Young Olson is modest and agreeable. At an early age he developed a fondness for the sea, and about four years ago shipped as cabin-boy on the old bark W.W. Case, then bound for Alaska. Upon his return from that voyage his father counseled him to abandon the ambition of being a mariner and return to school. The lad, however, did not wish to give up the seafaring career. He shipped in his father's vessel as cook. This was a little more than three years ago. While the boy was serving up meals for the crew he was a hard student of navigation. He solved the mystery of boxing the compass, and could take his turn at the wheel with the best of the sailors aboard the Gem. From the culinary department he gradually arose to be second in command of the craft.

It was last April that Captain Louis Olson, William's father, made his last trip. The schooner encountered rough seas going over the Coos Bay bar, and the wheel ropes parted. Captain Olson recieved a blow in the leg from the tiller, and when Marshfield was reached he was obliged to go ashore. Blood poisoning set in, and the Captain died.

The boy was left in command of the vessel, and he made a successful run with her from Coos Bay to this port. At that time of year the weather was very stormy on the coast, and the Gem met with continual gales, but the youthful Captain brought her through without a hint of damage. Since then he has been in command of the vessel, sailing her between here and Coos Bay until the last trip, when she was chartered to go to Grays Harbor for a cargo of lumber for the S.E. Slade Company.

Every vessel coming into port during the last three weeks has brought evidence of the terrific southeast gales which have been raging along the coast, and it has been conceded by shipmasters that this has been one of the worst years for stormy weather ever known. The Gem encountered her share of the gales, and on the voyage has had to contend with continual head seas and high winds, but she proved herself a stanch vessel, in every way worthy of the self-reliant youth at the helm. Though the seas swept her decks and she sprung a leak, she was brought safely into port without injury. She came into harbor in company with three other schooners from Grays Harbor. The three were in collision this side of Fort Point, but the Gem dropped anchor and escaped damage.

The Honoipu.

On Saturday afternoon last, 9th inst., Hay & Wright launched at their ship yard, at Alameda Point, a four masted sailing schooner for Hind, Rolph & Co., this city, and christened by Miss Molly Hind, the Honoipu.

She is built especially for the Hawaiian Island trade, and will run principally between the Hawaiian Islands and this port, in the Island Line. She is built on the same lines as the schooner Muriel, and her dimensions are: 162 feet length, 36.8 feet beam, and 13 feet hold. She will carry about 750,000 feet lumber or 1100 tons sugar. She is named after the port on the Island of Hawaii to which she will run. She is chartered on her first voyage to load lumber at Tacoma for Sydney, coal at Newcastle for Kahului and sugar from Kahului to San Francisco, and will shortly leave on that voyage. She and her sister ship, the Muriel, are both chartered for the same round, and will be leaving together, and much interest is being taken in their respective sailing qualities. Capt. Wm. Olsen will take command of the vessel.

The captains of the Muriel and the Honoipu are racing their vessels from San Francisco to Puget Sound, thence to Sydney, N.S.W., with a load of lumber, thence to Honolulu with a load of coal and then back to San Francisco with a load of sugar. The race is for a champagne dinner on the return of the loser to San Francisco.

Two of the handsomest and fastest four-masted American schooners afloat are now engaged in an interesting ocean race. They left San Francisco within twenty-four hours of each other and are to load lumber at Tacoma for Sydney, N.S.W. From Australia they are to take coal to Hawaii, and from Honolulu will bring sugar to San Francisco. Both vessels are owned by Hurd, Rolph & Co. of this city, and the captain of the losing vessel is to pay for a champagne dinner for the employes of the firm on the return of his vessel to San Francisco.

The schooners are the Muriel and Honoipu. They are as alike as two peas, their measurement being 483.17 tons net burden, 162 feet long, 36.8 feet broad and 11.85 feet deep. The only difference is that of age, the Muriel having been launched in 1895 and the Honoipu being on her maiden voyage. So far the Muriel has had the best of the race, as she went to Puget Sound in 12 days, while the Honoipu took 15 days. This result was not a fair test and was expected, as the Muriel went up in ballast and the Honoipu was deeply loaded. Captain Olson of the Honoipu has yet to know what his vessel can do, while Captain Carlsen knows all the good and bad points of the Muriel. Nevertheless Captain Olson has every confidence in his vessel and was willing to gamble that he will be the first back to San Francisco.

