The San Francisco call., 1899-09-06
FIRST VISIT To
THIS COAST OF
THE MARbLEHEAD
Over Four Months
Getting Here.

The United States cruiser Marblehead
arrived from New York via the Straits of
Magellan yesterday. She has been over
four months getting here from the Barba-
does, but was only fifty-four days at sea.
All the rest of the time was spent in port
coaling or overhauling.
The Marblehead in company with other
vessels of SIMPSONS fleet, rendezvoused
at Saint Lucia in April last and on the
29th of that month the Newark and Mar
blehead were ordered to San Francisco.
The Marblehead had to stop thirteen
times on the way for coal while the New
ark had to recoal only four times Owing
to her delay in the Straits of Magellan
the Newark was the last to reach Callao.
She was just making port as the Marble
head was leaving. She beat the Marble
head into port however owing to her
greater coal capacity.
The voyage Of the Marblehead was an
uneventful one. There was no sickness
and 10 accidents occurred, but twenty
two Of the men made things lively at
Montevideo by deserting. They thought
they were cut out for cowboys so they
ran away and all of them succeeded in
reaching the interior. At Punta Arenas
another man deserted, so the Marblehead
lost twenty-three of her men during the
The sailors did not like the trip around
the Horn. They had three winters inside
of four months and that was running the
suit them. In the Straits OF Magellan
they nearly froze to death while IN the
number of time-expired men aboard the
cruiser and they will be glad to receive
their discharge When she came into
port the Marblehead anchored in the fair
way and in consequence she had to be
moved. Rear Admiral KautZ's S flag on the
Iowa was then saluted with thirteen guns
and the battleship replied The officers of
the cruiser are Commander H. G. O.
Colby. Lieutenant Commander j. A.
Williams and W. 6. 'Bretherton, Passed
Assistant Paymaster H. A Dent. Naval
Cadets w. P. Cromar, and R. B. White
and Pay Clerk w. P. Atwell. She carries
Detroit and Montgomery and was built
at Boston in 1892. She has, a speed of
sell During the war with Spain she was
principally employed in bombarding small
places on the coast of Cuba.
The sailors on the, British ship British
Isles had some hard-luck stories to tell
yesterday. The vessel made a smart run
of lis days from Cardiff, but the men say
they were treated like dogs. They assert
that they did not get proper food and the
supply of water was limited while in
heavy weather they had TO do double
duty. AS soon as the anchor was dropped
the men quit in body and were taken
ashore by the boatmen; They all leIC
from $50 to $40 wages behind them, but
each of them asserts that he would loose
twice these sums in order to get clear of
the ship.
Captain Dunbar reports that off the
Horn the British Isles was in heavy
weather Sails were blown away and
everything movable on deck was washed
overheard. On July Il the British Isles
spoke the ship Sierra Mirarida from
Penarth for Acapulco and the next day
the Pahane from Newcastle, England, for
San Francisco. The French bark Dugues-
clin from Newcastle Australia and the
British ship Claverdon from Swansea also
reached port yesterday.
The steamer Fulton which went ashore
in the fog near Fort Point at 1:45 a. m.
yesterday was got off during the morning
Captain Le;vtnson was feeling his way
into port when the tide carried the vessel
in toward the shore and she took the
beach bow on. The tugs Reliance and
Alert were soon on the scene but no as
sistance was required. With the aid of a
kedge the captain got the vessel off and
proceeded to Vallejo Junction, where the
steamers cargo is now being discharged
The Fulton was not damaged.
The training ship Adams returned from
Puget Sound and Portland yesterday and
the annual cruise of the apprentices is
over. Many of the boys will be drafted
to the Iowa, Newark, Marblehead and
Philadelphia and next January a second
batch Of young fellows will make a voy-
age similar to the one just finished
The brig Lurline arrived from Kahului
Yesterday having made the run in the
good time of nineteen days. The bark
Roderick Dhu, which left Hilo the day the
Lurline sailed from Kahului, has not vet
arrived
The auxiliary cruiser Badger went to
sea Yesterday morning with the members
OF the Naval Reserve. She will get back
next Wednesday.