The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-15
WITHIN AN ACE
Of TOTAL LOSS
The Ship Centesima Had
TO Be Run on the
Mud Flats.
Struck Sunday on the Potato
Patch When the Bar Was
Breaking.
Quite a Number of Vessels Are Bar
Bound in Coast Ports at
Present.

The British ship Centesima, that struck
on the Potato Patch last Saturday night,
was towed to Sausalito yesterday and run
on the mud fats. The damage was found
to be much greater than was at first sus-
pected, and when it was discovered that
the vessel was making sixteen inches of
water an hour the captain thought it time
to run his ship ashore. The tugs Sea
King and Sea Queen were sent to her as
sistance, and while Captain Rasmussen,
in the former. did the towing. Captain
Smith, in the Queen, remained alongside
and kept the pumps going. In this way
the Centesima was taken to Richardson's
Bay, where she now lies only few hum
dred yards from the Sausalito ferry-boat.
The big ship has a cargo of over 1900
tons aboard, but none of it is perishable.
At Dundee she took aboard 1000 tons of
pigiron and considerable marble and other
goods. AT Newcastle on-Tyne she loaded
up with coke and then made the run her
in 145 days.
Pilot Freeman boarded her outside and
the tug Reliance put line aboard outside
the whistling buoy. The bar was break
ing at the time and three heavy rollers
in succession struck the ship. The first
one threw her over, the second one put
her down on the patch and the third
IdiSoQ HS1 CilOuSA " give tAC IuS a SAohC0
to tow her clear. An examination shows
that the Centesima's deck beams are
broken and that nearly every plate in the
center of the ship has been started. The
cargo will be discharged into lighters and
then the vessel will go on the drydock for
an overhaullng.
The Pomona got in from Eureka yester-
day after very stormy passage. She
caught the full force OF the storm and
Captain Doran says that had it not been
for the steamers powerful engines he
could never have made time.
The CZarina was TO have sailed on Sun
day for the Beaver Hill colliery, but owing
to the state of the bar and the heavy
weather outside the captain made up his
mind to remain in port. He took the
steamer as tar as the bar and then came
back again. ALI of yesterday this Czarina
lay at anchor and the chances are that she
will not go out until the gale Is over and
Coos Bay bar not dangerous. The steamer
has new boilers and new machinery in
parts. The repairs have never been thor
oughly tested, so her owners considered it
safer to keep her in port than to send her
out In heavy southeaster, where she
would be helpless if anything gave way.
'.Bob" Spear, the. boatman, had a mar
row escape in yesterdays storm. BE was
taking out some supplies to the Monad
mock when the wind took control of his
street.
He was almost giving up in despair
when the tug Reliance came along and
took the whitehall in tow. Spear was
landed on the warshIp about 10 A. NJ, but
it was late in the afternoon before he
would venture on the return trip.
The tug Rescue that took the barken-
tine Geneva to Eureka has been caught
by the storm and is now bar-bound. Had
she arrived off the port two hours later
Captain Thompson could not have got his
tow In and would now be facing forty
| five knot breeze.
The schooner Lizzie Prien and the tug
Ionquln are In queer predlcament IN
Nehalem River. The latter was towing
the schooner out when she struck a snag
aud not only broke her propeller shaft but
| sustained considerable damage in the en-
gines also. The Prien cannot get out over
the bar. and as the Tonquin is useless the
chances are that both vessels will remain
side by SIDE until another tug can be sent
from San Francisco to tow one 10 sea and
the other to place where repairs can be
made.
The steam schooner Alliance was tested
on the bay yesterday and proved herself
to be last boat and very steady in sea-
way. The chances are that she will be put
IN the Coos Bay trade and carry coal and
passengers for Goodall, Perkins 81 Co.
Inc company has been seeking suitable
boat ever since the wreck OF the Arago
and the Alliance will probably be used
until new vessel is built.
The Il. K. Wood, before reported as
being overdue at Tientsin, has, according
to private telegram. arrived at that
point and sailed again on the 18th inst. for
Nagasaki.
The commission of officers selected by
the Secretary of the Navy to locate and
establish naval training school on Goat