The San Francisco call., 1898-05-15
The Schooner J. B. Leeds Sailed Without Two
 of Them.
They Secured Tug and Caught the Vessel Off
 the FarallOnes.
Lightship No TO Is Not in Favor as g Home With Cooks, Deck
 hands and Bremen.

A couple of Klondikers now on their way to St. Michael aboard the schooner J. B. Leeds will long remember their trip to the frozen north. All the pas sengers were told that the vessel would sail during the afternoon of last Fri day, but two of them including the secre- tary of the Aurora Gold Mining Com pany, decided in their own minds that it would be at least p. m. before the vessel would get away. Long before that hour the launches belonging to the Winthrop Gold Mining Company and the Aurora Gold Mining Company had been hoisted aboard and all the gold hunters, with the exception of the two named, were in the cabin and everything was ready for de- parture. After waiting an hour, Captain Nielsen decided that patience had ceased to be a virtue, and he told the captain of the tug Liberty to make fast and tow him to sea-
 When the Leeds was passing out over the bar the belated passengers showed up at the seawan and, much to their disgust, found the vessel gone with their outnts and, in fact, almost everything they owned in the world. They rushed to the Red Stack tug office. and after some trouble secured the tug Sea Witch and started after the Leeds. At Fort Point they met the Liberty returning, and Captain Harvey told the captain of the Sea Witch that it was very thick out Sioe and the chances were against him finding the schooner. Captain Tonnesen
 
 was reached the gold hunters succumbed. They were so sea sick that when the Leeds was finally overhauled they had to be lowered into the skiff that was to take them aboard and rope and tackle had to be put into requisition to get them onto the vessel. Captain Nielsen would not heave to, as he said it served the men right to be left, as they knew the sailing hour and should have been on time. In consequence the two men got a thorough drenching besides their a ri town.
 Lightship 70 does not seem to possess many attractions for cooks, deckhands and tiremen. In fact, after spending a few days on her they seem to get tired of the tumble and the tossing on the bar and manifest a great desire to return to terra hrma. Even the fear of their creditors is not enough to keep them at sea, and they take every opportunity of leaving the vessel that comes along. Alter the lightShip had been in commis- sion a few days the deckhands left in body, and Captain Lowell had to send ashore for men to replace them. Next the two .hremen deserted their posts and reached the shore by means of a passing lumber vessel. A few days ago the pilot boat Bonita took out two men, and yes Ieruay. when the ship Roanoke from New York was passing, one of them persuaded a deckhand to put him aboard of her in one of the lightship's boats. With the ex- cepton of heads of departments, there are none of the men left who went into commission with the vessel.
 Everything has been against the vessel since she was anchored on the bar, as far as pleasant life aboard is concerned. It ! has been terribly rough all the time, and the men have lived in one continuous storm since they went aboard Then Cap tain Lowell believes in discipline, and everybody on No. 70 has to toe the mark. This comes hard to men who have been used all their lives to a free and easy life on d cOaSting vessel, and this, coupled with the fact that they are cut off from all communication with the shore, and on a vessel that never gives them a moments rest, soon makes the men dissatisfied, and they take the first opportunity to get
 The new clock on the ferry depot was started at noon yesterday The hands were placed at l2 m. half an hour before that time and at the moment the golden ball on the hagpOle dropped the machinery was set in motion and the big clock began it's work of telling the hour to the thou sands who use the ferries every day and those whom business calls to the water front on occasion.
 The Stockton steamers T. c. Walker and Captain Weber were in collision yester- day morning. The Weber tied up at Clay-street wharf and shortly afterWard the Walker came along and tried 10 dock at the south side of Washington. h. stead she ran into the Weber and stove Q hole in her side. A number of boxes of fruit were knocked overheard from the Weber's forward deck, and the Walker lost several bags of garlic The bark Mermaid got away for Kot- l Zebue Sound yesterday with the following members of the Narragansett and Alaska Mining and Trading and Transportation Company aboard: Henry Borden. I. Bordeni I3or,laLi Ed seanS9n l. Hobrook' J. Nichols, E; Munroe, c. Braley, L. Mon crie1f. D. Phillips, R. Robinson. Captain WicSs. Dr. Pelton and brother, H. Larish. | r. Nuttall, M. Eastman, R. Harrnan, j. | J. Wilmarth. L. Graham, c. O'Brien. R Martin, W. Whitney, c. Sturke and M. l Brow.