The San Francisco call., 1897-12-25
Captain GOodall Says Few
Suitable Steam ers Are
for Sale.
He Purchased the COTTAGE Citv
Curacao and Valencia
While East.
Robert Wise Makes an Attempt tc
Murder John McGrath on the
Schooner webfoot.

Captain Charles Goodan of the Pa
clfic Coast Steamship Company re-
turned from the East yesterday. The
company's experience with last sea-
sons rush to the Klondike showed
them that they could not hope to
handle next seasons business with the
present fleet. Accordingly Captain
Goodall accompanied by his son Harry
and Chief Engineer Lacey of the UNA
tilla visited New York and Philadel-
phia to have look at the vessels for
sale and to purchase whatever ones
might be suitable for the Alaskan
trade. The Cottage City and the Cura-
Goa were purchased for the Pacific
Coast Steamship Company and the
Valencia for the Pacific Steam Whal-
ing Company. The Cottage City is now
several weeks on her way to San
Francisco and the Valencia sailed on
the goth and the Curacao on the 23d
inst. All three steamers called at
Baltimore and bring from that port
load of coal for San Francisco.
There are plenty of steamers for
sale in the East" said Captain Good
all, but very few of them are suitable
for trade on this coast. All the vessels
that are of any account are engaged
in regular trade and only those that
are superannuated are offered for sale
We looked at dozens ofs steamers
whose engines and boilers were from
seventeen to twenty years old and the
repairs on them necessary for a voy-
age around the Horn would cost almost
as much as new ship. The Curacao,
Valencia and Cottage City were the
| vessels h,1S i,
coast and they were accordingly pur-
chased. The Curacao has accommo-
dations for thirtyfour first-clasS and
about thirty Steerage passengers. At
the present time she averages ten
| knots an hour. On her arrival in San
l. Francisco the Howden system of
| forced draft will be put in and then
we anticipate that the steamer will
| have no trouble in averaging twelve
knots an hour. We have not yet de-
cided whether to put her on the
Mexican or Alaskan route. Should she
go on the former run her present
passenger accommodations would be
ample, but should we send her to
Alaska additional accommodation would
have to be put in. The new steamer
Senator now being built by the Union
Iron Works was intended for the Mex
lean trade, but should we decide to put
the Curacao on that route then the
Senator will be sent to Alaska.
The Valencia purchased for the
Pacific Steam Whaling Company has
a speed of ten and a half knots an
hour and accommodation for thirty
six first-class and twenty five steerage
passengers. She will be overhauled and
her passenger accommodations com
pletely remodeled and increased. In a
measure, she will take the place of the
steamer Jeanie, now ice-bound in the
Arctic. She will run between here and
Copper River, her passengers making
their way to Klondike over the Copper
River trail. She will also act as a
tender to the canneries and will, there
fore, be of use after the Klondike sea-
son has closed"
The Valencia is a sister steamer to
the Caracas, which went ashore at va
| quina Bay shortly after her arrival on
this coast and became total wreck.
She is in command of Captain Lord, who