The San Francisco call., 1898-05-20
BUSY TIMES
 ON THE FRONT Grain Cars Loading at
 the Sea Wall. FLEETWOOD FOR SOLDIERS. SIX THOUSAND CORDS BEING CUT AT POWELL STREET. Much Activity at the Mail Dock and Pacifc-Street Wharf Over Get
 ting Ready the Troop
 Ships.
.FIREWooD FOR SOLDIERS.
SIX THOUSAND CORDS BEING
 CUT AT POWELL STREET.

While business generally is quiet in shipping, still ,here are some portions of the water front where things are going with rush. At the Mail Dock double gangs of men are at work getting the steamers City of Peking and City of Syd- ney ready for the troops who are to go on them to Manila. At the Oceanic dock the Australia is ready for her freight and as soon as the Government begins sending freight and passengers the steamer will be ready to receive them. At the seawall several gangs of men are at work loading wheat into cars on the belt railroad. The grain is going to New Orleans via the Sunset route and will be shipped from there in a neutral bottom to Europe. At Powell-street wharf couple of donkey engines are going day and night cutting up 5000 cords of wood for the use of the troops at the Presidio, while at Meiggs wharf M. Fitzgerald, the reporter for the Merchants Exchange, was busy all day keeping tab on the big fleet of vessels that sailed.
 On the Mall Dock the general opinion is that neither the Peking nor Sydney will be ready for service before Saturday or Sunday, and in that event it will be Tues day or Wednesday next before they can get away. Of course, delay in their case means that the Australia also will be de- layed, that all three of them will get away together.
 The wheat is the first shipment that has gone by rail for Europe from San Fran cisco. There are about 5000 tons of 1t, and as the cars are loaded they are moved around the belt railroad to the freight slips at Lombard-street wharf and there transferred to the Southern Pacific freight boats and thence to the yards across the bay, where the trains for New Orleans are made up. It is a very ex- pensive way of handling grain, but then the long voyage around the Horn is avoided and the shipments are made on hurry orders.
 The 5000 cords of fire wood now being cut at Powell-street wharf are only a commencement, and the chances are that the work will go steadily on as long as there are troops at the Presid1o and the old Bay District track.
 Captain James Johnson Is very sick at his home in Temescal. At one time it was feared that he would not recover, but yesterday he was a little better, and his business associates expect to see him out and about again shortly. Captain John son is the senior partner of the firm of Johnson & Emigh, president of the J. K. Cunningham Company and part owner Of the ship John Ena, bark Harvester, bark entine Ruth and schooners Five Brothers, Seven Sisters, Honolulu and Rachel. He has five sons and seven daughters and two of his schooners got their names from that fact.
 The American ship Reaper has cleared for Comox. B. C., where she will load coal for Honolulu. After discharging at that port she will load sugar for New York.
 The British ship Crown of India. be- fore reported as being partly dismasted 150 miles from Newcast N. s. w, while on her way to San Francisco. has been lowed into SydI>Cy, N. S- W.
 The Oceanic Steamship Company's Ma riposa sailed yesterday fos Australia via Hawaii Samoa and New Zealand. She took away a very valuable cargo and the following cabin passengers:
 For HonoIuu-Rev Charles R. Brown and wife; C. M. Cooke. wife. child and maid; Rich ard Cooke, Miss Alice Cooke. c. ". Deacon. Colonel W. Evans. G. D: Freeth, E, A Riley. A. F. Knudsen. Mrs. V. Knudsen, Mrs Charles S. Lewis. E. B. Mechanism, wife and child; Louis Reiche, Miss E. Swickard. Wray Taylor. Miss NJ. Walters, John Waterhouse. Dr. T. c. Whitehead wife and infant; W. Woon.
 For Auckland-W Maddern.
 For Sydney-F. Burckhardt Miss E. A: Cook, H. A. Goddard. A. l.. Lee, Mrs. W. B. Middle ton and son, John Moore and wife, J. Ruther- ford William Sherer Jr., Mrs. M. Soule-
 Join at Honolulu for Apia-G. B. Greig.
 w. Maddern, the passenger for Auck- land is the New Zealand detective who came here to secure pr. Arthur orpen, who is accused of having caused the death of Miss Susan A. McCalmot. Ex- tradition papers were issued and pr Or pen went back with Detective Maddern on the Mariposa.