The San Francisco call., 1896-11-12
IN COLL L|S|ON
OFF The HEADS
Two Ships Caused Trouble
Off the Port Yester-
day Morning.
The British Ship Larnaca Was
Run Into by the Pierre
Corneille.
A VERY NARROW ESCAPE.
Passengers .on the Monowai Will
Have Turkey on ThanksgiY.
ing Day.
VERY NARROW ESCAPE

The recent northwester has brought in
quite feet of ships from Australia and
| South America. Many of the vessels had
quite uneventful passages, but some of
them met with disaster off the Golden
Gate. Two of the feet were in collision,
and one of them had its flag at half mast
When the sun set last Tuesday evening
the sea between the Golden Gate and the
Farallones was dotted with the sails of in
bound ships. When the sun rose yester-
day morning the fleet had been increased
by many vessels that had crept up in the
night, and ali were anxious to make port.
Every one of them came along under all
the sail she could carry, but ION one alone
the sunbea ms shone whose flag was hall
mast high" She is the American ship
Francis, and Captain Smith has the re-
mains of his wife aboard. Mrs. Smith was
very sick woman and the doctors recon-
| mended q sea voyage. Her husband
brought her with him, but she began to
fail after rounding the Horn. A month
ago dropsy set in and twelve days ago she
died. Captain Smith would not bury the
body and had it sealed up in casket and
brought it to San Francisco. The remains
will le buried here.
eager to make port a CO iision was quite
likely. The British ship Larnaca was
bound here, but tu1 put message
aboard ordering the captain to sail on to
Portland. The ship was accordingly run
ming free when the French ship Pierre
Corneille came bowling along on the s. ar
| board tack and struck tie Larnaca amid
ship. The latter had a narrow escape
| Her starboard bulwarks were crushed in
and the rail torn away. Her lore and
main topgallant backstays were cut and
mum Der OF chain plates were cut.
| The Corneille lost her heaogear and for
several minutes was badly tangled up.
Finally both vessels got clear and the tug
| Vigilant towed the Larnaca into port, and
| the Sea Witch brought in the Pierre Cor
nellie. The report from the two vessels is
as follows:
The French bark Pierre Corneille. bound in,
and the itish ship Larnaea, which received
| orders TO proceed to Portland, Or. were in col
| lision off tne leads. The Pierre Corneille had
| her headgear carried away.
Per British ship Larnaca-November IL. at
| :4o A. M, three miles outside the whistli n z
buoy. was standing TO the southwest the
| starboard tack, when the French bark Pierre
Corneille, bound In, struck the Larnaca on the
! starbo-rd side forward of the main rigging,
cutting through bulwarks and rail and two
| plates. carrvii away fore and main topmast
| backstay and several chain plates.
Where the fault rests remains to be seen.
Captain Miller, as pilot, was in charge of
| the Frenchman, and the boatmen along
the front assert that when he ordered the
helmsman 10 starboard his helm he put it
/ port, thus causing the damage. Others
say that the morning was so clear and
beautiful that it was easy to mis- Judge dis
tances. Miller is one OF the most com pe-
tent pilots on the coast, but. nevertheless.
he will have 10 stand trial on the charge
of having placed his vessel in dangerous
position.
! Among the arrivals yesterday were /:
! The British ship Alcinos, 102 days from
Cape Town; the British ship Genlsta 129
days from Liverpool; the British bark In
verneill, Isl days from London; the
| British bark Northemay, AZ days from
| Antofogasta; the British ship Glenfinart,
! 1872 days from Swansea; the French bark
! Pierre Corneille, so days from Newcastle,
| N. S. W.; the British ship Laurelbank,