The San Francisco call., 1896-03-24
Captain Bar6eld Nearly Lost
His Leg Through an Ex.
ploding Rocket.
FIRING SIGNALS OF DISTRESS.
Brave Work Done by Pilot F. w.
Jordan and Captain Haskell Of
the Fearless.

One of the most exciting scenes wit
messed in the habor for many day was
presented to all who happened to be on the
| water front about o clock yesterday even
ing. The big tug Fearless, with the Brit
ish bark Alexandra and the schooner
Helen N. Kimball in tow, was rushing
through the Golden Gate, while the tug
| Vigilant was racing down the bay to meet
| them.
The Alexandra was on fire and her hull
was at a red heat, while volumes OF SIN oke
and steam poured from her open matches.
The wooden deck had in places been burnt
| away and below was glowing mass of
coal.
Off Meiggs wharf the schooner was cast
adrift, and then both the tugs got along
side the burning ship and began pumping
| water into her. At the same time they
were going full speed and soon had the
burning bark on the mud fats near the
sugar refinery. Eight streams of water
were then poured into her hold and grad
ually the fire was got under control. The
pumping was kept up all night, however.
and it was only when all appearance OF
danger was over that the work of clearing
| the ship was begun.
The Alexandra was on her way from
Newcastle, N. S. W., for Port Los Angeles.
and the following extracts from the cap
| tain's log tell the story in brief:
Thursday, March 19-In the afternoon no
| ticed strong smell of coal gas coming up the
after hatch, bu could not find any sign of fire
| in the hold.
Friday, 20, at A. NJ upon opening the laza-
rette hatch volumes of smoke issued out.
Il Do, oil ham de nd r,od affo Loxn
| Found that in the same condition dense
! smoke coming up. AT once proceeded to get
| up some stores, at great risk to officers and
crew, they being repeatedly driven back by the
1 gas and smoke.
| HAT daylight the schooner Helen n. Kimball
was close by. The fire seemed now to be burn
| ing fiercely around the mainmast pitch boil
| ing out of the seams and decks starting. So
requested the captain of the schooner to stand
| by me and would try to get the ship to San
| Francisco If possible He agreed to do so.
Saturday, 21st-Light winds and fine fire at
| times bursting through the decks. Keeping it
under by pouring quantity of water down.
Sunday, p. M.-Sighted the Farallones:
calms and light winds.
Monday, 22d, 10 A. M.-Sighted the tug Fear.
| less, and made arrangements with the captain
to tow the vessel in and put her on the mud
fat and fill her with water. Arrived at the
fiat at 8 O'Clock.
When the Alexandra was away beyond
the Farallones she was sighted by the
pilot-boat America. Captain F. W. Jor-
dan saw that the bark was on fire, but he |
never paused for an instant. The yawl
was called away and he at once set out
for the Alexandra. About three miles !
away was the tug Fearless, and Captain
Dan Haskell, using his new speaking
trumpet, said, "Hold on a minute, Jor- !,
dan, and I'll go with you" Il
The pilot heard the words distinctly and
| waited. When they got aboard the bark |
they found the crew huddled forward. the !
boats all provisioned and ready for launch
ing, and all the clothing and effects on the I
schooner Helen n. Kimbali. {
Captain Jordan took command, and il [
did not take long to get hawser aboard !
the Fearless. Captain Haskell was never |
more cool or collected in his life, and IL |
did not take him long to get everything
shipshape and start the race for San Fran :
cisco. The big tug took the bark through /
the water at the rate of twelve knots an
hour, and the speed made the fire in tho /
hold burn more tiercely. The signal flags /
were all in the schooner, so the lookout at !
Point Lobos could not make out the ves-
sci, and for time there was great deal I
of wonderment on Change.
OF Fort Point Captain Haskell began to
signal for assistance, and in response q
telephone message was sent to the Office
of the towboats at Folsom-street wharf. +
and the Vigilant was sent out.
Captain Barfield was a very sick man
last evening when seen aboard. He could +
not use his right leg and his cabin was 80
permeated with the fumes of the burning
coal that it was almost unbearable. When
the fire was discovered the schooner Helen I
N. Kimball was sighted in the distance. /
Captain Barfield signaled her to stand by |
him as he was in distress, but the captain
of the schooner having no code could not |
read the flags. Then Captain Barield de- I
termined to fire rocket, and in doing so
the charge exploded and almost blew his /
leg off.
In spite of his injuries Captain Barfeld
got another rocket ready, but before it
could be fired the schooner came up In the !
wind and stood over toward the burning
ship. When she came alongside, or as
near as she could approach with safety,
the master was engaged to stand by the
Alexandra until assistance came or she
had to be abandoned.
The crew wanted to leave her at once,
but Barfeld would not have it, and in
spite of his wounded leg kept watch and
ward over everything. When Captain
Jordan came aboard he heayed a sigh of
relief and turned the command over to the
pilot.
Captain Bar6eld is well known on Puget
Sound. For eight years he was master of
the Hudson Bay Company's ships Princess
Royal and Prince Rupert and made many t