The San Francisco call., 1896-01-16
It Cost a Man His Life and Did
Considerable Damage on
the Bay.
TWO STEAMERS IN COLLISION.
The Schooner Virginia Badly Damaged
by Being Thrown Against the
Boston.

The southeaster predicted by Forecast
Officer McAdie raised quite disturbance
from the Mail dock to Folsom-street
wharf yesterday. The wind blew in furi-
Gus gusts, end every vessel in the vicinity
got out extra mooriug lines. There was
quite chapter of accidents and in one in
stance fatality.
At an early hour in the morning the
wind was blowing at:the rate OF forty eight
miles an hour at Point Lobos, and at
noon it had increased to ffty-two miles.
The storm must have been local, as at 2
P. NJ. 1t was blowing twenty-five miles an
hour al Point REYES.
The fatality was the loss OF a sailor from
the British ship Ancaios, lying at Beale-
street wharf. Three OF the men, named
Denman, Fandemer and Morris, got some
money from the first mate and went ashore
to have good time. At an early hour in
the morning they returned to the vessel
considerably under the influence of LIQUOR.
The heavy swell made it hard work to get
on board, and 1t was some little time be-
fore the men made the attempt. Fande-
mer and Morris reached the deck all right,
but when they turned around Denmau
was gone. There was no sign OF him on
the wharf and when Il boat was lowered
and a search made, all that could be found
of the missing man was his hat. The sup
position is that he lost his balance and a
lurch of the ship sent him overheard. Ia
falling he probably struck his head against
u pile and sank Immediately.
The steamers Costa Rica and Wellington
of the Dunsmuir line were in collision,
and both vessels were considerably
damaged. They were lying at Folsom
street wharf 2, and the Costa Rica wanted
to get away. In order to do so in safety q
breast line was passed over to the ship
Kenilworth, lying at Harrison street, then
the big steamer went asteTn under a slow
bell. Just when it was most wanted
heavy swell and gust of wind came and
the line parted. In a second the Costa
Rica mad struck the Wellington bow on.
The latter lost one of her boats and the
davits, part of her rail and the bridge.
The WellingtOn's anchor caught in the
Costa Rica forward, and. as the latter was
driven along 1t tore away considerable
portion of her rail and did other damage.
Both steamers were badly chafed.
On the other side OF Folsom street the
British ship City of Madras had lively
time OF it. One of her steel hausers
snapped under the strain, and few
minutes later a manila cable parted.
! Luckily the others held, and Captain Grit
/ tiths was able to get new lines out before
any further damage was done. In the
case OF this vessel the iron mooring- bits
began to give and the captain was COM
| PEELED to move all his lines to the mooring
| piles.
The scow schooner Virginia is almost
total wreck, owing to the storm. She had
a load of coal on board for the cruiser Bos-
ton and attempted to deliver it. The cap
! tain got her out to the warship all right,
bnt when he attempted to get alongside
big sea picked up his vessel and threw her
against the cruiser. Nearly all her port
railing was carried away. and she was so
strained that she began to leak badly
| With the aid of some of the BostonFs crew
she was got away and the captain ran her
for North Beach. There she was put hard
and fast on the beach, and at high water
is half full of water. The greater part of
the cargo of coal went overheard while she
was in collision.
A number of vessels were to have been
moved or taken to sea, bur their captains
decided to remain where they are until the
storm is over. Among those who re-
manned at anchor were the E. X. Wood,
which was to have moved to Mission street
the halcyon and Rufus E. Wood, which
were to have gone to sea. and the Braca-
dale, which was to have docked at section
4 of the seawall The gasoline steamer
Moro started for Point Reyes but when
the full force of the storm was felt off Fort
Point the captain put about and ran into
shelter behind Fort Mason.