The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-27
A Narrow Escape for
Cooks and Walters.
STEAMER ALOHA RUNS AMUCK
CRASHES INTO A HAY LADEN
SCoW SCHOONER.
Great Labor Saving Device on the
British Ship Norma - Three
Men Can Do the Work of
an Entire Crew.

The transport City Of Para arrived
from Manila yesterday after an event
full voyage. She brought up fifty officers
and men, a few of whom are on the sick
list, the others being on a furlough. Brig
adler General c. A Whittier, who left
here on the staff of Major General Mer-
rift, returned and leaves for New York
tomorrow. On the 18th inst. the Para
was caught in a hurricane and was badly
battered. A big sea broke aboard, and
had not the door of the GLORY hole" held
that place would have been flooded and
all the cooks and walters drowned. The
sea did most damage between the main
and hurricane decks. 1t smashed in two
doors, tore away the railing, lifted the
hurricane deck three inches and did a
great deal OF minor damage. A coal
passer named Hillman died three days
ago and was buried at sea-
The steam schooner Aloha while on her
way UP Mission Creek to discharge her
cargo of lumber collided with scow
schooner and did considerable damage
yesterday.
The scow was loaded with hay and
was discharging her cargo on the nay
wharf. A horse was used to pull the
bales from the schooner's deck TO the
wharf and was in the act OF hauling
away on the tackle when the crash came.
The scoW's bowsprit was carried away,
and all her moOring lines parted. The
horse was fast to the scows mainmast
by means of the heaVing rope, and as the
vessel was moved along by the force OF
. the impact the horse had to go, too. When
the mooring lines parted and the schoon-
er moved away from the wharf the morse
was pulled clear overheard. Luckily
there was very little harness on him, so
he was able to swim, and when one OF
the deck hands cut the rope that held
him fast to the bale Of hay he swan
ashore.
The Samoa was not very much dam
aged and proceeded to the lumber yard,
while in half an hour the scow was tast
to the wharf again and the horse was
at work hauling away on the bales or
hay as though nothing had happened.
The British ship Wallacetown sailed
from Coquimbo for San Francisco yes
terday. Nearly six months ago she left
Antwerp for this port with a general
cargo, but was caught in heavy gale
and had her steering gear badly dam
aged On October IS she put into Co
quimbo for repairs, and now she has
started on her voyage again.
The San Francisco schooner ec. ! N M
aCuil is reported aground in one OF the
rivers that empty into Guayaquil Bay
She sailed from Fort Bragg on October
II with a cargo of lumber and will prob
ably be lghtered and got on without
'1i The = British ship Norma, which arrived
here from Antwerp on the 18th inst, has
one of the greatest labor saving devices
aboard ever put into sailing snip. BY
means of it three or four men can
brace or square the yards in a gale of
wind, and do it also in five minutes,
whereas when the work had to be done
by manual labor it would take whole
ships crew an hour and half TO accom-
plsh the job.
The arrangement is called the Jarvis
patent brace winch, and is the inyen-
ton of Captain Jarvis, who is well known
in this port, having been here on num-
Der of occasions on the British ship Earl
of DalhOusie. After leaving the Dal-
housie he made a trip to Portland as
master of the British ship Duntrune and
then forsoOk the sea to teach navigation
and perfect his brace winch.
A year ago one of the winches was
affixed to the Norma's foremost. 1t
worked so we'll that Captain Mcdonnell
ordered another for the mainmaSt. 1t was
put aboard while the ship was loading at
Antwerp. and the crew put ii in place
after the Norma got TO sea 1t proved
such a labor saver and made the hand
ling of the ship so easy that Captain
Mcdonnell is delighted, and when the
ship reaches England he is going to have
a third one for working the yards on the
miZzen put in.
You See. there are three purchases on
the machine" said the mate yesterday,
land with it we can handle the ship
like a toy l tell you 1t is a blessing.
in the old days when it was blowing OFF
the Horn and we came to wear snip,
didn't we catch it? One minute we would
be rolling in the scuppers, the next our
brains would be almost Knocked out
with a flying rope, and then the end OF
the braces would persist In gettlng out
49,
would be the devil to pay. Finally when
we got the ship around and II II was
night 1 would have to go aloft to see that
the Yards were braced up sharp. Now
three men can go to the winch and, lift
ing the brake, can swing the yards around
In five minutes. No matter how the wind
blows or how heavy the sea, 1t makes
no difference. All three yards are
trimmed at the same moment without
any fuss or danger. Our men like 1t so
well that we have not had single de-
sertion since we made port.
officer George w. Lake, the handsom-
est man on the water front" was best
man. at a marriage last Friday night. The
happy couple were Mrs. Marie Weadon
of Albany, n. Y, and August A. Fischer
of Dixon Cal. and the Ceremony took
place at the home of Mr.. and Mrs. Lake,
SO Hardy street. The parlors of the
home were beautifully decorated for the
occasion, and the Rev. William RAIDER
made the happy couple one. Among those
present were: Mrs. Captain Leland, Mr..
and Mrs John Hoyle, Mr.. and Mrs.
Waugh, Mr. and Mrs. George F. Samp-
son, Miss Nellie Fischer, Miss Elvina
.Juilerrat Miss Cecil Cotton, the Misses
Hattie and Ida Sampson, Miss Ida Pull
lin. Colin Foster, Henry Fischer, Carlton
XVeadon and James Lake. The maid of
honor was Miss Hattie Sampson. The
happy couple will make their home at
Mr.. Fischer's ranch, near Dixon.