The San Francisco call., 1898-01-11
WILL FLY THE
 GERMAN FLAG The Auxiliary Schooner Hercules Is for a Ger
 man Firm.
Built in San Francisco to Com pete With American
 Traders.
Two warships, the Alert and Marietta, Leave for Central America
 This Week.

The auxiliary schooner Hercules, built at Benicia by Turner for a Ger man firm, attracted considerable atten- ton on the water front yesterday. She is a handsome craft and will be used exclusively in the island trade. Her sails will be depended upon except when head winds are encountered, then her machinery will be called into play. Gasoline Is to be used as fuel and with a fifty-horse power engine 1t is ex- pected that she will be able to develop a speed of at least knots. The Hercu- les is the first vessel to be built in Cali fornia for a German firm and to at once receive a German register. As soon as she was launched the German Consul issued papers to her and the German flag was hoisted over the schooner. When she leaves here next month she will fly the German flag and under 1t will go a general cargo for German traders in the Marquesas. On her arrival in the South Seas the schooner will be at once placed in com mission and will begin regular monthly trips among the islands. collecting cop ra, pearl shell and vanilla beans for ex- | port to Germany.
 | The Germans have secured a firm ! hold on the trade of the Southern seas, and, assisted by England and France, l have almost driven American trade to | the wall. Not so many years ago San | Francisco was the home port for a | large fleet of island traders, now the vessels that clear from this port for ! Tahiti, the Marquesas. the Carolines and Samoa can be counted on the fin 1 gers Of one hand.
 Another vessel is to be placed on the berth for Copper River The La Ninfa is to be again placed in commission and 1 will leave for Orca station on Febru- ary l. If those who go up on her have no better luck than those who made l the last venture their lines will not be sown in pleasant places. The w. s. i Phelps, that took up a party several months ago, has been due back here for week past, but as no definite news | was received from her the chances are that she was not able to get away as soon as was expected. On her arrival 1 1t will be known how the miners who | left here last November in search of gold on the rivers banks have fared. The sloop -of-war Alert Is to start for Central America to-day, and the gum ! boat Marietta is expected to get away | Tor Nicaragua the latter part of the 1 week. The gunboat is expected down from Mare Island to-day and her stores VIII De paced aboard at once On her arrival in Central American waters she will be expected to lend all possible as- | sistance to the Nicaragua Canal Com i mission.
 The Pacific Mail Company's steamer City of Pekins, which left here Decem- | per IS, arrived at Yokohama on the 7th l instant. This Is the steamers one-hun- dredth round trip. but nevertheless she Is making better than the average time. She was delayed at Honolulu on the 1 way out.
 The Pinta is being got ready at the Mare Island Navy Yard for the San Diego naval battalion. Her engines have been taken to pieces, and will be put in thorough order while the vessel will be put in perfect order from stem to stern. The Pinta will be a very handy vessel for the boys in blue at San Diego. while some think that the Marion, 2ooo-ton ship. will be too to handle. The Camanche was taken to Mare Island on Sunday in four hours. She was placed alongside the Marion, and detail of men was left at the yard to transfer the battalion's coal from one vessel to the other.
 The river steamers to Vallejo will be kept busy tonight owing to the Griffo-
 Mcconnell fight. The Grace Barton will leave Washington-street wharf at f. and the Sunol at 6:30, the latter boat returning to San Francisco after the fight. The Pinta will run between the California Powder Works. Selbys, Ro- deo and Crockett. Other boats will car- ry passengers, and it is expected that San Francisco and Port Costa will send fully 1900 men to the fight.
 A large Humboldt party, under the title of the Alaska Mill and Prospect
 ing Company, leave to-day on the
 steamer City of Puebla for the north. They are going over the passes. About
 February h another large party is to
 follow, among them being the follow ing prominent Humboldters: J. Berne
 J. P. Harrigan, Ben Scott. F. W. For sythe. Walter Curry, Frank Auger, A
 Camp and Peter Sutter.