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VOL. XXXIII. CLEVELAND, MARCH 29, 1906. No. 13. SALVING THE STEAMER PORTLAND. Describing the operation of salving the wrecked steamer Portland which went ashore on Spire Island, Alaska, on Dec. 19 last, Mr. E. C. Genereaux, wrecking master of the Pacific Coast Salvage Association, said: "When I first reached the Portland there was 615 tons of copper ore aboard, 450 tons in the forward hold 'tween decks, and the balance in the after hold 'tween decks. Be- fore leaving for the Samson I requested Captain Linquist, of the Portland, to discharge as much ore as possible out of the ship in lighters, as they could work to advantage at low tide. At high tide and with a southerly wind the weath- er side of the hurricane deck was covered with water. After our arrival with the Samson, we got to work at once, and with the assistance of the crew of the Samson, those left on the Portland and one diver, we made good headway. The next day after arriving we got the boilers and pumps aboard and connected. For the following five days it snowed and at night it would freeze tight. This, with a northerly breeze, made slow progress. After the fifth day the wind veered to the southeast, melting the snow, and enabling us to start the pumps and get under way in earnest. After starting an eight-inch Morris -pump and a ten-inch Gwynne pump we lowered the water sufficient to work most of the ore out of the forward hold during low tide. We did not touch the ore in the after hold, as we wished to get her bow as high out of water as possible. "After an examination by the diver we found that the forefoot and part of the forward keel was entirely gone. The ship, running on a ledge of rocks, tore the forefoot clean out to the cants. The balance of the vessel seemed to be intact. At extreme low tide we were enabled to patch the forefoot for a distance of eight feet from the stem. It was impossible to get at the balance of the dam- age at this time, because of the vessel's position on the ledge of rocks. We did as much as we could under the circumstances. The diver caulked up a few butts and seams, which were not easily located, because of the cop- per sheathing on the ship. "On the ninth day the ore was practically out. With the bow high in the air we made a canvas apron, 12 feet by 24 feet, and sewed four thicknesses together. With lace lines attached and weighted with lead, we secured one end of this to the bow just above the damage, and the other end we slipped down and drew taut under the bottom with tackles when the vessel lifted off the rocks. In the meantime four moorings had been placed, two from the bow and two from the stern, to hold the ship in position, so that if the first trial at floating the vessel proved a failure she would rot alter her position. When the vessel floated and the canvas apron in position, the two pumps running to capa- city just kept her free. With the assistance of the revenue cutter Rush and the tug Vigilant the Portland was towed to Sand Beach, opposite Ketchikan, nine miles north from Spire Island, arriving there Dec. 21. Here the vessel was beached to make temporary repairs. "Owing to the cold snap experienced while salving the vessel, and not making much progress we lost the oppor- tunity for good tides for making repairs, so had to lie ten days on the beach before the tides were favorable for re- pair work. In the meantime the ore in the forward hold had been discharged, so that the ship could be taken higher on the beach. The machinery was overhauled and found to be in fairly good condition.. Steam was got up on the main boilers to run the pumps. The damaged portion of the fore- foot and keel were cut away, and temporary repairs were made with plank and canvas. The copper was stripped away from the forward butts, and the same caulked and wedged as required. At this time we decided that the ves- sel could be steamed to Seattle to make repairs, but while stripping the asbestos frem the main steam connections the distance piece connected with the boiler dome and main steam pipe was found to be cracked. This, of course, was attributed to the stranding of the vessel, but on making a more careful examination the slip joint to the main steam pipe was found frozen solid, which was the cause of the distance piece cracking. Had this been in good working order the distance piece would not have given way. : "Owing to the fact that no material could be obtained to make repairs to this damage I decided to send to Seattle for a tow boat, and>the Pioneer was dispatched to the scene. We then decided to disconnect the thrush shaft from the crank, so that the wheel would revolve while we were being towed. After making temporary repairs and coming off the beach the wrecking pumps were not required, as one of the ship's own line pumps kept her free from water. The wrecking pumps and piping were overhauled, however, and kept in position if required. : "After we had been towing two days we decided to con- "nect up the engine and main boilers with a two-inch pipe to try the main engine and discovered that this amount of steam gave most satisfactory results. The engine worked in splendid order. Steam was turned in at a pressure of 110 pounds, this being 17 pounds less than the pressure al- lowed, and a speed of 63 revolutions a minute was attained, much to our surprise. (The main steam pipe had a diameter of 7% in.) "We arrived in Seattle on Jan. 21, taking 614 days to make 640 miles. There was a strong southeast wind during the passage, and we found it necessary on one occasion to anchor in Safety Cove for six hours on account of wind. We discharged the balance of ore in her hold in this city and took her to Winslow under her own steam, still having the two-inch pipe in use. Another method we thought of pursuing was to build a bulkhead in the lower hold, but ow- ing to the amount of ore that was forward it would have