The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-15
Stating
AND SEVENTEEN
MEN DROWNED
Vessel Goes Down at Night During
a SquaIl and Is Not Missed
Until Morning.

ACOMA, Jan. 14.-Captain Stall
- ing and seventeen men were
70. drowned by the sinking of the
British ship Andelana during a
heavy wind storm early this morning.
The gale which blew her over was one
of the most severe experienced here in
years. 1t blew at the rate of thirty
eight miles an hour. The Andelana
was capsized almost instantly and be-
fore her officers and crew knew that
they were in peril.
Yesterday noon a gale sprang up,
which soon reached thirty miles an
hour. 1t gradually subsidized until night
fall or the Andelana probably would
have pulled into a dock. AS it was,
she remained at anchor in the stream,
being prevented tipping over only by
heavy log buoys mOored on either side
of her This was really a dangerous
position during windy weather, for all
of her ballast had been discharged and
she had taken no stiffening aboard.
There is no doubt that when the ter
rible gale sprang up last night she
partly turned over. This lifted her
starboard ballast log out of the water
and its weight caused a defective link
to break. Thus released from the log,
the ship turned suddenly on her beam
ends, and in another instant the water
was pouring down her hatchWayS.
These We're but loosely covered and af-
forded no protection. With her topping
masts and towering side to give the
gale full swing the Andelana went over
as though she were a racing shell.
-. How the seamen struggled to escape
can be imagined, but without doubt
3 ho1 ~,
hunks into the infiowing waters before
their vessel had struck bottom, twenty
three and half fathoms below the sur
face. This is indicated by the fact that
the vessel did not drift from her moor
ing place, but sank almost at the spot
where she was moored last night.
With daylight this morning the Ande-
lana was missed Where she had been
riding, apparently secure, at dusk last
night there showed but a blank stretch
of waters Captain Doty of the ship
Walter H Wilson was probably the
first to discover the Andelana's disap-
pearance. Hurriedly calling his gig
crew he was rowed to the tug Fair
field, lying at the Eureka dock. The
tug was sent across the Andelana s
anchorage. Not a trace OF the missing
. ship was to be found. The Fairfield
then crossed to the eastern side of the
bay. Here the Andelanas fate was
maze evident.
Swamped and with battered gunWale
one of the ships lifeboats tossed against
the gravelly beach. Further on was
found a ballast log, with a broken chain
attached. Then were discovered wooden
shoVels such as had been used on the
Andelana. The last piece of Wreckage
found was a mattress marked with the
ships name
e.: Up and down the beach Captain Doty
and Captain Burley of the tug tramped
but not another vestige of wreckage
, from the ship was to be found.
q. 1t was scarcely believed along the
water front that the ship could have
sunk without some one escaping or
without being heard by watchmen
aboard vessels at the st. Paul and Ia
coma Lumber Companys wharf, less
than half a mile away. To make GER
tain of her fate, it was decided to send
the tug Fairfield out with graphing
irons to locate the wreck. At O'Clock
this afternoon a steam launch caught
with graphing irons what seemed to
be piece of cable. Still later the tug
Fairchild caught hold of some solid
substance.
This was the best that could be ac-
complished with graphing irons at a
depth of al feet, and is considered
complete evidence that the ship is lying
underneath where she was last seen
anchored. This depth is too great to
permit divers to work with ease. No
attempt has been made to engage
divers pending the receipt Of instruc-