The San Francisco call., 1897-01-19
/ AUNCH OF THE
STEAMER HELENE
A New Vessel for the Island
Trade Successfully
Floated.
She Will in Future Fly the
Wilder Steamship Company's
Flag.
Sealing Schooners Have Not Done
Well Of the Coast and Hunters
Are Despondent.

The new steel steamer Helene built for
the Wilder Steamship Company Of Homo
lulu was launched yesterday from the
Union Iron Works. Miss Dickson per-
formed the ceremony of christening the
new craft and as the graceful vessel glided
toward the waters of the bay she broke
bottle of champagne over her bow and
gave her the name under which she will
sail from San Francisco. On arriving at
Honolulu the Helene will be put under
the Hawaiian flag and native name will
be given her, the present one being be-
slowed only for the sake of her American
registry.
The new steamer is IT'S feet long, % feet
II inches broad and IA feet 10% inches
deep. She will be used in the inter-lsland
trade, and is expected to be one of the
! fastest boats in the companys fleet The
latter consists of the Kiuau, Claudine,
Likelike, Hawaii, Kilauea-How, Lehua,
Mokolii and the Helene. The directors of
| the company are the following men, who
are well known in San Francisco: c. L.
| Wight, president; w. G. Irwin, ]. F.
Hackfeld, w. F. Allen, s. B. Rose, j. A.
King and G. c. Beckley. The company's
| Claudine will be remem bered as the
steamer that brought the news of the
/ revolution 10 San francisco and the es-
| tablishmenJ of a republic in Hawaii. The
| tonnage of the vessels is almost the same,
! but the Claudine has more than double
| the horsepower of her rival.
Nevertheless the builders of the new
vessel are willing to wager that on her
| trial trip the Helene will make better
record than the Claudiae. The engines
and boilers will at once be put in the new
steamer, and by the end OF the month she
will probably go on her trial trip. If she
| proves a success she will at once sail for
| Honolulu. The engines have been built
under the supervision OF w. A. Johnston.
chief engineer OF the Wilder Steamship
Company, and c. L. Wight, president of
the company, arrived on the Monowai in
| order to be present at the launching. a
drawing was made by the Union Iron
| Works showing the Helene a she will ap-
pear when on her way to Honolulu.
| The Pacific Mail Steamship Com pany's
| Rio de Janeiro got in from Hongkong via
Yokohama and Honolulu yesterday.
Among the passengers were Mrs. Emma
! L. Hunt, and Miss Emma Hunt. Mrs.
| Hunt is the representative on this coast
of the firm of Jesse Moore-Hunt Com
! pany, and her father is Harbor Commis-
| sioner' Cole. She and her daughter have
|
and yesterday Commissioner Cole went
out in the tug Governor Markham and
boarded the Rio before she docked.
Other passengers on the steamer were:
G. J. Stemler, Paul Strebe, E. Griffin and
wife, H. Kruse ana wife, S. G. 0. King
and wife. c. S. Moore, t. Moore, ID. Alt
man. S. II. Kruse and ?. FunKe.
The sealing schooner Mary Taylor put
in here yesterday to land Thomas Irvine,
one of the hunters, who was suddenly
| taken i'll while off the Farallones. He was
sent to st. Mays Hospital and if all goes
well will return home on the next Victoria
steamer.
The latest news from ENGLAND is any
thing but reassuring TO hunters ana seal
ers The latest telegraphic returns are to
the effect that skins have brought 12% per
/ cent less than they did last month and
that the general average is only 30s
4d, price much below what skins
brought last year. In consequence both
owners and hunters will be losers on the
seasons catch.
Lulu Gwinn, 16-year-old girl, was ar
rested on the water front yesterday by
officer George Lake and booked at the
H ar bor Police station for the reformatory.
For weeks she has been making her head
quarters in a waterfront resort, and being
Under age the police determined to arrest
her.
The Branch Hydrographic Office has
issued the following notice TO mariners:
Notice is hereby given that post light.
fixed white to be known Martin Island
QoWer) post light, has been established off
the lower end of Martin Island, Columbia
River, channel across Martin Island Bar, on
the following bearings: Hoffman Landing
Post Light NV, by w. 3s W; Martin Island
Qower) Post Light, g. by L. q E.
The light will be shown from a lante sus-
pended from a single pile, painted black,
which stands in about four feet at low water.
| The light marks the turn in the ship channel
! at the foot OF Martin Island and is about Is
! feet above low-water mark. The light hitherto
known as Martin Island Post Light will here
after be known as the Martin Island tuppeD
Post Light.
| Notice is also given that the Point Partridge
! belbuoy has been replaced on its bearings
! about one mile to the westward OF Point
| Partridge, Strait OF Juan de Fuca, Wash.
! Point Wilson Lighthouse, southeast halfsoutn.
! Admiralty Head Lighthouse, east southeast
! eighth east Right tangent to Protection Island,
south by west three-QuarteTs west.
This notice affects the List OF Lights and
! Fog Signals, Pacific Coast, 1896, page y, No.
! 1863 and the List of Beacons and Buoys, Pa
ciiie Coast, 1895, pages 48 and 59
Louis Guthrie, an A. B. on the Ameri-
can ship May Flint. was seriously injured
yesterday. While assisting in bending
sails he fell from aloIt and was cut about
the face and upper part of the body by
the rigging with which he came in con-
tact. be was attended aboard ship, but
| the chances are that he will be unable to
sail with the ship when she leaves port.