The San Francisco call., 1896-03-31
A Warm Reception Awaiting
the Captain and Officers
of the Rio.
AN INVESTIGATION ORDERED.
The Master Blamed for Not Heaving
To and for Burning Up
the StateroomS.

There is trouble brewing for the officers
OF the steamer City of Rio de Janeiro of
the Pacific Mail line, and the chances are
that Captain Russell and his subofdinates
| will get warm reception on their arrival.
In fact, it is openly stated on the Mail
dock that all the heads of departments
| will be told that their services are no
longer required and new set of men will
take the vessel out.
The whole trouble is over the long run
of the Rio from this port to Yokohama
and the burning of the deck staterooms
and spars in order to get steam on the
boilers. When within 1900 miles of Yoko-
hama the vessel was put about ana made
for Honolulu. In his official log Chief
Officer J. T. Robinson says:
We were just 1900 miles from Yokohama
when the captain decided to return. We had
experienced bad weather tor mum Der of days
and the force of the wind registered six, seven,
eight and as high as nine. When You consider
that hurricane is reckoned as ten, you will
understand the kind of weather we had.
Sixteen days out from San Francisco, the day
we were actually due in Yokohama, we con-
sumed ffty-six tons OF coal and made sixty
two miles. At this rate every particle of our
fuel would have been exhausted had we con-
tinued, and would have been miles away
from the port with winds and currents against
have had both in our favor. 1t was after
mature deliberation and after thorough
canvass of the situation that the steamer was
turned about
The result was satisfactory to every one as
we had wind and currents with us and made
200 miles on the consumption OF fourteen tons
of coal. III the current had not been with Us
we could not have done this.
What the officials of the Mail Company
are anxious to have explained is why Cap
taih Russell kept "bucking into' head
sea and a heavy gale instead OF heaving
his ship to and waiting for the storm TO
subside. Then, again, they cannot under
stand why the deckhouses and spars were
burnt up when there were twenty tons of
coal left in the bunkers when the vessel
reached Honolulu. The wood burned up
could not at the outside have kept steam
on the boilers for more than two hours.
and,a it cost more than $1,000 to replace
them, the managers of the concern are
mad clean through.
Those who will be called upon for an ex-
planation will be Captain W. J: Russell,
CHIEF Officer J. T. Robinson, Chief En-
eineer ]. H. Matthews, and Second Officer
J. c. Johnson. 1t will have to be-a thor
oughly satisfactory explanation, or all four
will lose their official heads.
In talking over the matter yesterday a
well-known steamship captain said: II
know of my own knowledge that all the
MAIL OOm pdlly StedmeIS carry extra COAL
during the winter months. and that the
Rio de Janeiro had the usual winter sup
| ply aboard that she has been carrying for
months. The fact that he held on instead
of heaving to will not tell so much against
Captain Russell and his men as the burn
ing of the staterooms for fuel. The wood
would not hold the steam, and in any
event it should not have been used until
the last pinch. With twenty tons of coal
| in the bunkers there was no necessity at
all for tearing down the mast and deck
houses. OF course there may be circum-
stances in the case that we have not heard
of, and Captain Russell may have baen
perfectly justified in his course.
The Rio de Janeiro is now out six days
from Yokohama, and may be expected
here about April next.
Up in Washington they tell a certain
story when they want to illustrate what
they think of mean or stingy man. Old
man Bills was a rancher who had a lot of
sheep that were tended by his son Jim.
One night the sheep camp was attacked by
three wolves. Jim killed two of them with
his double-barreled shotgun, and then
clubbing the piece, knocked out the brains
of the third wolf. In doing SO he broke
the gun stock, but saved his own life and
the sheep. His father refused to listen to
argument, but after deducting from the
boys wages the cost of repairing the gun
stock, discharged him, with the remark
that he couldn't afford to encourage ex-
travagance, no matter what were the cir
cumstances.