The San Francisco call., 1898-03-11

steamer Patterson were in collision ~ with other vessels; wharves were badly damaged. and all in all there was a very lively time of it for about five hours along the front early yesterday morning.
 The storm began coming up about midnight, but the barometer gave warning Wednesday afternoon. Some of the deep water captains prepared for a blow by getting out extra moor ing lines and making everything snug, but others did not heed the warning and in consequence their vessels suf- fered.
 The collision which caused the most excitement was that of the bark Mar tha Davis and the coast survey steam CT Patterson. The bark arrived from Honolulu Wednesday afternoon, and anchored off Folsom-street wharf, about two ships lengths from the Pat terson. About the latter vessel there were conflicting reports, some of the tug captains asserting that none of the officers were on board of her, while Captain Soule of the Martha Davis says he asked one of the men on the deck of the Patterson if he was the captain of the vessel, and the man answered yes" Whichever story is correct makes very little difference because one thing is certain, that is that the man who did all the ordering on the survey boat was one of the sailors.
 Early in the blow the Patterson be- gan to drag her anchor. First the strong ebb tide would drive her in one direction and then the wind would take H1ntrol and drive her back again. F'i- kally she crashed into the bark and the yards of both vessels became locked. Then both crafts dragged their anchors and the trouble began.
 The Martha Davis jibboom went , first and her bowsprit followed. Then her lower maintopsail yard. The Pat terson lost her jibboom, her foretop- mast and foretopgallant mast. Cap tain Soule told the men on the survey boat to send up some sky rockets. but they said they had none, so half a dozen were taken out of the bark s locker and passed over to them. The first one fired was seen by Captain Brokaw of the tug Reliance, and he at - once started for the scene when the second one was fired he was well out of the slip. and when the fourth one was sent off he was just getting along side of the entangled vessels.
 Tn the meantime Captain Marshall or the tug Active had seen the signals ana he also went to the scene Cdpt1lii Brokaw took command of the situation and the two tugs were soon fastened to the disabled vessels. As the survey beat had steam on her boilers she was told to heave away on her anchor, put whoever was in charge said the engine was disabled and they could not help themselves Steam was then got on the donkey boiler of the Martha DAVIS and her anchor was hove up. It then took the two tugs over two hours to get the vessels apart, and that done the Reliance at once started for the mud flats, as Captain Soule reported that she was leaking. The Patterson had cut her almost to the waters edge, and fifteen or Sixteen new blanks will have to be put in before she can go to sea again.
 fWhen near the Union Iron Works it was found that the bark was making very little water. so the anchor was dropped and nothing will be done with her until a survey has been held.
 Down at the Presidio the breakers rolled in almost as heavily as they did at Ocean Beach. The schooner Sacra- nento went ashore, but was not very much damaged. When the gale subsid-