The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-20
After Twenty-Five Years o.
Service She Is Still as
Good as Ever.
SINKING OF A SMALL STEAMER
The Ethel and Marion Went Down
Owing TO CarelessneSs of
the Engineer,

The hand soonest and largest steamer in
port is the Pacific Mail Company's City of
Picking. She came here from Chester,
Pa. nearly twenty-five years ago, and has
been continuously in the Oriental trade
ever since. Not a steamer that trades in
and out Of San Francisco has met with
fewer mishaps than the Peking during her
long and busy career. She is 5079.62 tons
gross burden, 408 feet long, At feet broad
and 10 feet 5 inches deep. Her passenger
accommodation is of the finest, and her
carrying capacity is greater than that of
any passenger steamer that has visited
the coast.
Among tee officers of the Picking, Chief
Engineer William Mcclure is the oldest
in point of service. He has been sixteen
years on the steamer continuously, and is
one of the most trusted employees of the
Pacific Mail. When the Picking broke
down some years ago on her way here
from China, Mcclure and his men did
yeomen's work in the repairing of the
broken shaft. Their efforts were all in
vain, but machinists assert still that 1T
was one OF the cleverest attempts at re-
pairs in the circumstances ever made on
the Pacific.
Captain ]. Tremain Smith is a new COM
mander on the Peking. Chief Officer G.
G. Trask took the vessel over to Hongkong
last Decem Der, and there Captain Smith
assumed command. Since then he has
made himself favorite with the travelling
public and the officers OF his crew.
Chief officer Trask is an old master mar
liner and is well known on the coast. He
is one of the best disciplinarlans In Cali
fornIa, and he always has his crew well In
hand.
Purser E. T. Osborn has grown up in
a. NIosf nd
from freight clerk on the wharf has grad
ually worked himself up to the important
position he now holds. All in all, the
Peking is one of the best Differed and
best found ships in port.
Phe tug Ethel and Marion met with an
other mlshap yesterday. Engineer DaYe
Linden turned on the water from the
main on the wharf into the tanks and
then took a stroll along the front. When
he returned, according 10 his story, he
turned the water off, but nevertheless 1t
continued to run into the tanks, over
flowed them and ran into the englne-room,
then the hold filed up and finally the
staunch little vessel went down. When
Engineer Linden returned after a second
stroll along the front the Ethel and
Marion was out of sight. She had sunk
beneath e waters OF the bay. Inc po-
lice were informed that the tug had been
stolen. but DAYLIGHT revealed her smoke
stack lust above water and the dingey and
part OF the deckhouse floating in the dock.
Captain Tomminson arrived on the scene
early in the morning only to find himself
out of a Job Late in the afternoon Lin
den secured the services of Whitelaw's
wrecker and the Ethel and Marion was
raised.
Mrs. Thorold, owner of the tug, has been
particularly unfortunate. Some time ago
her husband died IRON an accident. He
was playing with his little girl and ran
crochet-needle into his hand. Mortitica-
ton set in ana he died. The day OF his
death the insurance company in which he
was insured failed, and the widow never
received cent. Then the tug went down
in the great norther that wrecked Fisher
mems wharf, and ever since she has been
in more or less trouble. Mrs. Thorold
manages the boat herself, and has barely