The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 7, 1898, Page 1

) i 5 i g i @V T " i # s VOLUME LXXXV.—NO. 7 SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7. PRICE FIVE CEN FIRE FIEND WOULD DESTROY THE OCEAN BEACH PAVILION The Massive S tructure Saved by the Timely Appearance of Watchman Wilkins. Officials of both the Police and the Fire artments are investigating a ce iarism that giv promise developments. The an House Pavilion, at the I leading to the CIliff ound on fire at an early v morning, and every s to the fact that it we ex-employe of Henry proprietor. The building t area, and, being built inflammable material, y prey to the fire king would pro f that consuming element once secured the master; T wood and show how Revenge the man | endanger gs of 1gs saturated with coal oil jesperate was the incendiar: 5 ve actuate perty and o'clock yesterday ht watch- en through the 1 and other portions tepped out £ he did so | southw One t to show him that the on was in flames. t's hesitatic ed for the at adjoinir n all of a moment to fire department, en that before an d in for the near- chmond Di ict the 1d be but a n of smok- e was fi iid not prove effec bartender of the bethought himseilf of nd soon had this andpipe. The t the corner of in road, near and Ocean :S were mount- nd Mr. Wilkins and practically | flames | t from under the - there they di- | the seat of the | ad it under control. | were stifling, and ; were nearly over- | ylight when the | , and then | The work | evident n b wa to the | al oil, with which ed charged, there h pine ab: | s soon found more T of the work of the | First to attract their at- | ngs ic some o arently | hittled out on th ot from some | pieces of soft W d with these | was a lot of old rags, :dolent of the odor of coal oil. The would-be incen- | ned t viei 5 deed as only the ments the great building from estruction. Not a breath of air rring to fan the flames started alicious intent. Had they | headway no power avail- ich 1d 1d th such me v hav stopped them until | had laid waste the building and | ining it. The match had | v applied, at the corner flames would have had a p of the t structure, and v ave left nothing but ng embers to mark the d wrought. The building, sured, is the property 0., and is leased He has a small| of insurance on his property in | nir | 1 that he can ‘ an who applied | roperty. He was in u‘ state after | of the early morning | ‘I am satisfied T havean » has determined to take de k me up in bus in mind me. and when would do some- to injure me. I thought were merely idle words. but v he intended to carry them The first evidence of his was shown on Sunday when the | hich I have had for a long | as found dead in its house. It | d been poisoned during the night. ot going to take any more and have employed a watch- instructionstodealharsh- ous characters he about the place. > much disturbed enes through which ssed that so soon as he could | busines; in order he | 7 to the country, where he | could rest in seclusion and quietness. | w. Wilkins, night watchman at | the Cliff Hou was the hero of the | | Harris of Kansas, who is one of the closest students of problems relating to to the construction of the canal, as well as one of the most earnest supporters of the canal project in Congress. The Senate committee, of which Senator Morgan is chairman, will meet to-morrow to consider this amendment, as well as to formulate a supnlemental report concerning the new concession which was granted by Nicaragua dur- ing the recess of Congress. At this meeting the plans of the friends of the canal will probably take shape. The fact that the report of the commission of which Admiral Walker is chairman will not be ready before about January hour this morning to collect some bills in | | Sacramento. He placed a loaded shot- | gun in"the wagon. When about four miles from Davisville, driving along an aban- doned road, Miller's wagon struck a. bowlder and turned over, throwing out himself and the gun. In striking the ground the gun was discharged, the en- tire charge entering Miller’s left thigh and shattering his kneecap into splinters. Miller lay helpless on the ground in the bitter cold waiting for some passer-by. and, none coming, he snatched at clumps of gruss ahead of him and drew his body along over a tortuous stretch of two and a half miles until rescued in the manner described. Surgeons were at once called to his as- sistance when he was brought to the Rq ceiving Hospital, and, while he will pe crippled for life, it is thought his leg may be saved from amputation. POWELL CLAYTON I3 EMBASSADOR TO MEXICO Elevation of His Rank Follows the Action of Mexico in Promoting Its Representa.ves. WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.—The Presi- dent to-day sent to Congress the nomin- nation of Powell Clayton of Arkansas, to be Embassador to Mexico. Senor Romero, the former Mexican THE. OCEAN HOUSE PAVILION BLAZED LIKE A TORCH IN THE MIDST OF THE OCEAN Hill, the Hawaiian Commission, the Paris Commission and a number of con- suls. et et GILLETT IN CHIHUAHUA. Has Not Been Arrested and Is Not Likely to Be. DENVER, Colo., Dec. 6.