The San Francisco call., 1903-09-27

evening one hundred yards nearer shore.
When Captain Niche of the Clifford
came ashore last evening from his
wrecked vessel he made the following
statement:
1--WE left Newcastle, New South Wales,
seventy-five days ago. on Friday. We
did not sight land, with the exception of
a small island, until we got off the coast
of California. On Thursday morning
last we could discern the coast through
the haze. took my bearings by the sun
on Thursday noon and shortly after that
the fog settled down on and it was
thick until after we went ashore. 1 as
sumed that we were some distance from
the Golden Gate, but we could not see
any lights and did not hear any of the
fog whistles After we struck we sent
up rockets and burned flares, but we re-
ceived no answer from the shore. The
fog cleareG after we struck and we could
see a fixed white light some distance
north of US. L deny that the barrels on
our lifeboats were filled with salt water.
1t may be that salt water got into the
barrels when the boats came ashore. 1
do not care to make any further state
ment until 1 have seen our local agents,
j. ]. Moore & CO..
Captain Niche proceeded to the South
Side Life-saving station and at that point
the crew of the station put him aboard
dIl 1ldlldll AlSLlll6 DOdl DOuIlQ ln6
harbor. AT late hour last night word
was received from the South Side Life
saving station that the entire crew of the
Clifford was still on the beach near the
wreck and that they would remain there
all night and would be brought into the
city to-day. Captain Niche could not
be located last night, though 1t was
known that he was landed at Meiggs
wharf by the Italian fishermen on whose
boat he came into the harbor
FIRST MATES STATEMENT.
First officer Harry Laverick, who was
in charge Of the watch when the Gift
ford struck, made the following state
ment when he came ashore last evening:
1.-The fog was dense yesterday that
we could not see 100 feet ahead We were
steering northeast by east just before we
struck We heard a fog whistle at 8
o'clock in the afternoon, and we were not
sure what whistle 1t was. We could not
see any lights on shore when 1t got dark
From our dead reckoning and the bear
ings we secured on Thursday by the sun
we thought we were heading directly for
the Golden Gate. I was taking a sound
ing just as the vessel struck"
The British ship General Gordon, from
Newcastle, N. S. W., also had a narrow
escape from going on the rocks the same
time the Clifford did. The two vessels
were in sight of each other since Tues
day last, and at the time the Clifford
struck the General Gordon was about a
quarter of a mile away from her. The
General Gordon secured Pilot HAYES
shortly before dusk, and when the pilot
climbed aboard the vessel was close in
shore in the vicinity Of Mussel Rock. Pilot
Hayes was obliged to steer a northwest
course from Mussel Rock in order to get
his bearings on the lightship, thence into
the Golden Gate. Neither Pilot Hayes
nor the crew of the General Gordon
sighted the land on Friday night, though
they could hear the noise of the surf
breaking on the shore.
WRECKED VESSELS HISTORY.
The wrecked bark Clifford was built at
Greenock Scotland, eleven years ago.
She was of 2113 net tonnage and con-
structed of steel, and was rated 100 Al
at Lloyds. She left Cardiff, Wales,
wear ago with cargo of coal for Monte
video. South America. Thence she pro-
ceeded to Rio Blanco, South America in
ballast. and from that point carried q
cargo of wheat to Sydney, Australia. She
was then ordered to Newcastle, N. S. w.
and left that port on July II last for San
Francisco with $500 tons of coal consigned
to J. ]. Moore & Co. of this city.
The Clifford was 281 feet inches in
length. AZ feet beam and "a feet inches
deep. She was owned by Andrew Weir
about $50. 900. The value of her cargo Of
coal is estimated at about SIS 900
The crew of the Clifford numbered TWEEN
ey-seven men all told In addition to her
captain and three mates she carried six
teen hands forward. four petty officers
and three apDreQticeq