The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-18
Had Ten Feet of Water in the
Forehold When lowed
Off the Mud.
WILL COME TO SAN FRANCISCO
Captain Luttrell of the Vine Had q
Hard Experience in an Elec-
trical Storm.

DISASTER seems 20 1OllOW oNoig CAhR WI
nected with the Southern Pacific's ship
ping interests. Steamer after steamer has
been lost and the Mail Company's Colon
bia is now being dismantled at Pigeon
Point. Yesterday her engines were I'M
loaded from the schooner Free Trade at
Folsom-street wharf and the boilers are
now being taken out and loaded into the
schooner Volante.
The news of more trouble came from
Yokohama Saturday. The steamer Gaelic
on her way from Hongkong for San Fran
cisco ran ashore at Shimonoseki, on the
coast of Japan, and soon thereafter there
was ten feet of water in her hold. D. D.
Stubs of the Southern Pacific and secre-
tary of the Occidental and Oriental Steam
ship Company, says the Gaelic has been
temporarily repaired and taken to Yoko-
hama, where she will be locked.
Just how the accident happened no one
seems TO know, and the mystery will be
only cleared up when the vessel arrives
here. At Shimonoseki there is only soft
mud and it seems impossible for a big
steamer to injure herself very much by
running ashore. The general Impression
is that she was in collision and that Cap
ship. The Gaelic had large cargo of tea
and Oriental merchandise, and as ner FORE
hold was flooded a considerable loss will
result.
The steamer City of Puebla sailed for
Puget Sound ports yesterday morning,
and there was scene on the wharf before
she got away. Percy Douglas, young
man from Bakersfield, caused the arrest
of Miss Birdie Wilson for stealing $50 and
some Jewelry from him. Brides sister
and Douglas had been good friends, but
the young woman persuaded her to leave
him and was on her way to Victoria, b. c.,
when arrested. Miss Wilson says it is
case of persecution, and Douglas says he
doesn't care what she calls it so long as
he gets his money and jewelry back.
Andrew Johnson, crazy sailor, jumped
off Broadway wharf yesterday John
Gray, the boatman, went to his rescue,
but had to fight hard before he could get
the would-be suicide into the boat. When
land was reached Gray turned the sailor
over to Officers Dover and Crosby, but on
the way to the Harbor Police Station he
tempted to throw himself under pass
ing electrician. he was again rescued
and finally locked up in the Harbor Police
Station.
A private letter received by Al White
from Copper River says that IN one sense
the season up there has been remarkably
good one and in another remarkably
bad one. The run of salmon was very
good and the Alaska Packers Association
had on hand July % last over 10000
cases ready for shipment. The Pacific
Steam Whaling Company had almost as
many cases on hand, but terrific storm
came up and blew down two of the COM
pany's warehouses and all the salmon
were washed into the river and lost. In
order to make up its deficiency the COM
pany offered $40 thousand for fish and
was doing rushing business when the
mail left.
The Boring Sea patrol feet will disband
next month and return to San Francisco.
The Bear will reach Unalaska about Sep.
TENDER 10, but will not return to this port
before November. In the meantime she
will visit all the Government supply
stations in Alaska.
Another halibut schooner got IN from
the banks yesterday. 1t the Little Pilot,
and she has 10000 pounds of the fish
aboard. The captain is not going to sell
his stock on the vessels deck, but will
open fishstore on East street.
The German bark Asset, which came
here from Guaymas, will go to Noyo to
load lumber for London. This will be the
first cargo of redwood that has ever left
Noyo for Europe.
The steamer Whitesboro, while on her
way from Port Costa to her berth at Main
street, struck a snag and lost one of the
blades of her propeller. She will go on
the ways at Oakland for repairs.
The steamer Progreso Is idle just now
and her owners have seized the oppor-
tunity to put her on the Union Iron
Works drydock to get new shaft fitted
to her engines.
Work ON the Spear-street bulkhead will
begin to-day. Some time ago the Harbor
Com missioners let a contract for the re-
building of the wharf, but the contractors
failed after tearing up the planking. The
work has now been relet to the San Fran
cisco Bridge Company and it will push the
work.
The fog which caused the loss of the
Colombia and st. Paul seems to have
reached even Alaska. The mail-steamer
Ella Rohlffs, which left Karluk on July IL
for Chignik, was lost for seven days and
finally managed to reache Karluk again
on July rs. A fresh start was made when
the fog lifted.
The schooner Vine has at last reached
Central America. She left here on June
IL for the southern seas, but had consid-
cradle cargo to land at Champerico and
San Jose de Guatemala. At the latter
port Captain Luttrell found 5000 tons of
Pacific Mail Company freight stored up
in warehouses and on the wharf awaiting
shipment. In consequence the Vine was
considerably delayed in getting her con-
signments ashore.
On July 26 the schooner ran into a hur-
ricane. Three waterspouts passed close
to the vessel, and one of them came too
close to the bowsprit to be pleasant. A
hghtning-storm followed. and In his letter
Captain Luttrell says the mastheads were
like balls of fire. Some of the crew were
so affected by the electricity that for days
afterward their bodies felt as though they
had the prickly heat. The interior of the
cabin was painted with white enamel, but
the electric fluid took control and ali the
paneling is now a bright blue. The Vine
did not steer well. and Captain Luttrell
had considerable difficulty in making port.
The following vessels of the Alaska
Packers Association have been reported as
having arrived safely: Steamers-Royal,
Polar Bear. President; ships-Levi G. Bur-
CESS. Louisiana, Harry Morse; barks-Will
w. Case, Nicholas Thayer, Merom, Charles
3. Kenney; schooner Prosper.
The steamer Ella Rohlffs left Karluk
July IL with mail for Chignik, returned to
Karluk July &c, having lost her bearings
in heavy fog which lasted for six days,
and drifted close to Unga before position
Of steamer could be ascertained.
The reports from the canneries of the
Alaska Packers Association are very
III