ected. I had a
number of passengers at $15 each. They were to furnish their own
provisions, but to have the privileges of the cooking stove on deck. The
vessel was anchored out in the bay, to sail at 2 P.M., when the tide was
most favorable. I had a new chain for the anchor, and the captain said
he wanted a kedge anchor for safety, so I ordered one from McCondery &
Co., for $35, on condition that, without fail, they would have it on
board before 2 P.M. We were all on board by 1 o'clock, waiting for the
favorable tide, to start. At 1:30 no anchor and the bay was very rough.
The captain said it would not come, they would not venture out in that
sea in a small boat. I said it would be there certain, I knew my man.
Sure enough, in a few moments we could just see a boat in the distance,
two men rowing and one guiding the rudder. They came alongside and we
had the anchor aboard in five minutes. In the stern was Mr. Watson, one
of the firm. He said he was afraid to trust his men in that sea for fear
they would fail to deliver it. The profit on it to them was only $3.50,
and it was a very wealthy firm, but they had pledged their word to me
that they would have it there at that time. (Would that there were more
of such honorable men.) We hoisted anchor, the tide in our favor and a
stiff breeze blowing. We passed out of the bay of San Francisco into the
bay of Los Angles, and crossed that into the Straits of Benica, which is
four miles long and connects with Suisan bay. The Straits of Benica was
a perfectly safe anchorage. It was approaching night, and blowing almost
a gale. I was in hopes and expected that the captain would come to
anchor in the straits and wait until morning before venturing out into
the Suisan bay, which was twenty miles across to the mouth of the San
Joaquin river, where we were bound. The bay was almost like the open
sea; you could get out of sight of land. I think he would have come to
anchor if I, the owner, had not been on board, and had not urged upon
him the importance of having the vessel in Stockton in time. As he was
the captain I felt sensitive about interfering with his business, and
had hoped and expected, all the way through the straits, that he would
come to anchor, and not undertake to cross the bay that night. Darkness
was setting in, but he did not come to anchor. The gale increased to a
hurricane; all sails were taken in, and we were scudding under bare
poles, and had a lantern hung up in the