The San Francisco call., 1899-01-02
SOUTHEASTER
ON THE BAY
CAUSES TROUBLE
Two Men Nearly Lost
heir Lives.
SQUALL UPSET THEIR BOAT
CLUNG TO A HUNTING SKIFF
AND DRIFTED ASHORE.
Barge in Collision With Schooner
Queen-Ferryboats Late and
Commuters Have
Lively Time.
SQUALL UPSET THEIR BOAT
CLUNG TO A HUNTING SKIFI
AND DRIFTED ASHORE.

There were wild times on the water
front yesterday. The new year opened
up with a southeaster and the shipping
from the ferries to the mail dock caught
Ii. The ferry boats ran at irregular in
tervals and the passengers who crossed
the bay on them had good lively times.
On the Piedmont one of the chain boxes
used for ballast broke adrift and caused
the steamer to give a lurch that made
everybody think she was going over. Just
at that moment a rain 'squall struck her
and a big sea broke aboard over the bow,
so it was no wonder some of the passen-
gers began to say their prayers. The
master mechanic from the Oakland yard
was aboard and he superintended the
making fast of the derelict ballast box,
and the Piedmont made her berth without
any further mishap.
The new ferry steamer Berkeley ran
throughout the day and strange to say
made better weather of it than did the
Newark, Encinal and Piedmont. Occa
sionally a sea would break over her. but
she seemed to stand up TO the gale in
workmanlike manner. In order to cross
the bay the ferry boats had to face the
storm, so it took them twice the usual
time to make each trip.
TWO men named Merry and Henderson
nearly lost their lives during the gale.
i
and Long Wharf, Oakland, and had it not
been for a little hunting skiff that they
held onto they would assuredly have been
drowned.
Merry Is,an officer on the American ship
Indiana and Henderson is an officer on
the steamer Roanoke. Both vessels are
laid up in Oakland Creek. Saturday the
two men made up their minds TO go duck
hunting and the excursion was set for
yesterday morning. fine new boat,
which cost 5000, had just been supplied
the Indiana and the men decided to take
It, AS the hunting would be done i'll
Suisun Bay hunting boat was taken
along, in order that the hunters might be
able to follow the ducks into shallow
water.
Merry and Henderson were armed with
new breech-loading guns for the occasion
and when they stepped into the ship $
boat they had on their cartridge belts and
All went well until they were off Goat
Island and close to the training ship
Adams and British ship Scottish Hills
when a sudden squall struck the boat,
big wave broke aboard and over She
went. With great presence OF MIND Mer-
~ cut the painter that held the hunting
boat and the two men clung to it.
Their long boots were full Of water and
the cartridge belts weighed them down so
that 1t was impossible to get into the
coekleshell. They yelled for assistance,
but the roar of the wind drowned their
cries After drifting about for while
the snip S BOAT SANK anu dI llOuI ldlCA
the hunting boat, with the two men cling
ing to 1t, drifted ashore on the Berkeley
After getting their blood in circulation
the two men did not wait for change
of clothing, but came direct to San Fran
cisco. They hired Henry Peterson's 3
launch Amy, and Captain Wilson took
them TO the scene Of their disaster For
two hours search for the ships boat
was kept up andsthen they came back to
the city. After changing their clothes
they crossed the bay again with the in
tention of patrolling the Berkeley beach
until the boat comes ashore.
IN Mission Bay the full force or the
storm was felt. A barge broke adrift and
ranged down alongside the schooner
Queen. The latter vessel was consider
ably chafed before the tug Alert could
take hold of the barge and tow her to a
place of safety.
The bark Coloma and the ship Falls of
Clyde were to have gone to sea, but as
the wind shows signs Of changing around
10 the southwest the captains decided to
postpone the sailing day. Captain Han
sen was ashore and the Coloma was lying
off Vallejo-street wharf. For three hours
he tried TO prevail on various boatmen to
take him to his ship, but 1t was only
when the wind went down little that
one Of them would venture out
The ship Reaper was to have moved
out into the stream and the steamer Nor
gan City was to have moved from Harri-
son to Folsom-street wharf, but the
southeaster kept them at their herths
lection from Seattle and Wellington from
Nanaimo, B. c., were all due Yesterday,
but failed to get in, while the old Gipsy
from Moss Landing came in ahead Of
time.
The steam launches from the training