The San Francisco call., 1910-10-10
five TUGS FAIL
TO RELEASE ship
Stranded Freighter Remains on
Rocks and Cargo Is
Lightered

The British steamer Damara Is still
part of the landscape in the immediate
vicinity of Fort Winfield Scott. All
efforts to float the vessel have failed
and the salvors, disappointed but not
discouraged, are devoting their energy
to getting the cargo out of the ship.
The outlook for saving the vessel is
hopeful. The tugs succeeded yesterday
in moving the steamer into a more
comfortable position. although the
heavily laden hull still pressed too
tightly on the reef for them to drag
the derelict into deep water. The hull
is punctured, but >those in charge of
the work are satisfied that the ships
pumps will be more than sufficient to
handle any inflow from the leaks so
far discovered
Stevedores and the ships crew
worked all Saturday night and yester-
day shoveling coal overheard and load
ing the cargo of barley into lighters.
By o'clock last night about 900 tons
of the barley had been transferred to
barges and landed on the grain wharf
The work of tightening will be kept up
night and day until the vessel ac-
quires the buoyancy necessary for it to
float clear.
While the freight was being light
cred and as the tide rose yesterday
five tugs were harnessed to the strand
ed tramp and from noon until o'clock
in the afternoon they maintained
steady strain. At high tide the tugs
were ordered to go full speed ahead.
The Damaras engines were started and
the freighter's propeller at fun speed
astern churned the water for half an
| n VT-hi q ha
Damara's pumps were started for the
purpose of relieving the hull of the
water that had poured in through the
torn skin, and which was helping to
hold the ship in the rocky trap. The
combined efforts only succeeded in
swinging the hull into a position where
1t rested more easily on the reef. The
strain was maintained in the hope that
a phenomenal surge from the Pacific
might come to their assistance and lift
the vessel clear, but the Pacific was
not in a surging mood and the Damara
stayed.
AS a spectacle the stranded freighter
wasNa success. From early morning
until dark the parapet around the old
brick fortress was black with people.
The roof of the fort was just as crowd
ed and all the roads leading to the
scene of the wreck were lined with We
hicles of all sorts and sizes from the
spring wagon of the grocery boy on his
day off to the high powered car of the
money king.
MANY SPECTATORS ASSEMBLE
Practically the entire local shipping
world was assembled within sight Of
the wreck. 1t was liberal education
in wrecking just to walk through that
throng with ears open, and it seemed
as if it would have been wiser for Cap
tain Pillsbury to have been ashore
getting pointers than standing in a
cloud of coal dust on the Damara's
bridge merely directing the work. There
was not a man on the beach that could
not have f1oated the ship in 15 minutes.
The suggested methods included every
thing from kedge anchors to balloons.
Captain Pillsbury, however, was too
busy even to look shoreward, and. for
t,1nately for the work, the wreck lies
beyond talking distance of the beach.
CAPTAIN Stewart and all hands of the
crew are standing by the ship. as is
Captain James Miller, the pilot In
whose charge the steamer was when 1t
hit the reef.
It was not only at Fort Point that
spectators gathered to watch the work
of saving the big freighter. On every
hin in the city that commanded a view
of the wreck were crowds peering
through field glasses and telescopes In
several cases even the pearl armored
opera glasses were brought into serv
ice. and good eyesight was at pre-
MUM.
shin this afternoon at high tide, and
arraneements have been made to
hasten the work of lightering the
freight. Those in charge of the work
are confident that the ship will be
saved.