The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-22
lIATILLA REEF SHIP.
- LIKELY TO BE COMPLETED
THIS WINTER.
werkmen-A Proposition That Moran
a~es. Complete the work The Light
- Fog signal for Gray's Hasbor.

| washlnztor City. Oct 2t-specsai-Tns
r-mati.la reef light vessel INTENDED 70 be
....soned OF the Straits OF San Juan de
- on he Washington coas.. L. IN bad
A.se and is hardly likely 20 De completed
8 s,us 10 Ds OF any sers.ce 10 The marin
- Of Puget Sound curing the coming
.anfer. Tais proposed asw vessel for the
~,,.ee,ion Of the commerce OF Puge; Sound
s.kes lts name from the famous reef on
rich the steamer Ematilla was wrecked
80 years ago. From that time until the
sreseni, congress has been urged to make
sn:ablc appropriation la order 10 poin.
q, 10 vessels this extremely dangerous
ssx4 OF rocks jutting out into the Pacific
.eszn. Nov. after the appropriation mas
sssn made aud the work begun. the steam
a., when gave its name 10 the reef
,rsin suffers wreck upon i;s hidden dan
esfk
I, was not until March 2. 1886. tina. con-
ssm appropriated $4,000 and authorized
,ae lighthouse board TO contract for con-
srzc,Ing. equipping and QUILTING a steam
aghuhip with fog signal. the total cost
-. TO exceed 5000 Another tio.eo waz
appropriated By the last congress- and the
rsntracl LET to J. II. Steffen. OF Portland.
Or, 10 build a vessel similar 10 the ona
,es stationed off the mouth Of the Column
ia river. which. With the exception OF
A5out two weeks. has been In cons amt
ssryice ever since April. 1&c-
Owing TO bad management Steffen has
lesn unable to pay the men employed In
tu:idiag the vessel. and work thereon has
eonpieleiy stopped. Three months' wages
sre due the men, and they offer 20 go
ahead with the work provided the contrac-
,ef would pay them one month at the pres
e., tine. Tnis. II appears. he was unable
10 10, and The men are now attempting TO
enforce their claims under mechantcs'
tens. Il IL reported TO the lighthouse
board here that the sheriff has seized all
Of eteffen's property, which he was en-
,Itied to do. and considerable Of the gov
eminent property upon which no claim
sas 10 be had. The workmen are appeal
ing 10 the government TO aid them In get
..ng their just dues, but this the govern
nenf authorities. under existing circum-
s,ances. Gnd Ii impossible TO do.
ste1en entered into a contract with .1e
government 10 build the iightship and
,ss work was divided into ten parts. upon
lie completion OF each one OF which IL
vas provided that he should receive one
.snrh Of the total amount of his contract
Nearly one-half of the entire work on tae
Tsssei. II Is understood has been done, but
essnx p the bad management of the con-
Tat the government cannot. under the
eostraci. make the partial payments. upon
shich the contractor counted 10 pay his
nan. Instead Of doing the particular work
which would have entitled him to the first
thrre-tent1s OF the contract price, he has
cone similar amount of work scattered
ever the entire vessel. IN such n way that
Capt. Merrill. OF the United States navy.
tae supervising engineer at Portland. can
sot certify that any particular section of
TIE work. as provided for by the contract,
has been completed.
While the government. officials are not
worrying particularly over the legal COM
bAca;ions between StcfYen and his men,
yet they are In conslde rable or a guam
dcry how best TO get the vessel complefes.
lss necessity 10 commerce is so we'll un-
dersiopd that the delay In It's construction
i deeply regretted by the lighthouses
eosrd. Every effort Is now being made 10
arrange for It's spaedy completion. Cor
Ytspondence has been entered into with
Aesxs. Woiff a Zwicker. of Portland the
arm which recently obtained the -ontracr
trim the navy department TO build two OF
ne sma.ler torpedo boats for the Pacific
tcasf. other companies owning ircn works
% Portland have also been written To as
regards their ability 10 take up and go
a. with Steffens unfinished contract II
not much 10 Zoe expected tfat the firm
having the torpedo boats under contract
sa care 10 undertake the work. and il
sas been suggested that. In case OF neces-
Sly, some arrangement might he made
win the Moran Bros. o. Seattle, the
tadsrs OF torpedo boat No s. 10 co nplets
% Light Ship.
II Is said that tho lighthouse board Vas
sers anxious 10 give builders on the Pa
-, coast a trial In this kind OF work
al thai a very liberal construction WAS
paced on Sfeffen's bids, and matters
strained considerably In his favor ~ the
sEe Of the award. 50 that IL might be pos
Sole for another firm 10 take up the work
mi make a reasonable profit.
Senen's eon;rac. called for the com
slesion of the ship on October -, which
the certainly must have been extended
nen II he haa done the work In the order
fpeeincd In rho contract. aud received his
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