The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
ALONG THE WATER FRONT
The Composite Lighter Renown
Has a Successful Trial
Trip.
Loss of the SEQ ttish Dales on One of
the Islands of the FIJI
Group.

Stewart Menzies & Co.'s new boat, the
Renown, had her trial trip on the bay
yesterday. Her machinery stood all the
strain of first trip, and, with the excep-
ton of hot journal, there was not
hitch from start to finish. The Renown is
a f1at-bottomed lighter.
Since the loading and unloading of ves-
sells at Sausalito and Port Costa have grown
to large proportions the stevedores have
been put to great straits on occasions to
discharge and load them. Captain Men
zies determined to do away with this
difficulty, so he had the Renown built. By
means of simple contrivance her hoist
ing machinery can be connected with the
propeller, and under full steam the strange
craft can make alb out six knots an hour.
The machinery was built by MURRAY Bros.
and yesterday without any preliminary
work in order to get the bearings into good
working shape, the Renown made the trip
to Sausalito and back in good time. Cap
tain NJ MenZles is not satisfied however, and
intends putting large propeller in the
strange-looking craft in order to make
better time.
In making the trip across the bay Fred
G. Wilson acted as master, and to do so he
had TO pass an examination and get out
pilots license. The Renown was steered
by means of ropes and Captain Wilson
showed his thorough knowledge of the
tide rip ;in the bay by the manner in
which he got his vessel inshore, and took
advantage of every eddy and current.
The Renown towed to SausaIito the
boats of the British ships Verejean, Ley
land Brothers, Beechbank and Almora, all
of which took part in the regatta.
The war between the Southern Pacific
and the river pilots has only just begun
and the latter are determined TO have
damages. In It's answer to the complaint
filed by the pilots, the railroad com pany
says that R. A. Paul was never employed
as pilot on the steam er Apache, but only
as wheelman, and that, therefore, no law
was violated. This statement is supported
by the affidavits of Charles Thompson, f.
A. Fish, K. A. White and R. A. Paul.
The pilots say that they will prove that
the Modoc and Apache have always been
steered with steam gear and that for years
past there never has been anybody in the
pilot house save the captain and the pilot.
In this way they expect to prove their case
and make the railroad company pay dam
ages.
The yachts of the various clubs started
on an excursion to Vallejo yesterday
afternoon. The San Francisco, Corinthian
and California clubs were we'll represented
and with a wet sheet and flowing sea
all should have made good passages. The
boats will lie off Vallejo all day and the
passengers and crews will visit the pretty
town and also Mare Island. A start for
home will be made this afternoon and
both visitors and men will probably be
back in time for supper.
The pumps on the Blairmore gave out
again at the critical moment yesterday,
and the work of raising the sunken ship
had to be abandoned for another twenty
four hours.
The steamer Portland, which left here
on the 10th inst. for Seattle, has been in
trouble. She was caught in the recent
gale that has done so much damage on the
coast, and was unable to make Roadway
against it. She ran out of coal and some
of the woodwork had to be burned up in
order to get the vessel into Astoria. There
she took on board a fresh supply of fuel
and resumed her voyage to-day.
News reached the Merchants Exchange
Yesterday that the British ship Scottish
Dales well known in this port, had gone
on one of the islands of the Fijian group
and had become total loss. The crew
escaped and were landed at Suva, the capi-
tai of Fiji, from which point they will be
sent to Melbourne or Sydney, Australia,
and thence 10 England. The Scottish Dales
went from here to the Sound and at
Tacoma loaded wheat for Port Pirie, in
South Australia. She was not heard
from until to-day, when the news arrived
that she was total wreck on the island of
Vatoa. She was 1998-ton craft, built for
w. H. Ross & Co. in 1888.
The Pacific Mail Company's Rio de jan
eiro and Acapulco both sailed to-day, the
former for the ORIENT and the latter for
Central American ports. Among the Rios
passengers was George Wise, son of the
Collector of the Port, and in consequence
there was a big crowd of Federal officials
at the dock to see him off. Both vessels
went away with full cargoes. but very few
passengers.
The Occidental and Oriental Company's