The San Francisco call., 1898-03-23

date the passengers, but it was secure, and there was no danger from It. Eacn bunk had life preserver under it. and we put five new boats on her. Besides the passengers outfits there were 125 tons of ballast in her, and that should have been enough to keep her upright in a typhoon. It is a mystery to me how the accident happened"
 If Captain McCoy's theory is correct, which it undoubtedly is, then MT. Mohn's mystery is mystery no longer.
 Captain Hogan of the Helen w. AL my was well known in San Francisco, having commanded a number of ves- sels trading with this port. He was last in command of the ship Wachu- sett, but resigned several months ago. Strange to say, the WachuSett arrived here yesterday, having made the run from Seattle in three days and a half. Probably while the ship was flying through the water on the wings of the northwestern, the unfortunate men on the Amy were a few miles away fight ing with death in the same gale that was helping the Wachusett to make a record-breaking trip.
 It is said that F. R. Cromwell, one of the passengers reported missing, is alive and in the city. At the last mo- ment he refused to take passage on the ill-fated boat, thereby escaping the catastrophe.
 In the wreck of the Helen w. Amy, off Point Bonita. on Monday night. bound for the gold fields, were drowned, there is recorded another tragedy of the high seas that is criminal in some of it's aspects.
 An old vessel that was good at best for kindling. wood, loaded with men 
 sWamped about fifteen miles from the Cliff House-nearly ashore, as it were, thus making death seem the more hid eous, in that the elements stole march upon the life-saving station that was almost in view. The wreck was silent protest of the seas repudiation of a craft unworthy to ride upon her bosom.
 The tug Vigilant, Captain John Silo- vich, left Folsom street wharf shortly after noon to go to the wreck, which was reported to be abreast of Pillar Point, about twenty miles south of Point Bonita, and this proved to be correct, as she was found drifting around near that vicinity. The ill., fated vessel was first sighted about 2 o'clock by the man at the Vigilant's wheel. She was then but a speck upon the face of the ocean, and could only be seen when the tug breasted a high wave.
 The Amy lay upon her starboard side, with her stern out of the water. Nearly all of the stern had been car ried away, and from the sectional view of the water-logged vessel, as we'll as from her sides, from which the tim bers could have been pulled with the hands, it could be seen that the bark was rotten to the core and utterly un seaworthy. She was beginning to go n YinnnC yyh her masts, lying in confused mass of Wreckage, will soon drift away.
 Her mizzenmast and maintopmast were gone. The vessel had been under a heavy head of sail and she was upon the port tack, for she turned over to starboard. From this fact it would seem as though an attempt was being made to put about for some reason that will never be known.
 Captain Silovich managed to get a line to the vessels back pin, with the view of fighting her sufficiently to read her name, but the pin would not hold. He then made fast to the spanker boom and pulled 1t free from the wreck This he brought back to the city with him. He endeavored to get line fast to the mainmast, but the water was too rough for the tugs small boat, so it was given up, as Cap- tain Silovich was afraid that it would swamp. The men, however, brought off from the vessel some blankets and towels, which were entangled in the wreck of the stern. These were new and had evidently been part of the passengers outfits.
 Captain Silovich declared that tha vessel was a man trap, and that she was thoroughly rotten. He said: 'The Amy sailed on Sunday and ever since we have been having northerly winds I believe that the vessel sprang a leak or that there was a mutiny on board, for she was bound back to port I am certain of this fact, for the vessel was by her being upon her starboard. She had nearly all of her sail spread, and I presume that a sudden Squall struck her and simply tore her apart. You can see the vessel was no good. In fact, she is not worth saving. It is criminal to pack men off in such boats as that one"
 The Amy had two new yards rigged LID before she sailed, and these were found among the wrecked rigging of the vessel. This source of identifica- ton only serves to confirm the theory that the vessel was the Amy.
 Captain Silovich was of the opinion that the vessel had foundered Monday night in a Squall. although she may have done so shortly after leaving port, and has been floating around ever since, but this is not probable, as she would have been sighted before. There fore the most plausible theory is that the Amy met with her misfortune Monday night as she was endeayoring to get back to port.
 Captain Silovich entertains no idea that any of the crew were saved, for if they had been they would have been