The San Francisco call., 1898-07-06
WRECK OF THE
 LUMBER RAFT 1t Broke in Two When Off Crescent City. 0NE-HALF REACHES PORT ARRIVAL OF THE SCHOONER
 FREE TRADE. Death of William H. White, the Mil lionaire Shipowner and Lumber
 Dealer of Mendocino
 County.

Part of the big raft that left Astoria on June 24 last in tow of the tugs Res cue and Monarch arrived here yesterday behind the latter vessel Another sec ton is supposed to be outside somewhere in tow of the Rescue. When off Crescent City or, to be exact in latitude 42 north. longitude 1234O west, a big mortimer came up. The wind increased until 1t was blow ing S5 miles an hour. The sea was soon running mountains high and about D. m. on Thursday last the raft broke in two. The Monarch held on to the half that remained attached to the tow lines. while the Rescue cast off and remained by the derelict portion to await the going down of the gale. When practicable Cap tain Dan Thompson made fast to the portion that broke away and is now tow ing It into port. The owners of the raft estimate that the Monarch brought in about 900 feet of lumber, that the Rescue is towing about 1000 900 feet, and that million feet was lost in the dis aster.
 The raft was built on the Columbia River by inman, Paulson & Co. for the D. II. Bibb Lumber Company. It was originally S76 feet long, 43 feet broad and 4' feet deep. It was bolted together by no bolts placed 27 feet apart and 55 of these bolts arrived in San Francisco yes Ierday. When the Umatilla arrived last Ihursday from the Sound Captain Couz- ms reported seeing the raft with only one tug attached to tt. Some of the other oncers of the vessel also reported pass Ing through lot of lumber that looked Ike the deCkload of q schooner. The two the raft
 We left Astoria on June 24 last" said MT. Inman yesterday, and all went well Tor four days. The wind was very light and the raft behaved splendidly. We were making about three or four knots an hour and figured on reaching San francisco last Saturday. but the fates were against us. On Wednesday it be- gan to blow mortimer and at first we thought we would pull through all right The raft was behaving nobly and the seas dashed over it without doing any apparent damage. But then the wind grew m Iorce and blew so hard that 1 was al- most afraid 10 put my head out of the pilot house for fear 1t would get blown off Next, the sea took a hand The waves began to run mountains high and the only way we could tell that the raft was there was by the strain on the tow lines. The force of the waves was ter rthc, and about D. m. we saw the raft buckle up and snap in two apparently as easily as you would snap thin stick over your knee.
 Captains Tonnesson of the Monarch and Thompson of the Rescue were equal to the occasion. While the Monarch re- mained with the part that was intact Captain Thompson cast off and went af- ter the dereict. He had to lie in the
  his hawser in, and sometimes I thought the Rescue would go down bodily. After leaving the Rescue the gale continued and we have had to fight our way inch by inch to San Francisco. I think the other half of the raft will arrive here all right, for which we will all be thank ful. The partial success of the venture is mainly due to Captains Tonnesson and Thompson. When that nOrther came up many a man would have cast off his tow and looked out for himself and his ship, LaH~ lz- tn1T1 eTT1N hot we will bring into port at least four mill lion feet of lumber out of the five that left Astoria behind the tugs
 The Monarch docked her half of the raft at section A of the seawall, where the work of discharging 1t will begin to- day. The lumber will be loaded direct into wagons and on to trucks, and in this way there will be a big saving in the handling of 1t.
 W. H. White. president of the L. E. White Lumber Company. died in this city city about a week ago from Mendocino and was taken sick, but did not think enough of 1t to take to his bed. The dis ease developed rapidly, however. and car ried him off in a few hours. His father died about two years ago and left all his large lumber and shipping interests to him. Since then Mir White has made his home in Mendocno County, but came ire quently to San Francisco to look after his interests here The deceased was a native son. having been born in Mendocino forty years ago. He was the principal share holder in the Greenwood and Whtesboro lumber mills and in the steamers Alca- traz, Alcazar, Whitesboro and Greenwood. He leaves a widow and a sister, Mrs Stewart. of Santa Rosa The funeral will take place tomorrow from St. Johns Episcopal Church on Fifteenth street
 The uch-talked-ab schooner Free Trade arrived from Netarts Bay yester- day It will be remembered that about six months ago Captain Moore got up an expedition to go in search of an island of gold, which he asserted was located in the Aleutian group. He interested II. Talbot Watson and several other wealthy Eng llshmen in this scheme and they put up the money for the purchase and outftting of the Free Trade. When the schooner reached Alaska. Moore, according to Mir Watson, put him and his fellow goldhunt- CTS ashore and left them. When. she reached Netarts Bay Moore gave it out that Watson. who was shipped as purs- CT of the vessel. had mutinied and had to be put ashore along with his companions in order to preserve peace aboard the ves- sel
 While the Free Trade was at Netarts Bay Captain Moore and This wife" (an- other woman who claims to be his wife i5 waiting for him here in San Francisco) went to Tillamook. While there they went