The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-25
90 - "
STEAMER FOR
THE SANTA FE'S
FERRY BUSINESS
Ocean Wave Arrives
From Puget Sound.
SHE is A VERY FAST BOAT
IS FOR THE POINT RICHMOND
SAN FRANCISCO RUN.
Was Formerly an Excursion Steamer
on the Columbia River, Running
Between Portland and
Seaside.
IS FOR THE POINT RICHMOND
SAN FRANCISCO RUN.

One of the fastest ferry boats on the
coast arrived in port from Puget Sound
yesterday. She is the side-wheel steam
er Ocean Wave and has been purchased
by the Santa Fe railroad for the Point
Richmond service. 1t will take about
two months to get her in shape for ferry
business, as she is fitted out with state
rooms and has a straight bow. The
staterooms will all be torn out and the
bow will have to be rounded out like
those on the Oakland ferry boats so that
she will fit the landing slips at this end
and Point Richmond
The Ocean Wave is $50 feet long, %
feet beam and 9 feet deep, or a little
smaller than the San Rafael, which ferry
boat she very much resembles. She is
fitted with twin engines and can easily
make her fourteen knots an hour, or
about the speed made by the San Rafael
when on her best behavior. She was
built in 1891 on the Columbia River for
Jacob kamm, the millionaire steamboat
man, to run in the excursion business be-
tween Portland and Seaside. For over
six years she was one of the most sue
cessful boats on the run, and then she
was sold to Puget Sound parties. The
latter paid a fancy price for her, intend
ing TO run her in the Klondike trade, but
when the bottom fell out of that trade
there was nothing for her to do and she
was put up for sale and purchased by the
Santa Fe.
The Ocean Wave left Port Angeles in
tow of the tug Holyoke at $50 o'clock
on Saturday night. She was all boarded
up in case sea should break aboard.
and water ballast was used. Exception
ally fine weather was experienced all the
way down and the last day out the water
ballast was pumped out in order TO light
en- the tow. This enabled the Holyoke
to come along al better speed, with the
result that the vessels reached port a
day before they were expected
The Ocean Wave had not been tied up
at Washington street wharf an hour be-
fore carpenters were at work on her.
There are fifty staterooms on the main
deck and over a hundred on the upper
upper deck will then be fitted up as
luxurious saloon, while the lower one
will be prepared for freight. The Ocean
Wave is ''single-ender. She is again
the other ferry boats being. "double-end-
ers' The work of getting her ready for
service will be rushed, and it is expected
that she will be ready for business about
the first of August.
Several sugar boats made port yester-
day. The barkentines S. n. Castle and
+ S. G.. Wilder had another race and the
Castle won by twenty-four hours. These
sail within a few hours of each other,
and if one wins in the run to Honolulu
the other turns the tables coming to San
Francisco. The Castle was twenty days
up, while the bark Albert made the run
in eighteen days, beating them both. All
three boats beat the banks Martha Davis,
now out twenty-five days; Ceylon, TWEEN
ty-four days, and Alden Besse, twenty
nine days.
The San Bias arrived from Panama
and way ports yesterday. She had few
passengers but large cargo, the prin-