The San Francisco call., 1896-07-08
Two of Her Boats Were Dam
aged, but the Hull Escaped
Injury.
LUCKILY THE ANCHORS HELD
Two of the Spreckels Tugs Got the
Warship Back to a Safe
Anchor age.

The battle-ship Oregon is playing in
hard luck. 1t seems that her enormous
size is against her, and neither anchors nor
mooring -buoys can hold her. In the usual
order of events she would be taken to Mare
Island and there turned over to the naval
authorities. Owing to the fact, however,
that the big battle-ship draws twenty-four
feet it was decided not to make the trans
fer at naval headquarters, but in the bay.
The Oregon had her own opinions about
the matter, however, and yesterday morn
ing she broke adrift and went careering
oown the bay. How she escaped destruc-
tion is a mystery. but all ship captains
who have seen her say that no disaster can
ever come to such a perfect piece of marine
| architecture.
When Rear-Admiral Kirkland decided,
on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy, to
accept the vessel in the bay instead of at
Mare Island the SCOTS were at once noti-
| fed. Accordingly the Spreckels tugs
were called in and the battle-ship was towed
| out of her dock at the Union Iron Works
and moored- near the rolling mills. Extra
| precautions were taken to make every
| thing secure, and Henry S. Scott remained
| on board until midnight in order to see
that there was no detail overlooked. He
had not left the warship an hour before she
picked up her moorings and started for
Mission Rock.
Mission Bay is crowded with schooners
| and deep-water ships, but through them
| all the Oregon threaded her way and the
! crew slept on. The British ship Ellisland
was right in her course, and Mission Rock
| loomed up right ahead. The lookout then
| discovered that the battle-ship was adrift.
| and he at once sounded an alarm. Some
of the men ran into the pilot-house and
| others made a rush to let go the best
| bower. By skillful maneuvering the bat
tle-ship was sheered off and the Ellisland
escaped. Not so the schooner Halcyon,
however. After the Oregons anchor held
! she swung around with the first of the
food tide, while the sailing vessel, being
inshore. was held by the last of the ebb.
They came together, but strange to say,
the battle-ship was the one that suffered.
The schooner's long jibboom raked her
and two OF the boats were so badly dam
aged that they will have to be replaced.
| As the Oregon had swing within $50 feet
OF Packard Rock the men at once sent
| ashore for assistance. II did not take
long for Irving NJ. Scott, Henry S. Scott
and superintendent Forsyth to get back
aboard. They recognized at once the dan
gerous position in which the vessel lay
and at once signaled for tugs. The Active
and Alert were on the scene inside of
Brockaw held the warship up to her
anchor in order to allow its being taken in
Captain Marshall in the Active pulled on
the HalcyOn in order to keep her clear.
Finally everything was cleared and then
both tugs took hold of the Oregon and
/ towed her to safe anchorage.
Packard Rock is one of the most dan
gerous points in Mission Bay. 1t is named
after the American ship Benjamin +.
Packard, which went ashore there while in
tow of the tug Hercules, and over which q
suit for damages is now pending. The
rock was then not marked on the chart.
1t is now located by small spar buoy,
Guilty in finding it.
Eight hours after the battle-ship had
ed from her dangerous quarters she
was turned over to Uncle Sam. All the
heads of departments from the Union
Iron Works were present, and Lieutenant
4. NJ. Hughes, as the representative of
Rear-Admiral Kirkland Of the navy-yard,