The San Francisco call., 1896-08-11
Work Of Dismantling Begun
After an Investigation
by a Diver.
LITTLE OF THE CARGO SAVED
A Portion of the Livestock Aboard
Drowned in the Stranded
Vessels Hold.

ASHORE OFF POINT PIN0S via MONTEREY,
CALI, Aug. 10.-Already the stranded st.
Paul is abandoned to her fate and the
crew is stripping the wreck. 1t is the
story of the Pacific Mail steamer Colom-
bia over again without even a variation.
Like the steamship on the reef off Pigeon
Point, forty miles away, the st. Paul is as
motionless as when she lay on the stocks
before launching. There is a sharp rock
piercing into the hold just abaft of the
foremast, little on the port side, and an
other in the afterhold, also on the port
side. On these two pinnacles of reef she
hangs. To be freed from her position she
must be lifted bodily, but she will never
be free until the seas batter her into scrap
iron.
There is deep water under the bow and
amidships and along the entire starboard
side. If she had listed in that direction
after the rocks crushed her bottom on Sat-
urday's dark and foggy night number OF
bodies would now in all probability be
washing about in the treacherous coast
| currents. But she went the other way and
fell against a large rock, which has crushe d
| in the plates on the port side. When the
engines were reversed in the effort to back
the humping steamer off the reef the pro-
peller- blades struck the ledge as she fell in
the trough of the swell and were broken
off. The keel aft is jammed out of line and
the rudder damaged.
This is the report of the diver who went
down under the vessel to-day. In the
clear, blue water he CROPPED along her en-
tire length and saw every splintered plate.
When the submarine observer told OF the
wreck and ruin below the water line Cap
tain Goodall Immediately gave orders to
begin the work of disma ntling the hulk.
AS in the case of the Colon bla, the crew
began with the staterooms and cabins.
These were soon emptied and their furni-
ture removed in the ships boats to the
Santa Cruz, which is lying at anchor a
short distance away.
A heavy sea rolls constantly around the
steamer and the labor of loading the boats
is difficult one. If the hull were not hung
so solidly on the rock points she would not
last twelve hours, even under the present
favorable weather conditions. As che leans
somewhat seaward a ial increase in
the weight of the swell will topple her over
to starboard into deep water, where she
will sink in few minutes.
The engine and fire rooms being full of
water, it is impossible to get at the heavy
machinery, but everything within that
compartment within reach is being re-
moved. A small portion OF the cargo in
the forward hold may be saved, but ait all
is ruined. There are 5000 sacks of wheat,
and the water-logged grain has swollen
until the hold is as tight as drum. In
time the increasing bulk will burst the
deck and bulkheads.
inh rta a
of the officers lodged in Monterey, but the
crew camped on the beach, as the hulk
hanging on the reef is not safe retreat by
any means. When all hands returned to
the vessel this morning they learned that
the first tragedy of the wreck had occurred.
The lower deck hatch covers had been
lifted off by the rising tide within the hull,
and most all of the livestock on board had
fallen into the deep water. Twenty of the
calves had been drowned, and the rest
were swimming around and clinglng TO
the floating articles in the hold, believing
piteously. The survivors were fished out
of their involuntary bath and removed to
the Santa Cruz.
Captain Minor Goodall is staying by the
wrecked steamer directing the work of
stripping her. He says little concerning
the ruin of one OF his best boats, but evil
IDENTIFY his thoughts are not happy ones.
at is of no use" said he to CALL cor
respondent to-day, as he looked over the
rail down at the rocks showing cruelty
alongside, ito think OF getting her on.
The divers report destroyed all that hope
and she is goner. We will save what we
can from her and the sea or the wreckers
NAV have the rest. If she were lifted from
the reef, could that be accomplished,
she would only sink, and even If we
got her further on the beach, where the
breakers could get fair sweep at her, she
would soon go to pieces. do not now re-
call what the insurance on her Is, nor
what she was valued at few days ago.
You know what she is worth now. How
ever. the marine adjuster will be down to-
morrow and he Will have little look
around.
NO, l don't wish to make any state
ment as to the causes that put her up on
Moss Beach instead of alongside the
| Broadway wharf in San francisco. can
only say she is here, and, | imagine, her
stay in the place will be prolonged
Then the captain looked down at the
rocks and lapsed into silence. A CALL
correspondent yesterday rowed from the
steamer out over the rolling Pacific swells
through the kelp. The log whistle was
sounding its dreary below. With its
anchor and chain it weighs ten tons, and
the whistle is almost twelve feet above the
surface of the sea. very light southerly
wind was blowing. and to wlndward the
whistle could not be heard mile away.
When a storm is on, and the great waves
force the air up through its locomotive
whistle, its bowling can be heard Tor
miles.
In dark, foggy, still nights it is of about
as much use to belated navigator as the
pipe of a canary bird. 1t bears from the
wreck northwest. which shows that the
st Paul should have been headed toward
this point of the compass at the instant
she struck the beach, steering due east.
1t was truly blunder.
The Point Pinos light is the oldest one
on the coast 1t was erected forty-four
wears ago. The lighthouse proper is about
half mile back from the shore line at
Point Pinos. and is of stone. The lamp is
ninety-one feet above the sea level. 1t Is
fixed, white light, and has 1950-candie-
power light.
1t is called a quarter-mile
light, but can be seen Oh an ordinary
clear night for about twenty miles to sea.
The light mas two circular wicks, the out
side wick being one and thirteen-six-
teenths inches in diameter. 1t is third
order light.
Mrs. Fish is keeper and has one assistant