The San Francisco call., 1896-09-27
DROVE ITS SWORD
THROUGH THE HULL
A SWordfish BoreS a Hole
Into the Irmgard's
Hold.
THE VESSEL LEAKED.
Men Had to Man the Pumps
Every Four Hours to Keep
Her Clear.
A WHALEBACK sAILING.sHIP.
Seamen Say She Is Not a Success,
but She Got Safely Into Port
With a Cargo.

The only whaleback sailing ship that
has ever entered this port docked at the
Pacific Mail Com pany's wharf yesterday.
She is the English vessel Bermuda and
came here with coal from Nanaimo, b. c.,
for the steamship company. The Ber-
muda is modern in every particular, but
the crew does not like her as well as other
vessels in which they have served. Their
quarters are below, and as there are no
deckhouses they get very little shelter
during storm. There are no bulwarks
and the tons of water that break aboard
during a storm have very little effect and
the vessel is not strained in consequence.
The Bermuda would certainly not be a
pleasant ship to round the Horn in.
The ship is well appointed throughout
and Captain Kohn says she is splendid
sea boat. After discharging the coal cargo
the Bel muda will be loaded with wheat
for Europe.
Sailing vessels are gradually being
driven out of the wheat business by tramp
steamers. Quite a number of the latter
class have been here during the past two
months and having loaded are now on
their way to Europe again. To take their
places the Flintsaire is on her way here
from Hongkong, the Strathness from
Kobe, the Kirkhill from Nagasaki, the
H. w. JarsbeTg from Yoko. anna, the
Wennington from Shangh al, the Glenesk
from Singapore and the City of Dublin
from Yokohama. Between them they
will take away nearly 80, 900 tons of wheat.
The barkentine Irmgard was fully dis
charged yesterday and then the crew dis
covered why they had been compelled to
work at the pumps every four hours during
the trip from Honolulu in order to keepthe
vessel free from water. A swordfish had
attacked the vessel and driven its sword
through five inches of planking and eight
inches of lining. About two inches of the
sword protruded from the outside OF the
hull and an inch on the inside.
Captain Schmidt does not remem Der
when the swordfsh attacked the barken-
tine, but he does know that the Irmgard
began to leak when she was two days out
from Honolulu. An unusually heavy gale
that lasted twenty-four hours had been
encountered and when it supsided the
vessel was found TO be leaking. II was
not bad one, but with a sugar cargo it
meant trouble. In consequence the pun ps
were used for about ten minutes every
four hours and the damage to the cargo
was very slight.
The sword imbedded in the Irmgard's s
side is about two inches broad and little
over an inch thick. 1t made clean cut
and is driven so firmly into the vessel s
side that two or three planks will have to
| be removed before the damage can be re-
paired. The pieces of wood with the
sword in them will probably be presented d
| to the park museum.
A private letter from Victoria, B. c.,
! recounts the pro bable loss of three sailors
from the schooner Fortuna. The boats
were out hunting, and as the weather was
clear and calm no danger was suspected.
Suddenly one of the boats disappeared,
and from that day to this has never been
heard from. The men in it were: E. Har-
mon OF San Francisco, Dan Clifton of Mel
bourne and Moses Andrews of Victoria,
B. G. The accident happened off the
japan coast, but as the schooner was miles
off shore there was no chance of the men
being picked up.
The brig John D. Spreckels has had g
new bowsprit put in and is being thor
oughly overhauled. She will begin load
ing for Mahukona on Monday and receive
quick dispatch. The Spreekels is the
champion vessel of the sugar feet, and
Captain Christensen is confident that he
will make quick run to the islands on
! this occasion.
The Tropic Bird docked at Howard No.
yesterday and will begin loading for
Tahiti tomorrow.
The Annie johnson has been taken off
the sugar route and will load for San Jose
de Guatemala end the Alaska Packers
Associations Pacific went to Oakland
Creek to lie up. yesterday.