The San Francisco call., 1898-03-23

those who started for the land of gold full of hope may yet return to tell the story of the sunken ship, it is believed by seafaring men that, even if there was an attempt to get ashore in boats, it was disastrous. From the fact that there were Leavy seas and terrible gales, it is now believed that no one will return to tell the story of the storm.
 When discovered the bark lay on her starboard side, with the bow lower than the stern, the seas washing over her. All of the miZzenmast was out of the water and the stern was gone. The crushed and splintered timbers showed that heavy seas had swept over the vessel during the height of the storm. The cabins were washed off the deck and some of the planking of the hull was loose, showing that the bark was in bad condition or that the seas were so violent as to overpoWer her.
 On the davits there was not the sign of boat, though it is not known whether they were swept away with the cabin or whether the unfortunates aboard the sinking ship tried in vain to blow their way through the mountain Ous seas to the shore
 The last of the old "blackbirders" has been wrecked, and, like the other yes sels of the fleet, her loss has been ac- companied by a terrible loss of life.
 Sunday last the old bark Helen w. Amy sailed for Copper River with twenty-seven gold hunters and crew of thirteen all told aboard. Yesterday she was derelict off the Golden Gate and there was not a trace of the forty souls who, with many nlisgivings, trusted their lives to the old trader.
 The first of the "blackbirders" to be lost was the brig Tahiti. She was on her way from the Gilbert Group to Mexico with over 300 natives (black- birds) aboard intended for the coffee plantations of Central America, when she capsiZed in squall and everybody on board was drowned. The hull float ed about for months and finally washed ashore.
 The next of the fleet to go was the steamer Montserrat. Captain Black burn took her down to the Southern Seas on a number of trips and she brought hundreds of "blackbirds to OcoS and other Central American ports. When all the labor required on the cof- fee plantations had been supplied the steamer was put into the coal trade, and one trip she was caught in a vio- lent storm off Capt F'lattery and went down with all on board.
 The last voyage made by the Amy before this ill-starred one was begun was with cargo of 'blackbirds'' from Ocos to the Carolines. When that trip was completed she was laid up in Oak land Creek, only to be withdraw. from retirement to carry miners to Copper River and incidentally to their death.
 The first news of the disaster was brought in early yesterday morning by the steamer Santa Rosa. When about nine miles southwest of Point Bonita Captain Alexander sighted the hull of what he afterward described as @ double topmast schooner. This set everybody Ion Change" guessing and many renem bering the fact that the double topmast schooner Maid of Or leans had capsized in the harbor some years ago and that she had sailed for a lumber port few days ago, set it down to be her.
 Later, however, the tug Sea Witch came in and reported the derelict to be the Helen w. Amy. The report of the captain of the tug was that the dere- lict was lying on her starboard side with her bow lower in the water than her stern. The lower yard of the fore mast only showed while the main from the topmast up was in sight. All of the mizzenmast was out of water, and the rudder as far as the lower gudgeon was plainly visible. At that time her stern was beginning to show signs of dissolution, and when the captain of the tug Vigilant saw the wreck later it was entirely gone, the cabin was washed off the deck and some of the blanks were working loose from the ribs. Two attempts were made to tow the wreck into port, but the hawsers parted, and the Amy had to be left to her fate.
 When the Amy sailed last Sunday the weather was fine. and the pros poets for 6 speedy voyage were good. On Sunday night 1t blew northwest gale, and all of Monday the storm continued, and only began to go down with the sun on Monday evening. While it lasted the old bark must have labored terribly, and the supposition is that when the strain came on the chain plates the top sides opened up and the Amy began to fill.
 'The wind did not capsize the Amy said Captain Ed Mccoy yesterday. "When she began laboring her seams opened out and the water poured in faster than the pumps could take it z out She gradually sank in the water until a certain limit was reached, and then she rolled over. She had five boats, and the passengers and crew may have had a fighting chance for their lives.
 eff any. of them were picked up on vessels bound north it will be some time before we hear fromsthem, as ev- erything. afoat for Puget Sound is making long passages on account of the heavy weather. The Almy was only about 300 tons burden, and as she had 125 tons of ballast in her she should have stood up as stiff as a church in a gale. If the tale is ever told, you will find that the Helen W. Amy was not