The Yucatan

At midday on the 3d day of March, 1914, the steamship Yucatan was lying alongside the Globe Milling Company dock on the east side of the Willamette fiver in the Portland harbor, headed south, or upstream. The north end of the dock is 1,300 feet south, or upstream, from the Broadway drawbridge spanning the Willamette river. The stern of the vessel was about 40 feet south of the north end of the do.ck. The United States steamship Boston, under lease to the state of Oregon, was lying at her moorings-in the Willamette river between the Yucatan and the drawbridge. At the time in question the master of the Yucatan undertook to leave the dock and pass down the river through the drawbridge. In so doing a stern spring line was extended from the offshore quarter on the starboard side of the vessel around the stern and fastened to a cleat on the dock about midships. All other lines were cast off, and the-engine started up slowly, thus keeping the stern spring line tight, drawing the vessel up the dock, and swinging the bow away from the dock. As soon as the vessel had swung away from the dock to an angle of about 20 degrees the signal to open the draw of the Broadway bridge was given; but…