The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-02-28
Steamer st. Irene In an Unfor-
tunate PredIcament.
LIGHTERING WORK CONTINUES
Several Attempts to Pull the Steamer
0ut Of the Mud Prove OF No
Ayail-A Pilot Story.

land TO Astoria. With a cargo Of wheat
for Europe, waB stuck fast In the mu
AZ a point about Eix miles this side Of
that city. In the Willamette river. IL
still aground
Just when the 81. Irene will be able
10 pull out from the mud is not known.
aH II viii depend entirely upon the pro-
cess II llghtcrIng and the speed with
which the work Is accomplished.
The g. Irene ran into the mud along
tho main channel OF the river at an
early hour Sunday morning She
was drawing not more than frac-
ton over twenty-five feet at the time.
Nearly three tons OF her cargo was 10
have been put on board at this city.
owing to the lack Of sufficient depth OF
water In the river at this season OF the
year.
Captain Archie pease. who was
pilo, on the 81. Irene on her trip down
the river. explains the matter By say
Ing that the boat having run close TO
the riyec bottom. caused suction
which overcamc 70 great extent the
power cxerted By the rudder II a.
pears. from the statements made by
shipping men In this city. who claim
90 be familiar with circumstances Elmi-
tar 20 that which surround the mlshap
10 the ST. Irene. that. In many in
stances. Il Is impossible Co properly
guide IA large and heavily laden vessel
when she In running 80 close 10 the
bottom. In the ease OF the ST. Irene
II seems that when she first struck the
sands at the bottom OF the river. an
effort was made to throw her nose up
into the main channel Of the stream.
but she paid no heed to her rudder and
continued further into the mud.
Immediately after her mishap, the
ST. Irene sent word TO Portland con-
oorning her predcamcnt The o. Il.
a y, Company at once dispatched
boats to 10 their utmost to pull the
st. Irene back into the channel. At
tempts along this line however. proved
TO be- OF no avail, and under change
Of tactics couple OF barges together
with a crew OF longshoremen. We're sent
down TO the ship for the purpose OF
transferring IA sufficient quantity OF her
cargo 10 enable her to raise free from
her distractions,
All OF sunday afternoon and night
the crew continued taking out Of the
hold OF the vessel countless sacks OF
-four and wheat which were deposited
on the bargcs alongside, This. how
ever. failed TO tighten the cargo suf-
ncIently TO raise the ship out Of the
sand. On Monday the o. X, 4 ~
Company sent down "a number OF boats
for the purpose OF making another at
tempt to pull the st. Irene into the
channel. But the second attempt. too.
proved L failure The work OF lighter
Ing the cargo was again resumed after
the boats had been dismissed, and ac-
cording to the best information to be !
obtained up to late hour last night. |
the llghtering process is still In pro-
gress.
There We're many quiet smiles in this |
city yesterday over the attempt OF the |
oregonian to make It appear that the |
misfortune which befell the 81. Irene |
was due purely to accidental causes.
II is worth the space involved to quote
the article In full. In which the Ore
gonian, alone and single handed, float /
ed the Inflated vessel regardless or the
o, X. 4 N Company, her boats, and |
her trained longshoremen.
This superhuman feat is as follows;
THE British steamship Ness, which |
left Portland last Friday. was taken |
through TO Astoria without difficulty. |
drawing twenty-four feet OF water.
She went down In charge OF Pilot |
Granville Reed. of Astoria. The st, |
ST, Irene, drawing but twenty-three
feet, left down Sunday, but took
a sheer on Pilot Archie Pease when
near Swan island. and before her head
way could be checked, she took the
bAOhAA1f obphN AtV ANNN OuN VI NAAt NAoh-
mel and rested there until yesterday.
when she WAS pulled Off, She will con-
tlnue her journey this morning. The
accident did not amount to much and
will not be as expensive for Dodwell
a Co. as the grounding of the Good
win at Tacoma early this month. When
an Astoria pilot takes ship through,
drawing twenty-four feet of water
there is nothing the matter with the
river channel, and the accident to the
st, Irene reflects no dlscredit ON the
river or the pilot In charge"
Had the writer on the Oregonian
been imbued with desire to furnish
more truth than funny fiction. he
never would have stated that the Ness
drew twenty-four feet of water COM
Ing down the river from Portland As
a matter of fact-and the records of
the pilots office prove 1.-THE Ness
drew not more than twenty-five feet
and nine inches. This is given as a
very liberal estimate. The st. Irene,
instead of drawing twenty three feet,
as is claimed by the oregonian, draws
In the nelghborhood Of only twenty
two. In view of the predicament of
the st. Irene 1t is extremely difficult
10 reconcile the statements made by