paul had on board 81 300, 900 in
gold. She is commanded by Captain
Jamison. This is her first return trip
since the recent accident which occurred
in her englne-room at her dock here,
whereby ten men were either instantly
killed or badly injured.
The st. Paul has been the victim of
several minor accidents. Even before she
got into the water she had one. When the
launching should have taken place the
great ship stuck on the ways, and stayed
there for week or so.
Only a week before last Christmas an
accident occurred which resulted in the
death of several of her crew and delayed
her trip across the Atlantic for several
days.
1t was on Wednesday, December Is,
early in the morning, when the main
steampipe supplying one of the engines
burst in two places, and. filling the engine
room with steam, scalded to death six of
the men and badly injured four others.
Three of the latter have since died.
When the Cunard line steamship Cam
pania arrived at her dock in the North
River to-day Vernon H. Brown, agent of
the line, went to the purser and got the
log, from which he read: "Sighted the st.
Paul ar P. NJ. last night, Friday, and
passed her"
He denied that there was a race between
the Campania ana the st. Paul Captain
Walker of the Campania, however. ad-
mitted there was race and said:
We sighted the St. Paul about fifteen
miles off our starboard bow about o'clock
Friday morning. The wind was coming
out OF the northwest and there was a good
big sea on. The Campania brushed up
bit and at $50 O'Clock last night friday
was abeam of the American line vessel.
about half mile 10 port Shortly after
that heavy fog set in and we lost sight of
the lights of the st. Paul. About 1 A. NJ.
Saturday we stopped.
1--WE Kept our foghorn blowing and we
got out our sounding lead. At 5 o'clock
we were getting into shallow water, our
line measuring at that time only ten
fathoms Then turned around and at
5:25 O'Clock this morning we anchored.
We were still in ten fathoms of water and
could see nothing. At $50 O'Clock this
morning the fog began to lift and at 9
| O clock we weighed anchor. 1 should say
that we were about two miles from shore
when we anchored. The ST. Paul was to
westward of US, being aground, should
judge, less than half a mile from the
shore"
Captain Walker said he was afraid the
st. Paul was aground very hard and that
he deplored the mishap greatly.
The statements of some of the passen-
gers on the Campania do not exactly agree
with that of the vesseI's commander.
Mr. Milbank, saloon passenger on the
Campania, said in describing the race:
eve sighted the st. Paul at o'clock yes
terday morning. The vessels were perhaps
fifteen miles apart We only saw the ST.
Pauls smoke at first. The vessels we're
moving toward each other, the Campania
to the port of the St. Paul.
cat O'Clock in the afternoon, or there
abouts, the ships were abeam. The star
board rail of the Campania was lined with
passengers and officers. Every one was
intensely excited. All of US had stopped
playing cards and chatting and were out
on deck with our heavy wraps on watching
the black smoke pouring out of the Yam
KEGS tunnels. She was going along as if
there was devil inside of her.
'"Those of US who had glasses saw groups
of officers emerge from below now and
then, watching the Campania for fifteen
minutes, and then disappear The skv
was black from the smoke of both vessels.
At half-past 4 o'clock the Campania had
not gained any on the st. Paul, and her
officers could not understand it. Then
heavy fog shut down and we lost the
American ship.
"At 5 80 o'clock the fog banks lifted very
suddenly and the passengers rushed to the
starboard rail again. The st. Paul was
not in sight, but had evidently crossed our
bows and was kicking up great sea about
half a mile away on our port side How
she got there the Lord only knows, but
the Campania could not get away from
her. An hour afterward we lost
sight of the st. Paul again and at
8 o'clock in the evening she reappeared
again on our starboard side, but still
abeam. We lost her again shortly after
that and we did not see her again until
this morning after 9 o'clock. She was
then two miles to the west of us and
aground"
Then Mr.. Milbank read this statement:
Some of the Campania officers said that
they thought that while the ST. Paul was
maneuvering for chance to beat the
Campania in with the mails she ran
aground"
"As matter of fact" continued Mr..
Mllbank, lit was as pretty q race as ever