—A special to the News from El Paso, Texas, says: A private dispatch from Chihuahua con- firms the report that Grant C. Gillett, the cattle plunger, is in that city. He has not been arrested, aicording to the dispatch, and is not likely to be. Shaeffer of Kansas City and a Pinkerton detective arrived in Chihuahua yesterday in quest of Gil- lett. They have a warrant for his arrest for obtaining money under false pre- SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION. occasion. He is a cousin of Manager ‘Wilkins, of the world famous hostelry. on the edge of the ocean. “I had made my customary rounds of the CIlff House,” he said yesterday, “‘an | stepped out on the southern balcony. As I did so my attention was at once attracted by a bright light at a corner of the Ocean House Pavilion. glance was sufficient to tell me that the place was on fire, and I ran as fast as I could down the hill to render what- ever assistance I could. My first thought was to turn in an alarm. but it was evident from the start the fire had made that it could burn the build- ing down in a few minutes; certainly 1o before the firemen could hope to arrive. There was not a soul about when I reached the £7gne, so I at once awakened Mr. Doscher and his wife. the barkeepers and all the men about the place. We first started to fight the fire with buckets, and then ‘Billy’ Geishen secured a garden hose and we went at it with that. The two of us went in under the porch through the smoke and thus got at the seat of the fire. There was a strong smell of coal oil and something that smelled like pitch. After we put the fire out we found rags and whittlings of wood’ all | saturated with oil at the place where | the fire started. It was fortunate that no wind was ing, as had there the lion would have been wiped out of existence, as nothing we have done with the appliances at 1 could have checked it.” The building, with its great organ, is well known to all persons who have ever visited the Ocean Beach. It is a popular place for dancing parties fre- 1 by people of a certain class. also gained renown as the head- quarters of Tom Sharkey whenever he is preparing for a ring emgagement in this city. Here he had his gymnasium, and from the door nearest where this fire originated he used to sally forth twice a day, clothed in his faded bath robe, for a swim out in the breakers. which often roll mountains high and sound like thunder as they break on the sandy beach. The authorities expect to apprehend the fire fiend, and will deal with him in a summary manne JOINT GUARDIANS 0F THE CAWAL been ar |America to Act With England. Special Dispatch to The Call, NEW YORK, Dec. 6.—The Washing- ton correspondent of the Herald tele- graphs: The Senate committee on the Nicaraguan canal will add to the canal bill now pending a provision intended to bring about a treaty with Great Britain for a joint guaranty of the neutrality of the canal. This pro- vision is embodied in an amendment which has been prepared by Senator One | | 1 is regarded by Senator Morgan and | other strong supporters of the canal as | unfortunate, and it is feared that the ult of this delay, taken in connee- al tion with a desire of Republican leaders | to confine this session to absolutely ne ry matters, will be that the canal will have to go over to the new Congress. The Harris amendment will authorize | the President to negotiate a treaty agreement with Great Britain for a | Joint guaranty of the permanent neu- trality of the canal. It is designed to meet | jections that the plans of Congress for American construction and control fly in the teeth of the expressed terms. of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty. The failure of the President to make any mention in his message of the ex- istence of that treaty has called forth a note of criticism from London news- papers, particularly those which are re- garded as representing the views of the British Government. The President's | failure to refer to the treaty is con- strued as an encouragement to Con- gress to go ahead without any refer- ence to the terms of that document which Great Britain ~ontends are and ought to be still in force. The Ameri- can contention has, of course, been that ireat Britain’s violation of the terms of that treaty have been such as t~ give this Government full warrant in going ahead with the construction of the canal without any reference to its pro- visions. It is Senator Harris’ idea, and Sen- ator Morgan agrees with him, that the simplest way to prevent any misunder- standing is to authorize the President to make an agreement of the kind con- templated by the amendment. |LOS ANGELENOS TO BOOM THE CANAL LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6.—At the Chamber of Commerce in this city to- day a meeting of prominent business men was held to map out a plan of ac- tion for the booming of the building of the Nicaragua canal. It was decided to send a number of workers to Washing- ton to carry on a campaign for the canal there. Another-meeting to select the men to represent this section in Washington was called for next week. GERMANY WILL GET NONE’OF THE CAROLINES BERLIN, Dec. 6.—The Deutschwarte says it learns on high authority that Germany will not acquire any of the Caroline Islands. the English ob- | [ | | - CRAWLS FOR HOURS ON HIS STOMACH Wounded Man Covers Two and One- Half Miles Before He Finds Assistance. SACRAMENTO, Dec. 6.