The San Francisco call., 1906-05-23
SAVING DOCKS
WORK OF MANY
Spreckels' Tugs Render
Valuable Assist
dnCe.
New Paint Now Hides
Fire Scars and
BliSters.


In new suits of shining paint the black
stack tugs of the Spreckels towooat fleet
have resumed the smart appearance that
distinguished them before the Li., fire
that followed the earthquake. From that
fire the wharves were saved and San
Francisco left with her most valuable
asset in the work of reconstruction. 'The
saving of the wharves is due largely to
the fact that the Sprackels tugs we're
equipped with modern, powerful ard Ell
fective fire-fighting apparatus and We're
manned by men not afraid to risk their
lives in the performance of emergency
duty.
Not that the saving of til = wata- frort
was the work of any one vessel or set of
vessels. 1t is to the Overwhelming force
of the pull all together that San Fran
cisco owes the fact that she has her
shipping facilities practically arim-
paired. In the fight, however, the
Spreckels tugs played an all important
begrEdges the powerful little steamers
the new quits of paint which cover the
bliste-s ard scars received in the battle
with the flames.
The Relief Defiance. Reliance ard
Alert We're on fire duty practically All
the time from the morning of April IS
until four days later, when the lanGe,
TO the water front had passed.. Vhel
not fighting fire they were towing other
vessels out of danger
The Defiance is said TO be the best
equipped fireboat on the Pacific. She
has two powerful monitors mounted for
ward and in addition can throw eight
powerful streams of water. In fighting
an ordinary blaze the Defiance is
whole fire brigade by herself and in
stopping the flames that swept the sea-
wall from carrying away the remainder
of the water front the Defiances water
battery did most effective work.
At this point for twenty-five and half
hours on April 20-2I the Defiance was as
sisted by the Relief, with eight streams
and the Reliance and Alert. with four
streams each. The State tug Governor
Markham also assisted and the A. IL
Payson of the Santa Fe rendered. valE-
able aid.
So hot did it become at timne that
water had to be pumped on the tow boat
TO prevent their catching fire an'l More
than once it was necessary to play the
hose on the men fighting Tho fire 70
save them from being burned alive.
When the complete story OF the gay
ing of the water front s told there vii!
be a chapter devoted to the work lone
by the Pacific Coast Steamship Com
pany. whose steamers, State of calf
fornia, City of Topeka. Pomona Santa
Cruz, Coos Bay and senator ware KEEP:
in their berths alon yside Broadway l and
=, with all pumps going. for three d.tys.
In addition 20 fighting 'ire in his oy,h
neighborhood General Manager Pearce OF
the Pacific Coast Steamship Company
sent men and hose TO all in tie hig
fight at the south end Of the seawali
The navy tug Active rea.le-nd valuable
assistance and the army tug s;loeu,n did
her share in the work of sal ,hIiol,
The revenue cutter Golden Gaze par
ticipated in the fight at Lombard street
and 20 the Golden Gate and he. crag IS
given the credit for saving ,na Pacific.
Mail wharves.
The steam schooner Del Nor;e and ths
steamer Captain Websr assisted tire tts
Reliance in putting out the IRE tina,
broke out on the shed of ;he Oceanic
dock.
The water front was saved because
every available pump was/sucklng water
from the bay and forcing il through
every available foot of hose to wherever
I would do most good. The water front
'as saved because men like Captain
Harry Marshall and William Manning of
the Spreckels Towboat Company. Cap
tain Thomas Wallace of the Pacifc
Coast Steamship Company, Captain
Dodge of the United States steamship
Golden Gate and numerous others knew
what to do and how to do it and saw
that it was done
II any man tells you. II saved the
water 'front.'" be charitable and call him
a politician. The men that really did
the work know that it was a task that
called for many heads, many hands and
are satisfied to tell you We helped"