The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-09-03
THROUGH THE GOLDEN GATE
BY Wilbur Maitre Fairbanks)

port, mist-veiled, gigantic, monster
mass of brooding, iron pinnacles, bi
sected by her mazing, INTERVENING
ribbon-like street-striations, lay the
yet browsing city of San Francisco
/ On the CLASSY harbor's bosom, knitting
/ the mornings mist, were countless
moving craft that disappeared into
the enveloping fog's embrace at arm
length distance. Many others lay
quietly riding at anchor, Past these
our ship drove it's unerring course to
ward the outer harbor.
The ferry building, waterfront, and
| the 1915 fair grounds, with their bulg
| ing BACKGROUND of massing structures
soon slipped by. Our bows entered
the Gates" turmoil. Here we met
and were hailed by the Peerless,
Just entered THE bars pretty rough,
was the greeting she sent. And soon
we found this to be true. A greater
mass of disturbed power never existed
on like area of surface. A great
bostrous wind sung a wierd song IN
the tauted riggings The sea became
white-plumed maelstrom. Bridge
high, lunging white-caps were all
about.
Ahead and directly across our
course, like a whale-spume, we saw
the oceans spray-splash of mighty
breakers atomizing upon the harbor
bar. And the winds fury caught us
full. Groaningly the ship fell back,
A mammoth wave buried the bows.
Mists drove in, dense, singing, i'm
penetrable The ship became a beat
en-, helpless thing that wallowed in
the clutch of the contending elements.
The whir of her engines were lost In
the roar of the storms riot The
strained steel chain lashings began to
give. The storm drubbed ship drip
ped water from stem to stern. Her
struggles to hold way were as i'm
potent against the onslaught as would
be a squirt guns efforts to make hell
temperate
This was manifest to all. Reluc-
family the tall, sea-seared Norseman,
captain of the ship, rang for reversed
engines. Slowly the ship withdrew
from out the NAV, while the watery
storm-world screamed in baffled fury
The smooth waters of the inner bay
were again reached From this haven
Captain Wrinkle gazed wrathfully at
the churning bar. His jaw set dog
gedly, his hand reached for the en-
CINE bell. Again the ship swung about
and started full speed ahead" for
open water.
But this time it was the North
Channel entrance which was attempt
ed The ship drove steadily forward;
passing Bonita Point, she continued
her stones throw course along the
rock-ribbed coast.
And here a wonderful spectacle CON
fronted Miles of naked shore lay
stretched out to the southwark. Great
rocks, pinnacles and walls of sullen
iron barred their battered heads
against the onrushing sea And the
line of this battle squirmed clearly
before the eye for leagues. With ex-
ultant roars, the mad sea moved on to
the attack upon the lowering. beetling
battlements of the entrenched shore,
And with like determination did the
iron-browed shore resist the seas ter
rifle charge All along the line where
the forces met great wreaths of spray
ing spume scared above the clash and
contention of the two warning ele.
ments. And then, defeated for the
moment, the growing sea drew back
IN preparation for another charge
That colossal maelstrom-line of bat.
tie was the frenzied play of a million
geysers! Geysers that heeled their
painting rage two hundred feet aloft
upon the impregnable enemy's de.
fences, then thunderingly withdrew to
JON forces with the maddened ocean
FROM aloft followed the returning
spray whose silver meshings draped
about the craggy shore in shimmerine
Iolds' like a bridal veil Higher nm
against the cliff sides, serene-poised
above the seas travail. countless
cleaning dots marked the smooth
wing manouyreing of the sea gulls
Above these and farther back. obIiv
lous Of all contention, the verdured
land basked benignly in the warm
sunshine which now was come to view