Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-08-15
HOW The ROLPH
Was WRECKED

The Examiner Of August gives
the following account of the wreck
\ of the schooner James Rolph:
Less than twelve hours after leav-
ing this port under favorable condi-
tons, and with all sail set for the
port of Hama, Hawaii, the fine four
mastcd schooner James Rolph piled
up on Jagged rock at Point San
Pedro, thirteen miles south of the
Golden Gate, at 1O:3D cock Tues
day night.
Above. the low fog that hung over
the sea at the Time Captain Olsen
could make out the cliff at the point.
and the hills beyond, but although he
instantly undertook to sheer off, the
big schooner was carried by the cur
rent head on into the surf. striking
Immediately aiterward. Then the
skipper and crew saw the cliff loom
ing above them. The sails were set
as the vessel lcaped through the
breakers. They ratified down on the
mast rings as the schooner settled
upon pointed rock.
Water poured into the hold Of the
James Rolph the moment the vessel
struck, and the lime and hay and
other merchandise below deck became
u ruined mass. The lime, in fact, up
on being submerged, began to smoke,
and rendered the hold dangerous
place
Pounds ON Rocks All Night.
The schooner had left rather light,
having only 200 tons of general
freight In the hold, and with $4,000
feet of lumber, most of the latter be-
ing on deck. A part of the lumber
is all that can be sved. The vessel
was under charter to bring cargo Of
sugar from the islands to this port.
Immediately after striking, the
schooner swung around with her head
to the north and took on a slight list
to starboard. Efforts to get her off I'M
der her own sail were unsuccessful,
} and Captain Olsen set signals of dis
tress. It was morning, however, be-
fore the vessels predicament was
known, when Operator Parker of the
Postal Telegraph Company saw the
schooner from his Office at San Pedro
Terrace, on the Ocean Shore railroad,
only few hundred yards away. He
wired the news to the city, and also
forwarded telegram from Captain
Olsen TO the owners, Hind, Rolph e.
Co. in this city. The skipper In the
meantime reached shore in one of the
boats.
Captain Olsen in his message mere
ly informed his firm that the vessel
was ashore and In need of assistance
and James Rolph dispatched the tug
Defiance to the scene, Port Captain
w. r. Lewis OF Hind, Rolph & Co
making the trip.
Falls to Pull Schooner on.
Rolph himself later went to Point
San Pedro in an automobile, with
Captain Turner of the underwriters
For nearly two hours, during the af-
ternoon, the Defiance made strenuous
efforts to pull the schooner off the
rock, but without success, and the
tug later returned to the city.
Mrs Olsen, wife of the captain, was
making the trim in the schooner She
was brought back TO the city by the
Defiance, the CAPTAIN and crew re-
naming with the stranded vessel
Rolph returned in the evening. leay.
ing CAPTAIN Turner with the skinner
and crew. Last evening Rolph con-
suited with CAPTAIN John Metcalfe
Lloyd's surveyor, and CAPTAIN A. f.
Pillsbury of the San Francisco Board
of Marine Underwriters. regarding
plans for saving the schooner. Two
or three tugboats may be sent to the
scene TODAY. or Whitelaw's powerful
wrecking barge Liberty may be EN-.
ployed to make fast to the schooner
and by means of "A kedge anchor en-.
deavor TO drag her into deep water.
Little Hone of Saving Shin.
Soon after news of the stranding OF
the schooner was received here. Can.
tain Andrew Nelson of the Colder
Gate life-saying station got under wa,
with his crew, but his signals TO III,