The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-17
FIXING UP THE EUGENE.
The Famous Little steamer on the
Ways at Baifard-Her Expert
sp~r yof SO Rad.

The historic sfern-wheel steamer Eu-
gene which has been the source q TOT a
issiie excitement recently IN connection
With the emigration 10 Alaska IS now AZ
Hennsgersg strip yards at Ballard, under
Rosng repairs which her owners be-
Have wfll make her stauneh ard Sc
cure for any voyage which may -
undertaken. even 80 hrcastlnx the rough
waters q the Pacific Capt W A. Sny-
der who f. supeYlntendlng the repairs, Il
q practical marine man Of over thirty
years experience and he says that when
the Eugene leaves the ways this
morning she viii be stouter and stronger
than ever before.
Between thirty-fre and forty men are
busy on tire Eugene. calkiag her NIL and
making various repairs IN the wav Or
braces ard Strengthening beams When
she wenf N5rth on her recent trip she had
two Howe trusses her entire length. When
the big Bristol. WITH a steel cable. was
jerking her from wave 20 wave across the
Pacific. these tTusses worked loose slight
~, and now they are beinr made 80 raid
that there WIN be no possibility Of 2 re-
currence 81 that defect. Besides. these
tr4sses have been EXTENDED. and now
reach from the promenade deck down 20
the foor timbers Pive solid hulkheads
have been put In IN the hold, the entire
length Of the vessel and these are edge
boited and secure as steel. OF course, she
f. n fat-bo,toned boat with no keel. 80
that she offers a fiat surface about 30
feet long BY p feet wide for the waves 20
pound against. Her sides are boarded ~
snugIv. 20 keen out The wind ard waves.
and II any river steamer can he made safe
for the ocean the Eugene certainly is.
Cant Lewis who commanded the Eu-
Rsne on her recent trim. Is not In the city
az present and the highest man In au-
fhoFtity about the steamer IL Engineer
stearns. who was seen yesterday by
Post-fnteiligercer reporter al Ballard. He
saws that there was no cutting Of the
cable az all at any period Of the unsuccess-
ful trip.
THE truss work got 10 working a little
before we got 10 Port Angeles We put In
there TO wait for the Bristol and 20 tight
en- up the trusses We got orders TO pro-
coed 20 Victoria. and when sim out I'm the
mia-channel were hailed by the Bristol.
which took US IN tow TO comox. There
the customs officer boarded us and
demanded that we pay harbor dues and
half the pilotage charges. This we jli
and got our papers In regular shape. 9te
that night he came aboard and was allow
ed 10 see the papers. after promising 20
hand them back He eoeliy broke his word
and put the papers in his pocket and laid
the money he had received down on the
table. He then declared the Eugene seized,
for what reason he failed 10 explain. The
next morning at 1880 o'clock we threw off
the cable and steamed away. The tug
Hope chased after us a few hours. but did
not come UP TO us. At daylight the follow
Ing morning the Bristol picked US up and
took us In tow with a steel cable. The
cable had no give 10 II. and II soon jerked
the steamer so badly that II got TO leak
ing We saw that wouldn't do. and the
wind came on very hard. We signaled
that we wanted TO go back and we turned
about and got safely into Alert hay When
opposite Roche Harbor he hawser slipped
of and we put into Roche Harhor. From
there we came 10 Port Townsend. and
thence 10 Ballard. At no time was there
any danger Of loss OF life though there
was danger OF the loss Of the steamer.
She was not broken up ar all. as you can
see and she did not leak more than an
inch ia twentv-fnur boure We We're per-
haps fifty miles out when We turned back.
THE Bristol people were 10 take us up
on the inside passage and yet they went
out into the sea az the nrst opportunity q"
II Is reported from Victoria that an
agreement has been arrived at between
the Bristol managers. VINO got most Of
their money and the passengers, By which
the passengers are 10 be taken 20 the end
OF salt water Navigation by the Stlckeen
pass route. Several OF the passengers
have been given their money back. and all
the others have agreed 10 the new ar
rRngement