The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-11-21
FIRE AND STORM
ASSAIL CHALLENGER

SOUTH BEND CWash.), Nov. T.
The schooner Challenger. owned by the
Pacific Stevedere and Ballast Compa-
ny, of San Francisco. and commanded
by Captain Hugo L. Nelson, appeared
off this port late yesterday afternoon
in flames and flying signals Of dis
tress. Because of the heavy booming
of the surf over the bar, the captain
of the vessel signaled in vain for some
time before getting a tug to come out
to his assistance. Eventually the tug
Astoria went to the schooner's relief.
saved the lives of her crew and despite
the rough sea, towed the vessel into
port and later seuttled her.
The Challenger is in fourteen feet of
water, her upper works and cabin are
burned away and her hold is a mass
of lime and water. Her deckload of
lumber was removed to scows this
morning at low tide. What the loss
will be cannot be learned until to-
morrow.
When the Challenger was brought in
to harbor the flames were confined to
the hold, where they originated in her
cargo of lime The fire did not break
out above deck until several hours
later at night when the town was
aroused by a fire alarm. The Cha1-
lenger was then alongside the Simpson
Lumber Company's dock. The Astoria
at once passed a line to her and tow
ed the craft across the river and start
ed to pump a four-inch stream of wat
er into the blazing hold. soon sending
her to the bottom.
The Challenger was bound from the
Sound to San Francisco with 5000 bar
rels of lime in her hold. She had a
declxload of lumber When sighted off
South Bend smoke was issuing from
her When Captain Nelson came a
shore from the wreck he was nearly
exhausted from his terrible expert
ences. He made the following state
ments to correspondent of 1.-THE Ex-
aminer:'
After we had loaded lime at Roche
Harbor and lumber at Port Blakeley
we went to sea on Monday, October
24th and had four days of dead calm
in the Straits of Fuca. From Cape
Flattery we had fourteen hours Of
wind from the northeast. The wine
then shifted to the southeast and blew
a gale which gradually increased to
hurricane, and lasted nearly nine days.
During this time we were fearfully
buffeted by the waves and two of my
men were washed overheard. One of
them was washed back again and the
other managed to catch a line, by
which he was rescued. Both men were
SO badly injured that they are crippled.
when in lat. IS north and lon. 1850
west smoke was discovered Issuing
from the cabin. This was on Novem-
Der 4th. at once made for land and
arrived off Tillamook the next day.
Here the storm was so violent it was
impossible to come to an anchor and
sailed for the Columbia River. Here
1 found the bar SO rough no tug could
come out. I hailed the lightship under
signal of distress, but was told they
could do nothing for me. 1 then made
for the Willapa Harbor whistling buoy
by this time no man could stand
at the wheel on account of the smoke
and our condition was critical Finally
1 hoisted signals of distress and that
fearless sailor, Captain Chris Olsen, of
the tug Astoria, Immediately came to
our rescue and the ship was brought
safely to this port.
About two hours after our arrival
the fire increased greatly and at s
o'clock this morning flames burst fierce
from the cabin
Captain Nelson shows signs of hard
work and enforced sleeplessness. For
nine days and nights he declares he did
not go to bed at all.
The Challenger is twenty years old
and was built at Eureka.
The captain cannot express his graft
tude to Captain Olsen, who saved the
Challenger's crew from almost certain
death. 1t would have been impossible
to launch boats, and it is we'll known
that a cargo of burning lime usually
bursts vessels hull by expansion even
after scuttling.