Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-21
TUGS TRYING TO
SAVE PORTLAND
MAY RESCUE BARKENTINE AT
HIGH TIDE TODAY
II Heavy West Wind Sets in Lumber
Craft Ashore at Hueneme
Light VIII Prove
Loss
speclal to The Herald.

special 10 Ihe Herald
SAN PEDRO, June 20.-A determined
effort Is to be made tomorrow to take
the stranded barkentine Portland from
Off the beach at Hueneme.
Captain John l.. Clark of the barkeh-
tine Portland, which is being pounded
by an angry surf off the Ventura coast
fifty miles above this place, arrived
here today to secure help, with the idea
OF taking his vessel off at high tide to-
morrow morning.
The captain stated to the Herald cor
respondent soon after arriving that. in
his estimation, the chance for saving
the barkentine was very good if power
enough could be obtained to pull on her
before heavy wind sets in from the
west and washes her farther inshore
He states that at 1890 yesterday
morning his vessel first went onto the
sand. The fog was so thick that he
could see nothing. He was heading
northeast by east, and he and the mate
were both on deck on the lookout The
light at the Hueneme house, a mile
away, was not seen by either officer or
any Of the crew until after the vessel
struck when suddenly it flashed quite
brightly but too late.
Stern Foremost
The vessel went onto the sand stern
foremost, with her topsail furled and
carrying but little other canvas. The
lead was Immediately thrown out and it
was found that there was fifteen feet of
water at the stern and twenty at the
prov. The bark soon began to make
a bed for itself by reason of the sand
washing out from under it, which
makes it so hard to pull off unless it is
done Immediately.
The nf a I'm at onpa oyOf ,, off IN
Hueneme, where word was sent to this
place for tug, but there was none to
be had here, the Warrior being above
Santa Monica with a barge load of
rails and the Falcon at Catalina. A
messenger was Immediately sent to the
Warrior and that boat went to the
scene as soon as possible, arriving
there at 4 O'Clock in the afternoon.
A ten-inch hawser was made fast to
the vessel and the Warrior pulled, get
ting the Portland about twenty feet
away, where she stuck again. When it
was found that it was useless to pull
any more Captain Clark got on board
the tug and came to Santa Monica and
from there here by rail.
Samoa and Tug Aid
The captain IS making arrangements
with some other steamers now in port
W go W JIle TeSCue lOHlOGTOW WHen lIle
tide is the highest. The steamer to go
will proba bly, be the Samoa, assisted
by the tug Warrior. If these two power
ful boats cannot take the stranded
schooner off the cargo will be lightered.
There is a whstling buoy about
mile and a half from where the vessel
is stranded which is usually heard at
all times, but the captain states 1t
could not be heard that night because
of the heavy wind.
The seams in the ship have started
somewhat and she has taken consid-
earble water, but not enough to hinder
her being brought to this port in case
She is pulled off. Being loaded with
lumber and ties, it would be almost i'm
possible to sink her.
If a heavy west wind should set in
between now and the time the tow
boats arrive, there will be little use in
trying to save the boat.