The San Francisco call., 1899-10-23
NO TRANSPORTS
WILL SAIL FOR
MANILA TODAY
Smallpox Scare on the
Pennsylvania.

None Of the transports will leave for
Manila to-day. The work of getting them
ready has been delayed by the rain, and
in consequence 1t will be Wednesday be-
fore any Of them will sail.
a case of suspected smallpox was dis
covered on the Pennsylvania, and all the
painters were ordered to quit work yes
terday. The Government was not taking
any chances, and in consequence every
man aboard the vessel was fumigated.
Then the entire ship was treated In the
same manner. Every hatchway was
Theoretically sealed and the fumigating
gas turned on. The vessel will be Kept
sealed up until s a. m. to-day, and then
she will be ready for the painters again.
The case may turn out to be only an at
tack of measles, but with a vessel that
is going to carry troops, Uncle Sam can
not be too particular.
Four soldiers of the Twenty eighth In
fahtry made a daring attempt to rob a
man in front of Petersons boathouse
yesterday Two of them were captured
by Officers George Lake and William
Mullander of the harbor police but the
others managed to make their escape.
Simon Pleff came down from Nelson,
B. c., on the steamer Walla Walla. Yes
terday morning he visited the water front
Jacobs, Company i, and George Shield,
Company l. Twenty eighth Infantry, and
they had several drinks together. Then
two more members of the Twenty eighth
joined the company and more drinks were
in order. Pleff paid for the drinks, and
running short of small change, pulled out
his purse with seven twenty-dollar gold
pieces IN 1t. The soldiers saw the gold
and made up a scheme to rob 1.-THE
hoOSier."
They laid the plans in front of the
Spreckels Tugboat Company's office. and
w Manning overheard them He at once
sent word to officer Lake, and he and
officer Mullander were on the scene al
most as soon as the robbery. was per
petrated. Jacobs put his hand into
Pleff's pocket and took out the purse.
Pleff felt him, and, turning quickly, made
q grab for the money. The purse fell TO
the wharf and five twenty-dollar gold
pieces rolled out. Pleff grabbed three of
them and the other two disappeared.
Just then Lake and Mullander appeared
on the scene and arrested Jacobs and
She'd. the other two soldiers making
their escape
James McMenamin of Company D. Twen-
ty-eighth Infantry, objected to the arrest
of his comrades, and started in to take
Jacobs away from Officer Lake. He was
promptly knocked down, and at the Har-
Dor police station was booked for disturb
ing the peace. James H. Cope Of 1773
MCAllister street also put in his oar and
demanded the officers numbers. He was
given what he wanted, and was also
booked at the station as witness.
When the prisoners were searched a the
f1dIDOT SldllOIl ii SEU sOlu piece was lOuUu
in Shields shoe and an open knife in his
pocket. On Jacobs nothing was found
but half a dozen witnesses saw him take
the purse out of Pleff's pocket. Both men
were charged with grand larceny.
Never in the history of the port have
the shipyards In Oakland Creek been as
busy as they are now. Hay & Wright
have just completed the beautiful schoon-
er Philippine, and next week they
will launch the steamer Liliuokalani. She
is a vessel with particularly graceful lines,
and is expected to average twelve knots
an hour. She is being built for the Wilder
Steamship Company of Honolulu and is
l50 feet long, 30 feet beam and II feet
draft. The machinery is being built by
the Union Iron Works, and the whole
work is being supervised by II. Johnson
supervising engineer of the Wilder Com
pany.
The ferry steamer Ocean Wave is being
transformed into one of the finest vessels
of her class afoat. also at Hay &
Wright's. She is the boat purchased in
Portland by the Santa Fe Railroad, and
is to run between Point Richmond and
San Francisco. Mr.. Hay says she will be
ready for service on December l. Her bow
has been remodeled to fit the ferry slips
out and her bottom replanked. When COM
pleted she will be the fastest and finest
boat of her kind in the bay.
Almost a sister boat to the Philippine Is
also being built in Oakland Creek. She will
be ten feet longer than the schooner now
in commission, but otherwise the dimen-
sions are the same. She will not be ready
for launching until March next, and will
go into the coast trade. Martin Sanders,
managing owner of the Philippine, will
also manage the new vessel, which has
not vet been named.