The San Francisco call., 1899-05-15
SHIP CAPTAINS
INHUMANITY ON
The HIGH SEAS
Refused to Land an
Injured Sailor.
CARRIED HIM TO UNALASKA
FOOT CRUSHED AND LEG BRoK-
EN- BY THE BOOM.
Seaman Olsen Will Bring Suit and
Endeavor to Collect Damages
for His Injuries and
Neglect.
CARRIED HIM TO UNALAsKA
FOOT CRUSHED AND LEG BRoK.
EN- BY THE BOOM.

II never want to go to sea again with
man like Captain Stensland of the
schooner Uranus. He treated me in
the most brutal manner and I'll make
him pay for it if l live" Thus spoke F.
Olsen. third mate of the Uranus, aboard
the steamer Del Norte. For twenty
eight days the unfortunate sailor has
been suffering the tortures of the damned
with a broken leg and crushed foot,
and the chances are that TO save his life
the limb will have to be amputated.
The steamer Del Norte returned from
Unalaska yesterday. She left here with
ship carpenters and calkers to finish
some vessels for the Alaska Exploration
Company. When Captain Whitelaw and
his men were up there last year they
were unable to finish one steamer and
a barge for the Yukon trade, while work
on three barges for the same business
was not begun. The men who went
north on the Del Norte will complete
these vessels.
She brought down one passenger. the
sailor from the Uranus. The poor fell
low viii be removed to the Marine Hos
pital to-day and it Will be a long time
before he is able to be about again. I'VE
left here an the Uranus early in April, -
said he yesterday, and ii did not take
us long TO find out that Captain Stems
land was no sailor. He would get ex-
cited and lose his head when the least
bit OF breeze came along, and in con-
sequence we were always in trouble. On
April 10 between 4 and ) p. m. it was
blowing pretty fresh and there was a
tremendous cross sea on. We started
in TO reef her down. The foresail was
lowered and reefed but had not been set
again and we had lowered the mainsail
10 reef il. The boom tackle was not
made fast, however, and ii was swing
ing from side to side, smashing things
generally.
Seeing that there was likely to be
considerable damage done l attempted to
hook the boom tackle. While l was at
work a big sea broke aboard and washed
me into the scuppers. 1 scrambled to
my feet, when another sea knocked me
time the lift of the boom broke and the
boom swung O. ar and knocked me sense
less. When 1 recovered consciousness 1
and a crushed foot.
AT this time we were about 500 miles
from Cape Flattery. and as | was in ter
rible agony | asked Captain Stensland
to put into Puget Sound. He refused,
saying that If he did his crew would de-
sert; | told him if he would put into
l could go to Seattle on 1t, but he again
refused. Then 1 asked him to make for
Unga Island, as l knew there was a doc
tor there, but he said: No, I'll take you
10 Unalaska and you must take your
with the assistance of Hans. the
cook. and AXtel, the head salter, I set
my leg myself. It is broken just below
the knee, and 1 made as good a job as
possible. Hans pulled on my ankle and
Axtel on the thigh, and when 1 had
pushed the bone into place 1 put couple
of pieces OF a cracker box on the leg
and bound it up. We were sixteen days
getting to Unalaska. and during that
time we had some very heavy weather.
My foot began to tester and I was in
fearful agony On May a man came
aboard the schooner at Unalaska and
looked at my leg. He advised that 1 be
sent down to San Francisco, and as the
Del NOrte was ready to sail l was put
aboard her Ny foot was fixed up and
put in splints, but on the way down it
hurt me so that / could not stand it. so
I got Captain Allen to take the splints
of. My whole foot was a fostering mass
Of flesh, and now I have no feeling in it
at all"
John D. Spreckels took a party of in
vited guests out on the tug Fearless yes
terday. It was the intention to do some
fishing on the Cordell Banks, but owing
to the heavy westerly swell the steamer
could not remain on the banks. The
Fearless therefore came back into port
and the excursionists did their fishing off
Lime Point.
Captain Pierce of the Centennial has
taken command Of the transport Grant,
vice Captain Arey, who goes back to his
home in the. East. Captain Eagles sue
ceeds Captain Pierce as master of the
Centennial Eagles was formerly master
OF the Elihu Thomson.