The fine American schooner Muriel, painted white as drifted snow, got away yesterday on one of the longest ocean races ever entered. She carries from this port a full cargo of lumber for Sydney, Australia, and after making that port will take coal and tear forward to Hawaii, there take sugar and push on for San Francisco, where her race began and will end.

The Muriel is opposed in the race by the splendid new schooner Honoipu, now a few days behind her, taking a cargo of lumber at this port, and soon to get away for the same destination in the antipodes, and the other ports that the Muriel is to visit before returning home.

The Honoipu is on her maiden voyage, and is swinging around this circuit in command of Capt. Olson, the youngest skipper in Pacific waters, it is said, if not in the world. Some doubt if he is a half dozen moons beyond his majority.

The racing craft are as alike as two peas, each measuring 483 tons and being 162 feet long, 37 feet broad and 12 feet deep. The Muriel was launched three years ago. Capt. Carlson is her skipper. Both vessels are owned by Hurd, Rolph & Co., of San Francisco.

The captain of the losing vessel in the race is to pay for a champagne dinner upon his arrival at San Francisco. The Muriel made the quicker run from San Francisco to the Sound, covering the distance in twelve days, three days less than the Honoipu. The new craft was deeply laden and the Muriel came in ballast.

The Muriel is so deeply laden with her cargo from Tacoma that her decks are scarcely high enough to be awash in a fairly heavy sea, and the Honoipu will get away in the same condition. High stanchions have been placed on the decks and deck cargoes reaching above the ship's bulwarks are placed above board. But this is the way nearly all lumber schooners leave the Sound, and the circumstance is scarcely worthy of note to the old skipper or the shipper who spend much time about the lumber fleet, but to a landsman the sight is striking.

The cargo of the Muriel comprises 597,301 feet of rough lumber and 11,106 lath.

The fine American schooner Honoipu, Captain Olson, sails from the St. Paul & Tacoma Mill today with a full cargo of Washington fir for Sydney, Australia, and on one of the longest ocean races ever entered.

The vessel is on her maiden voyage and a race from San Francisco to Australia and return by the way of Tacoma, and the Hawaiian Islands for a champagne dinner. The opposing craft is the schooner Muriel, Captain Carlson, which got away from this port with a cargo of lumber a few days ago. The Muriel and the Honoipu are sister ships, and as nearly alike as if they were cast in one mould. Both are painted as white as drifted snow, and both have three masts.

Captain Olson is one of the youngest skippers afloat, and so youthful that it has been ventured by the gossipers that he is little beyond his legal majority. Captain Olson says he is afraid the Muriel has too great a lead to overcome, but he will crack on the sail the conditions will permit, and implore Old Boreas and Neptune for auspicious gales, at the same time keeping alert to sieze the favors that may come from tact in navigation.

The Honoipu cleared yesterday with the following cargo for Sydney, N.S.W., Lumber, 612,130 feet; lath, 2,360 bundles; value of cargo, $6,400.

An ocean race in which much interest is being centered is now being sailed between the American schooners Muriel and Honoipu. The two vessels, which are owned by Messrs. Hinds, Rolf, and Co., of San Francisco, are among the speediest and handsomest of the Pacific Slope fleet. They left San Francisco within 24 hours of each other, bound to Puget Sound, the Muriel being in light trim, and the Honoipu partly loaded. From 'Frisco to Tacoma in summer is a dead beat to windward, but the Muriel, although light, beat her opponent by 72 hours, covering the passage in nine days. In the run from Tacoma to Sydney the Muriel again scored, and at present has 15 days' advantage over the Honoipu in sailing time. The wager, however, provides that the last of the two vessels to arrive in San Francisco, irrespective of detention in port, shall provide a champagne dinner for all hands in the San Francisco office of the owner. Both have the same charter, the only difference being that the Honoipu discharges and loads at the one port in Hawaii, while the Muriel has two ports of call. The former vessel is on her maiden voyage, the latter being three years old. She has splendid lines, and sits upon the water like a yacht, and is really a handsome vessel. All the latest appliances are found on board, including a steam donkey of the best type, and a powerful pump capable of supplying five distinct sets of hoses, and by which the cargo can be saturated and the water pumped out if reuired in two hours. A sea cock under the bow supplies the pumps, so that should an accident of this nature occur at sea the fire can be grappled with. The cabin is the picture of neatness and comfort, the great idea being to secure a maximum of comfort with economy of space. Captain Carlson expects to sail on Sunday for Kahalui, and is confident of winning the race to the Golden Gate.