The San Francisco call., 1896-03-25

less, vigilant and Alert are now busily en-
gagged in pumping her out. ALL night
long the water was pumped into the hold
and when morning broke the main deck
was submerged. Captain Bartield and his
wife took up their quarters on the Fearless
and remained aboard all day as the guests
of Captain Haskell. 1t was impossible to
do any cooking in the ships galley, so all
the officers and men on the Alexandra had
their meals on the tugs.
When the Fearless and Vigilant began
pumping out the hold of the Alexandra
yesterday morning they at first made no
impression. The water ran in as fast as
1t was pumped out, and at one time it ap-
peared as though vessel and cargo would be
total loss. AS the tide fell, however, the
big pumps began to make an impression,
and when the Alert got to work the water
in the hold fell gradually. BY A P. N. the
vessels main deck was clear, and from
that on everything went smoothly. By
this morning the chances are that the Al
exandra will be ready to dock, and then her
cargo will be discharged. The BARK will
then receive thorough oxerhauling, and
will probably load here for Europe.
Captain Barfeld is very sick man. AS
soon as physician saw his wounded leg,
he ordered him to bed, and it will probably
be month before he is able to be about
again. His leg is swollen to enormous
proportions, and the wounds made by the
bursting rocket are very much inaamed.
The officers and crew are very indignant
over statement published to the effect
that they were gong to desert the burning
ship and were only stopped by the en-
treaties of Mrs. Barfield. They deny the
statement in toto. and point to the fact
that when the fire was raging most fercely
Chief Officer Blackjack and Second Mate
Madams went below and removed four
cases OF kerosene, which were expected to
explode every minute. Mrs. Barfield is
very indignant over the matter, and says
every man aboard did his duty.
The sunken vessel and the three big
tugs at work on her drew quite crowd to
the sugar refinery yesterday. Hundreds
of people lined the shore all day and
watched the proceedings with great inter-
est. Outwardly the Alexandra shows no
signs of the fire that ragged within. Those
portions of the deck that could be seen
were warped in all directions, and around
the mainmast were a number of holes
burnt out by the fire. The cabin was
gutted, but the fol ward part of the vessel
did not suffer much. The entire cargo has
been ruined, so the underwriters will be
heavy losers.
The total loss on vessel and cargo, in
Guiding towage and pumping, will prob
ably exceed $4,000. The cargo of 1000 tons
of coal will be total loss. New decks will
have to be put in and probably new
main mast All IN all. the underwriters
will suffer considerably.
The Pacific Mail Company's steamer
San Bias got in from Panama and way
ports yesterday, day ahead of time, and
docked at LON bard-s street wharf. The
tug Barclay Golden left Acapulco day
ahead OF the San Bias and may be ex-
pected here about next Friday. General
EZeta, who started in her to reconquer
San Salvador, is at Panama, and the
officers on the steamer say he has not a
cent. At Corinto the steamer did not
stop, so there is no news from the war at
Nicaragua. From what could be gathered
further up the coast, however. the general
impression on the San Bias was that the
rebels were getting the best of the struggle.
The San Bias brought the following
cabin passengers:
Mrs. C. J. Southwick, Mrs. NJ O'Connor, Fat
Chel, J. II. Farthing, Mrs. L. NJ. Gray, Mrs. L.
H. Cam W. H. Taubert, Carlos Luis, H. de
Windt, Mrs. NJ. ]. Murphy and child, A. T.
prapdt; and twenty-five in the steerage.
The docking of the San Bias caused the
wreck of the little steam launch Pup. For
years and years she has been used to take
the lines of the Pacific Mail Company's
steamers as they were docking, and old
Captain "Bilp' Taylor has probably been
longer in that line of business than any
other boatman in San Francisco. As the
San Bias was docking yesterday heaying
line was thrown to Captain Bill and he at
once started for the wharf with it. Before
the Pup had gone ten yards the line caught
in her propeller and brought the little
steamer TO standstill. The San Bias
bore down on her and in few minutes the
little steamer had been turned over and
was sunk twenty-four feet deep. Captain
Bill and the engineer jumped for their
lives and were hauled on the wharf The
Pup will be raised, and as the big steamer
only hit her glancing blow the chances
are that it will not cost much to repair her.
The work of rejuvenating the old British
bark Sharpshooter is being rapidly pushed.
New spars and new decks are being put in
and when completed the Sharpshooter
will be a barkentine and as good as new.
She will run between here and Honolulu.
A dispatch to the Merchants Ex-
change from Collins Landing says
that at about P. M. on the 23d inst.
a two-masted schooner with dismasted
schooner in tow was sighted off Fish Rock
proceeding south. 1t is probably one OF
the coasters that has been disabled in a
gale. One of the southbound steamers
may pick her up and bring her into port.
The schooner j. B. Leeds, now out so
days from Guaymas for Grays Harbor, is
all right. Twenty-Five days ago she was