The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-12-04
FIRE ON THE
AMERICAN SHIP
SHENANDOAH
Cargo in the Forward
Hold Heated.
SOME SMOKE BUT NO FLAMES
FAMOUS OLD BARK MELRoSE TO
BE A COAL HULK.
Narrow Escape From Total Wreck Of
the British Lark La Escocesa
and Death of Captain
Evans.
FAMOUS OLD BARK MELRoSE TO
BE A COAL HULK.

The American ship Shenandoah, lying
at Mission street w.-arf, is on fire. Smoke
was discovered coming from the fore
hatch at an early hour y -terdav morn
ing. and the State fire tug Governor Ir-
win was at once summoned. The hre
seemed to be only small a--air, how
ever, so no water was pumped into the
hold. An examination showed that the
fire was not of any great extent ana
seemed from the smoke TO be from burn
ing wood instead Of coal. In consequence
the fireboat was sent back to her berth,
but Captain Brown, superintendent Of the
State tugs and dredgers, vislC-u the big
ship every two or three hours to see
whether the fire was gaining or not.
The Shenandoah arrived here on No
vember 30 from Baltimore with 1850 tons
of coal. She made quick passage and
experienced some very heavy weather,
but at no time during the voyage did the
coal show signs of heating. She was
locked at Mission street wharf last
Thursday and when the matches We're
taken off yesterday morning the smoke
began to filter up around the foremost.
Two engines were at once put to work,
and all day the work of discharging the
cargo was kept up. Last NIGHT an extra
crew was put aboard the tireboat Cover
nor Irwin, and she lay ALONGSIDE the
Shenandoah all night in order to be ready
in case of emergency. 1t will probably
be several days before the seat of dan
ger is reached and the fire put out.
A dispatch from Philadelphia states
that the British bark La Escocesa had
been towed in there by the British steam
er Marstonmoor in an almost diSmantled
condition. She was on her way from
Iquioue for New York with a cargo of
nitrate of soda valued at $65, 900, and on
November 80 was caught in terrific
storm that almost sank her The pumps
were smashed, the decks were swept,
boats all carried away and the fore and
mizZen masts went by the board, leaving
the mainmast so rickety that little or no
sail could be carried on 1t.
The La EScoceSa and d. Evans, her late
master, were well known in San Fran
cisco. She arrived here on February 3
last from Pisagua with o cargo OF
sailed again for Callao on March IA. From
Callao she went to Iquique. sailing from
there on July 29 for New York. She is a
small bark of SAG tons net burden. POP feet
long. 342 feet broad and 2l.3 feet deep. She
was built in 1868 by Gourlay Bros. of
Dundee, and was so well put together and
1906 she was examined in Liverpool and
rlassed A. Al by Llovds' surveyors.
The La Escocesa is owned by Balfour,
Baifour, Guthrie & Co. is the California
branch. The La Escocesa and her cap
tain were old servants Of the concern,
and 1t was strange that both came to
over three score and ten, and had been
in the bark from the day she was
launched He was hale and hearty when
here in San Francisco, and used to say
that he would outlast plenty of the mas
ters who were then in port with him.
After leaving Iquique he was taken sick.
however, and on September Y he died Of
brain fever and was buried at sea. A
month later the bark nearly went down
with all hands.
The cid bark Melrose is to sail the seas
almost every port on earth during the
last thirty-five years she is to end her
DAYS in San Francisco Bay as coal
hulk Yesterday a gang of men was en-
gagged in removing her running rigging
and lowering her topmasts and yards,
and in a day or so she will be RACED into
a regulation hulk. The Melrose was
built in 1863 by j. Taylor of East Boston
to this coast many years ago, and is the
last of Packscher's line Of vessels. Hard