The San Francisco call., 1898-01-12
The Sloop-of-War Mo- hican to Be Put in
 Commission.
Will Be Manned by the Ap- prentice Boys Now Being
 Enlisted.
Each Lad Who Joins Agrees to Re- main in the Navy Until
 He Is of Age.


 hican is now almost ready to start on her cruise with the apprentice boys who are being enlisted at the naval rendezvous. About fifty applicants day are examined, but only an aver age of three out of every ten boys is accepted. Still the required number of boys is being got together rapidly and so soon as 150 of them can be mus tered on the receiving ship Independ- ence the Mohican will go into commits sion.
 The slOOp-Of-war was built at Mare Island and is a splendid craft for a training ship. She is 1900 tons dis placement, 216 feet long, 3S feet broad and Is feet inches deep. She has a coal capacity of 162 tons and can steam about nine knots an hour. Be- ing bark-rigged, however, nearly all her voyaging will be made under sail, so the apprentices will have a good op- portunity of learning to reef and furl the sails, splice ropes and swab decks. Gunnery, the handling of small arms and general seamanship will also be taught. Three instructors will accom- pany the Warship and every morning the boys will have to attend school to be coached in reading, writing and arithmetic
 On being accepted as an apprentice by Uncle sam each boy is given an out fit valued at $45 and he is placed on the pay roll at $9 a month. As he ad- NanceS his pay increases until he ranks as ''frst-class apprentice" when his pay will be $21 a month. Should he become petty officer his pay will be from $25- month and upward.
 The schooner North Bend that went ashore at Point Dia bio in a calm last m ha pbo1 11+c dock yesterday. The keel and fore foot are gone while the rocks knocked several holes in her starboard side. The pfanking on the port side is also more or less damaged and the vessel is more or less strained throughout. It will be some time before she will be back In the lumber trade again.
 H. Schmidt and E. D. Bigelow were both treated at the Harbor Receiving Hospital yesterday for wounds received in a box factory on Spear street. Bige- low, while leaving the factory, caught his foot in the elevator and fractured his ankle. He was attended to at the hospital, and on being placed on a cot asked that his friend Schmidt be sent for. While Schmidt was on his way out of the factory an adze fell on his elbow, cutting and fracturing 1t. After his wounds were dressed he was placed on cot beside his friend and they passed the afternoon in commiserating K
 Captain MOllested of the barkentine < NewsbOy has been playing in more than 2 hard luck of late. While the vessel was in Hakodate his wife and eldest child were taken sick, and the child died Soon after this his infant also died and Mrs. Mollested was so sick when the vessel was ready for sea that she had to be left behind. The bodies of the two children were sealed up in zinc cases and brought to San Francisco for interment. Yesterday Captain Mol tested received a cable from a friend in Hakodate that his wife had suc- Cumbed to dysentery. He remains will also be brought to San Francisco and buried beside her children.
 J. J. Moore & Co. have at last se- cured a vessel to put on the berth for Australia. Weeks ago they tried to se- cure one to take a load of lumber to Adelaide. but failed, and had to take the cargo back into the yard. Now they have secured the bark Natuna, which made such a long passage and on which reinsurance was paid, and will load her with lumber and general merchandise for Australia.
 Captain John Metcalfe Lloyds sur veyor, has returned from the wreck of the Cleveland. He says the cargo will be a total loss, but the vessel will be fixed up and will be as good as before she went ashore. Captain Nelson says
 
 has sold the vessel, but says she will go back into the old trade as soon as she has been repaired.
 The Alaska-Yukon Transportation Company has chartered the bark Ru- fus E. Wood and the ship Eclipse to carry passengers and freight to St. Michael next spring. They are having four river steamers built at the Fulton Iron Works, and expect to have every thing in readiness for the rush next spring. Walter s. Scammell of the com- pany is back from the East and he says the rush from Chicago and New York will begin the latter part of next month. and that it will be greater than kanybOdy expects.
 Coasters from the north have had fair winds for the past week, and in conse- quence the James A. Garfield. which ar rived yesterday, made the run from Willapa Harbor in four days, and the ship Occidental came down from De- parture Bay in six days.
 Another injunction suit has been commenced against the Board. of State HarbOr Commissioners. When the Commissioners met yesterday after noon papers were served on them in proceedings commenced by S. E. IT, vine of the Paraffine Paint Company restraining them from letting bids for the creosoting of piles to be used in wharf construction.
 The Paraffine Paint Company through it's agent claims that 1t was the lowest bidder for the work, and that 1nasmuch as none of the bids were said to be excessive it is entitled to be awarded the contract.
 A suit of a similar character was brought against the Commissioners some few weeks ago on the ground that the advertisements for bids were so worded that none but the San Fran cisco Preserving Company could bid under the contract. That suit was dis missed a few weeks ago. The Com mlssioners decided yesterday to re- turn all bids in the particular case to which the Paraffine Paint Company based it's action
 Engineer Holmes was instructed to draw up specifications and advertise building
 A communication was received from