The San Francisco call., 1909-05-23

lOf tauncnlns early next month by
the end Of August both tugs will be on
duty.
Yesterdays launching was accom-
plished on time and without a flaw. A
few minutes before o'clock workmen
knocked out the shores that held the
cradle on the ways and as the steel
huh began TO move little Ruth Sweeney
swung q bottle of wine against the
prov. As the glass broke and the
champagne filled the air with the odor
OF glorined grapes, the child. gave the
tug its name.
Little Miss Sweeney is a daughter
of John F. Sweeney, a fireman who lost
his life nine years ago when he went
10 the rescue of Pat COyne in fire at
Eleventh and Bryant streets. He
saved .Coyne. but paid for his bravery
with his life.
Mayor Taylor was not at the launch
Ing, but was represented by his secre-
present We're: Fire Chief P H.
Shaughnessy; Chief of Police Jesse
Cook, wife and daughter; President
Charles 4. Day of the board of public
Givray Jr. and Michael Casey. City
Engineer Marsden Manson and AS
sistant Engineers Connick and Ran
some, Supervisors McLaren, Murphy
BrOderick. Booth, Johnston and Payot,
Sheriff Larry Dolan and Captain of Po-
lice Michael Joseph Conboy.
The David Scannell is a 500 ton yes
sci. l29 feet long, 26 feet beam, IL feet
9 inches deep, and when laden viii
draw about 10 feet of water. The boat
is TO be equipped with a 500 horse
power twin screw compound surface
condensing engine, and its steam will
be generated by Babcock & Wilcox
water tube boilers similar to those used
in the battleships of the United States
navy. Crude oil viii be the fuel used.
The city viii pay s131,1 100 for the boat
The companion vessel, the Dennis T.
Sullivan. viii be ready for launching
early next month.
The two fire pumps on the Scannell
viii each be capable of pumping 4,500
gallons per minute against a pressure
OF, ! 30 pounds to the square inch or
2,25O gallons against 300 pound pres
sure. This viii make the maximum
pumping capacity of the twin vessels
10000 gallons per minute.
A water tower, equipped with
three inch nozzle. will be erected in the
center of the Scannell, as well as in
the Sullivan. It may be raised or low
cred as desired from a minimum height
Tor the nozzle OF 80 feet 10 maximum
of 57s feet.
There will be two monitors on the
deckhouse of each boat each of which
viii be capable of throwing a three
per minute, and two portable monitors
capable OF throwing a two inch stream.
or 1000 gallons a minute, which can be
used on the main deck.
Each boat viii carry about s 900 feet
Of hose which can be connected to 20
hydrants on the deck of the boat and
used to connect the pumps directly to
the mains of the high pressure fire
protection system which is being built.
or. in the event of the mains being
broken, can be used to deliver water
on fire half a mile inland
The pumping capacity of these fire
boats will be the same as that of the
two New York fire boats, which have
been recently completed and which are
considered the finest in the world The
San Francisco boats. however, will have
some novel features, as. for instance.
the telescope water tower and the
twin screw engines, which ii is believed
Will make them superior for fire fight
ing purposes, even to the New York
boats.
Columbia Reported Wrecked
According to a brief dispatch received
late YESTERDAY afternoon from Seward,
Alaska. the ship Columbia, which left
here April for Bristol bay was
wrecked April 80 in Unimak bays Be
yond the fact that the vessel will be a
total loss the dispatch. which was from
Captain Cameron, master of the lost
ship. to Captain Henry Nelson, the
owner. gave no particulars. As no
mention is made of lives lost it is sup
posed that all hands got ashore safely.
The Columbia went north under charter
TO the Alaska salmon company and car
ried large number of cannery hands
and fishermen.
Coronado Damaged in Collision
The barkentine Coronado, Captain H.
c Houdlette. was TO have sailed yester-
day for Honolulu. but as the result of a
collision in Mission bay will not get
away until the latter part of this week.
The Coronado had been at one of the
Channel wharves taking on shipment
of hay and yesterday morning the tugs
Sea Lark and Sea Fox undertook to tow
the barkentine. out of the channel to an
anchorage in the stream. Just as the
tugs and their tow cleared the channel
the flood tide took charge of the three
vessels and. in spite of all the tuggin e
the tugs tried TO do. the Coronado was
swept into the barges Alabama and Nir-
ginia lying at anchor In Mission bay
AS the result of the encounter the Coro-
nado will have to have four of five
badly stove in plates replaced The
barkentine was taken at once to Moore
& Scotts yard. in Oakland creek, where
repairs will be made speedily as pos
sible. The barges suffered some dam
age.
Wireless for the WilbeImina
SEATTLE. Wash, May 22.-Contracts
have been signed by the Matson naYiga-
ton company of San Francisco and the
United wireless telegraph company for
the eduipment with wireless of the new
steamship now building in the east for
be of two kilowatt capacity and will be
able to work from 1900 to 1900 miles.
The sets will be of the latest model and
will have the new patented static ar