—With his left kneecap shot away and his leg mangled, | Frank Miller, a prominent young farmer of Sacramento, crawled on the flat of his stomach a distance of two and a half miles over the Yolo basin this morning, and, summoning all the strength he had remaining in him, waved his hat above ais rostrate body and cried aloud for help, Piis appeals were heard by a teamster In the distance, who lifted him into his wagon and brought him to the Receiving Hospital at Sacramento for treatment. Miller, who has lived in Yolo County all his life, started from his farm at an early Minister, having been ralsed to the rank of an Embassador, Mr. Clayton’s promo- tion follows, under an act of Congress. The President also sent to the Senate a number of appointments made during the recess. They include those of Secre- tary Hay, Assistant Secretary of State) tenses, but persons familiar with the ex- tradition treaties say tunat the Mexican Government will ‘not surrender Gillett, similar cases having frequently arisen in the past. - It is believed that Shaeffer will endeavor to coerce or persuade Gillett to settle with him. Total Loss by Fire of the Lumber Laden Ship W. H. Starbuck. Another marine disaster has to be re- corded. The American ship William A. Starbuck while on her way from Port Blakeley for South Africa caught fire and was burned to the water’s edge. The captain, his wife and three children and some of the crew escaped in the boats and reached Hawaii, but the sec- ond mate, steward and four sailors are came together and another consultation was held. The question to be decided was, should the boats remain in the track of passing ships and take the chances of being picked up, or should they make for Hawaii, 2000 miles away. Owing to the limited supply of water it was decided to try to reach Hawali. “The only boat that had a compass missing. The cook was drowned. and navigating instruments was the A passenger who arrived on the|captain’s, so the other two had to fol- ‘steamer Australia from Honolulu yes- | low him as closely as possible. After terday told the following story of the | three days of fine weather a storm disaster: came up and blew very hard during the night. The next morning the third boat, containing the second mate, stew- ard and four sailors, was missing and “Captain McDonald was fairly well when I saw him on the island of Maui last month, but Mrs. McDonald was prostrated by what she had gone|was not seen again. When the ship- | through, and it will be a long time be- | wrecked men in the two remaining fore she will be well again. The chil- | boats were twelve days on their way to dren bore the exposure well and | Hawail another storm came up and the mate’s boat capsized. The cook was hurt in the accident and sank before help could reach him. The mate’s craft was now damaged and useless, so the captain had to take him and his crew into his boat. In order to do so nearly all the provisions and stuff in the cap- tain’s boat had to be thrown overboatd to make room for the men. “Everybody was then placed on short allowance and for eight days Captain McDonald, his wife and three children and the nine members of the crew knew what starvation diet meant. Finally they made the island of Maui and land- ed at Hookeua, where they were hos- pitably received and everything possi- ble was done for their comfort. “The ship was burned in latitude 13.10 north, 131 west. No one knows what started the fire. The men lost all their effects and had nothing but what they stood in when they landed at Hookeua. Captain McDonald and his family will probably come up from Honolulu on the next steamer.” The agents for the William H. Star- buck-in“San Francisco were the firm of Hind, Rolph & Co. From Cape Town she was to have gone to Newcastle, N. S. W., in ballast, thence to Kahului with a load of coal, and thence to New York with a load of sugar. She was 1272 tons net burden and was buiit in 1882 by Goss, Sawyer & Packard of Bath Maine. She was 194:1 feet long, 39 feet broad and 24:3 feet deep. She was owned by the “Sailing Ship William H. Starbuck Company.” The news of the loss of the Starbuck reached Honolulu by the steamer Mau- na Loa the day the Australia sailed for San Francisco. seemed to be none the worse for their trip of twenty days in an open boat. “The William H. Starbuck was load- ed by Renton, Holmes & Co. at Port Blakeley, and she sailed for Cape Tow on October 15. She had aboard 1,012, feet of pine and redwood lumber and a great number of doors and windows. All went well until early in the night of November 5. At 10 p. m. a fire was dis- covered in the forepeak and all hands were called. A cursory examination showed that all on board were in a precarious position. The only way in| | which the seat of the fire could be | | reached was by the small hatch over the chain locker, and the water that could be passed in that way only seemed to i make the fire burn more fiercely. | “The captain and his officers held a brief consultation and it was decided to Jettison some of the deck load in order to reach the fore hatch. Over 30,000 feet of lumber was thrown overboard, and about 3 a. m. the fore hatch was clear and the covering raised. In a moment the flames burst up as high as TLe Toretopgaltaiit mast, ‘and some of the crew had to jump overboard to save themselves from being burned. Lines were thrown to them and they easily scrambled aboard again. A glance showed that the interior of the ship was a raging mass of fire, so the captain or- dered everybody into the boats. Three of the boats were provisioned and launched, the captain in command of one, the first mate of another and the second mate of the third. “The three boats stayed by the burn- ing ship all of the 6th and all that night. The morning of the 7th she was burned to the water’s edge, so the boats - LAST OF THE AMERICAN SHIP WILLIAM H. STARBUCK.