The San Francisco call., 1897-06-05
WAS CAUGHT IN
A HEAVY STORM
The American Ship Chal-
1enger Had a Lively
Experience.
Boats and Bulwarks Smashed
Sails and Yards Carried
Away.
a Gang of Burglars Are Now Working
All the Stockton River
Steamers.

The American ship Challenger docked
at Howard-street wharf yesterday and
will begin discharging at once. Her cargo
of general merchandise is badly needed in
this port and work on her will be rushed.
During her triD around the Horn success
sion OF gales were encountered and yester-
day Captain Gould said that never in his
experience as a sailor had he run into any
such weather. ION a pril 3, in 40 south,
So west, Just when we thought everything
was plain sailing" said he yesterday, "a
terrific hurricane came up and many of
the sails were blown out of the bolt ropes,
and some OF the yards came crashing
to the deck. At 3 P. NJ. heavy sea
broke aboard, stove in two OF the boats
and carried away the port bulwaTks.
Two hours later another tremendous
sea struck The ship ana many Cf the men
thought she would founder. We finally
weathered the storm and made the best
OF bad weather until in the vicinity OF the
Farallones. There we caught ii again and
some more OF our sails went sailing
through the air, while two more of the
lower yards came crashing TO the deck.
From that time on We had good weather
10 port"
The accompanying sketch of the Chal-
lenger Is made from a sketch furnished
by II. s. Dudley. who was passenger on
the vessel from New York. Mr.. Dudley
made the trip around the Horn for pleas
ure, and Is so pleased with the ship and
the com mpany of Captain Gould that he
propo- -es going back TO New York in her.
JGst before the Challenger weighed
anchor yesterday and before the tug had
made her lines fast the San Francisco
iaundry's launch came alongside 10 take
off the men s,washing. The runner" went
oh ,rl ,, -
the small craft followed suit, and both
began hunting business aboard the ship.
A ew minutes later, when they came 10
look for the launch, she had parted her
mooTing line, and was drifting down the
bay. Save the boat" yelled the runner.
"and at once" G. Noblet, one OF the
Challenger's crew, seized a heaving line
and jumped overheard from the bow of
the ship. He swan 10 the drifting launch,
got aboaid, made the IiHe fast, was pulled
back to the snip ana got 81 50 to repay
I'm for his ducklng. NOb.eI was looked
upon as q -ich man by his shipmates
when the Challenger docked at Howard
street yesterday.
Thieves are system aiically working the
Stockton steamers. Half dozen rooms
on the J. D. Peters were opened with
skeleton keys or nIppers last Thursday
night and considera bic money and Jew
elry taken. a few hours after the vessel
had docked the com plants OF two passen-
gers were lodged with the harbor police
J. r. Wilbur OF pa Pine street was on his
way home from a pleasure trip. He was
accompanied oy his wife and child. He
went 10 sleep with full sense of security,
but awoke the next morn to find that his
gold watch and chain, $50 gola piece and
$6 in mali change were gone.
c. White, who gives his address as 1856
Market street, was another victim. he
also lost his gold watch and chain, $50 n
gold and So or 81 in silver. Several others
made complaints OF minor losses. An ex-
animation of the rooms shows that thew
must have been entered with a duplicate
KEY, or more likely that the bolt was
turned by means Of a pair Of plyers. In
the morning each door was found locked
ahd nothing but slight abrasions showed
where it had been tampered with.
telegram received from London
yesterday by the Merchants Exchange
states that the British ship Duncow, be-
fore reported ashore at Kangaroo Island,
on the coast OF Australia, had been saved.
No lives were lost.
The bark Oregon got in yesterday from
Sydney, \. 5. w, after a rather long trip
OF IS days. Light winds prevailed, but
from l7S 10 130 west a succession of strong
south wester.y gales were encountered.
The Oregon IS loaded with coal
The schooner Sailor Boy sailed again
yesterday lOT OIL Olafence Win q lOd0 OF
coal for the whaling feet. This is her
second start. On the first occasion she
ran into storm off the Farallones and
her cargo shifted. She put 20 port, and
now that things have been Strengthened
out fresh start will be made.
The ex-yacht Jessie, formerly owned by
Commodore McDonough, is on her way
back 10 San Francisco. She was sold
som years ago to the Columbia River bar
pilots and has since been doing service in
Oregon waters. She is to make an excur-
sion back to San Francisco in the near
fnture and will bring a party down with
her. While here she will be thoroughly
oVerhauied and then the pilots and their
guests will sail back home on her.
The British bark Java, now out eli days
from Portland, Or, for Quee eenstown, has
been giving the underwriters great deal
o. trouble. When 108 days out she was
spoken in % south 81 west, ana people be-
gan 10 wonder at her long passage A
month later 10 per cent reinsurance was
offered on her, but when $50 days out she
was spoken again in the Atlantic. From
that time to the present nothing has bee n
heard from her.
Ihe chances are, however, that the yes
SCI was very foul when she sailed and tnat
the voyage home has been more OF 4
drifting match than anything else.
The Merchants Exchan~e received ad-
siSSS yesterday tnat the BRUSH ship Kin
kora from Burrard Inlet for England had
70 be abandoned in latitude Is north
Longitude 169 west on May l last. The
storm came up with hurricane force and
after batting with it for some time the
vessel became unmanageabIe. Part OF the
crew landed at Clipperton Island and part
went to Acapulco. There is only num-
Der OF men on Cfipperton who are digging
guano Tor the Oceanic Phosphate Com
pany, ana the chances are that, there not
oelng sufhclent provisions to support the
entire crew of the KInkora, the majority of
the men made for the mainland and