The San Francisco call., 1898-08-06
The Steamer IrOQuOiS
 Ordered Out.
THREE VESSELS ARE MISSING
IT IS PROBABLY THE REMAINS
 OF ONE OF THEM.
Shipping Men Think It Is the Hull of the Schooner Nomad, Long Overdue at Puget Sound
 From China.

Theidentity of the derelict that has been sighted a number of times during the last month by different coasting vessels will soon be known. Captain Turner of the United States steamship Iroquois re- ceived instructions yesterday to proceed to Mare Island. There explosives will be taken on boSrd and the vessel will pro- ceed to sea in search of the vessel that has for months been a menace to navi- gation. Captain Turner's instructions are to bring the derelict into port if possi- ble, and if not to blow 1t up.
 The first news came from Seattle in the early part of last June. A vessel bottom up was sighted off the Oregon coast and the conclusion was reached that 1t was the remains of the four-masted schooner Nomad, long overdue at Puget Sound from China. On June 15 Captain Christensen of the schooner Eliza Miller sighted another or the same derelict in latitude 4S.1s north, longitude 129.51 west. In talking about the wreck yesterday Captain Christensen said 1t might be the remains of the Nomad that he sighted and again it might not. The hull stood 100 high out of the water for the vessel 10 nave been laden when she turned oVer- The vessel was apparently new and had been freshly painted but where the paint had been worn off by the friction or the waves he could see the cement in her seams.
 On July Is Captain Rasmussen of the schooner Louise also sighted the derelict in latitude 38.0S north. longitude 129.5i west. From his description number of shipping men came to the conclusion that 1t was the hull of the baeK Forest Queen, long overdue at San Pedro from Puget Sound, which he had sighted, while others again thought it the remains of the schooner Jane Gray. The latter yes sel left Puget Sound last May for kot- zebue and when ninety miles off Cape Flattery capsiZed. Out of the siXty-two people all told on board thirty-four were drowned, and the vessel was supposed to have foundered. No one actually saw the vessel go down and shipping men think that after the cargo and ballast fell out Of her the vessel rose out of the water and has been floating around ever since.
 The general impression among the un- derwriters in regard to the thrice-sighted derelfct Is that 1t is the hull of the schooner Nomad. The Forest Queen had a deckload of piles, and they say that she she surely split up and went to pieces The Jane Gray is reported to have gone down, and as she was an old vessel the chances are that if she. did not go to the bottom she has been battered to pieces long ago. The Nomad was a new vessel on her maiden voyage and in ballast. It would, therefore, seem to be that she is the derelict. If It Is the Nomad, the Identification of the hull will be the end of very sad tale. Captain McAlep was in command of her. and his sonm-his only child-was also on the vessel. The wife and mother is now at Seattle and refuses to believe that the Nomad is lost, and spends all her time waiting for tidings of the missing vessel.
 After leaving port Captain Turner will take the 1roquois out to the place where the derelict was last sighted by Captain Rasmussen of the schooner Louise. He will then follow the set of the current, and in a few days hopes to come up with the wreck. If by any possible means he can tow 1t into port he will do so; if not, a charge of dynamite will be put into tfe hull, and the danger to navigation removed in that way.
 The underwriters are very much inter- ested in the removal of the derelict, as it is a serious menace to navigation, and it was at the request of some of them that The Call took the matter up. The first article which appeared in this paper was cut out and sent to Washington, and the result is the starting out of the 1ro- quois.
 The ship Tacoma with horses for Ma nila will sb not get away aTa unt eaGd SGme eare me yesterday morning, but the smokestack had to be heightened; hence the delay. to get steam on the boilers that supply the condensers and work the electric plant he found that there was not enough smokestack had been made short so as not to interfere with the utility of the ships sails, but as it would not work in that way a gang of men had to be sent out from the Risdon Iron Works to rem edy that defect. The Tacoma will prob ably get away with the hrst tloe to-day. street railway Is to be moved to the front of the main entrance of the new ferry depot This was uecided upon. at meet ing of the Harbor Commissioners yester- day This will do away with the present curve and will carry the cars Tn a straight line to the depot. It IS also in- tended to condemn the property on the northwest corner of East and Market streets, so that the Sacramento-stree cars can also go in straight inc to tne depot and thus do away with that dan gerouS curve