The San Francisco call., 1905-08-09
. .DRIF IS To SEA
ON ROCK BARGE
Peter Larsen Says Engineer
of Launch Sybil Deliber-
ately Abandoned His Tow
TWO VERSIONS To TALE
Man on Gasoline Boat Vows
He Left the San Lorenzo
Anchored Off Fort Baker

The rock and lime laden barge from
which the Point Bonita life-s saving crew
took its sole occupant late Monday
night was what used to be the river
steamer san Lorenzo. The sole oc-
cupant" was Peter Larsen. whose baby
was drowned a few weeks ago when
Larsen tried TO transfer his wife and
family from another barge which he
supposed was laundering in Carquinez
Straits.
On Monday at dusk the San Lorenzo
with Peter Larsen at the wheel and in
the hold and on deck seventy five bar
rels OF lime and seventy-five tons of
rock. left San Pablo for Fort Baker in
tow OF the launch Sybii The Sybil be-
longs TO Mrs. Emily Peterson. AS
launches go the Sybil is a powerful boat.
but when il came TO towing the heavy
laden san Lorenzo IL was a case of
sending q boy on a mans errand. a
launch TO do work that only a towboat
could have accomplished with any de-
gree OF safety.
There are two versions OF how the
barge got adrift. Larsens story is as
follows:
We were u mid-stream about $50. There
vas strong ebb tide and the wind WAS blow
ing hsu q gale rne line parted We
bent on another ana IN few minutes it also
parted 1 went forward got heavier line
and told the launch 10 stand by to catch IT,.
Here's line you can't break said.
1'he boy IN the launch refused 10 take the
10 he'll with the barge. he said. and the
launch started away.
Take me on then, I asked him
To hell With you, too. Drop your anchor
and lock Out Tor yourself I'm going home q"
had only 300p0und anchor ana even II
maj would have held the line had wouldn't L,
and anyhow whore he left me I could not
have found bottom with all the line there was
on the barge. The toe carried the barge OUT
q u
Line pc5nt and ] yelled my lCudest When
We got outside the barge relied fearfully and
! hao &c crawl on my hands and knees when
wanted 70 get about. 1 was afraid the
water would reach the lime OF that the barge
Wnich was towing astern, but il Was water
lQgged and the barge was laboring SO heavily
that 7 could DC nothing.
Then 1 bUlt raft so that I would have
some chance IN case she went over. The life
savers FOUND ne about Il 30 and took me into
Point Bonita. The boy in that launch should
Pc hanged, for II ever there was q cold blooded
piece = villainy il was his abandonment OF
me last night. II I could have got my hands
70 him think 1 would have torn him to
The barge was picked up by the tug
Sea Queen about 1:30 yesterday morn
ing and uOwed TO Green-street wharf.
where She viii be held pending the set
uement OF the towboat company's sal
wage claim
The other version of the abandon
4ttFL-L II gwen %. II. 1leman, manager
Tor Mrs. Peterson. Tieman says:
Lsrsep is a common drunk and Rasmussen
wno owns the barge, knows II ana viii make
no claim against VIII o Brien was in
charge of the Sybil and he had two gasoline
engineers with him. Whatever Larsen says
IS Larsen alone. We have three witnesses TO
onset any tale he may tell. We towed the
barge 20 Fort Baker. Il foEEy and the
bay was very rough As the svbii was round
ilg The barge 70 the line parted. Another
line was bent on and with that the barge was
FnHH snr
LEFT her securely anchored Larsen was alone
on the barge There should have been eight
men on her. Larsen drunk the time OF
tlal other accident ana his being drunk then
Nae responsible for the drowning Of his baby
ana the narrow escape Of his wife and other
children. We have warned Rasmussen that
unless he got nd Of Larsen we would refuse
70 90 his towing, could not afford TO
take chances with & man like Larsen in
charge Of the barge Larsen drunk last
night and was altogether responsible for what
ever happened after the Sybn went away.