The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-10-27
THE log RAFT BROKE
It Went to Pieces When Four
Days Out.
OCCURRED OFF HECETA LIGHT


Eighty ThsusanA Dsslsrs.
Bar FRAxcisco. October n. - All
doubts - to the late Of the big log raft
which recently left Astoria for this port
In tow Of the ting Monarch wers settled
this morning By the arrival in port d
To tug minus her tow. Immediately
upon entering the hazbor this morning
tie Monarch went 70 her berth. 40
oording to the captains story he had
one Of the roughest voyages ever ex-
psrienced. In telling shout the TOW
Captain Thompson said:
"We left Astoria 1t 10 30 4. \. on the
l1th instant. The bay was - smooth -
giaas; % 1t 4 O'Clock We were on our
course Tor San Francisco. Shortly after
that the wind began to rise, and ct mid
night il was blowing forty miles IN hour
from the southeast. At 1 A. n. last Sat-
urday We saw Tillamook light, having
thus made eighteen miles in about eix-
teen hours. The wind fell light after
that for awhile, bat in the afternoon it
va again blowing . living gale. Half
the time We could make out the raft only
by the foam that was breaking over it.
We could make no headway; 90 l headed
the Monarch of shore, and ill that night
the tug and the raft lay in . trough Of
The "a. Sunday morning st O'Clock
the wind began to drop, and an hour
later IL was almost calm. There was q
very heavy sea running, however, and
when ] put the steamer on her couree
the strain on the hawser was terrific.
Frequently the Monarch'e stern was
under water, but she always came up
again like . duck. A better sea boat
and better tug l have never been on.
Had il not been for the storms that We
encountered there would have been NO
difficulty in towing the raft TO San Fran
cisco. When daylight came on Sunday
noticed that piles were coming out of
the raft both fore and aft. At 10 that
night We were of Cape Mears and about
fifteen miles off shore. We had thus
made about forty-six miles in eighty
three hours.
Fan vent well until Monday morning,
when . thick fog came up accompanied
by . heavy westerly swell. At 8 O'Clock
/ sent two men in boat to trim . light
that was in little frame house on the
rsft. The men succeeded in their task,
and after some difficulty regained the
steamer. They reported to me that the
rsit WAS working heavily and liable to
70 TO pieces. About noon the wind came
up again from the north, and by 1 it was
blowing forty miles an hour. There was
o nasty cross sea on. and ut 8 p. u. the
frame house for the light was washed of
the raft. At midnight it Was blowing
City miles an hour, and on Tuesday
morning the breakers were playing havoc
With the piles. At 6 A. n. the raft began
ID break up, and an hour later there were
only seventy-five feet out of the 625-foot
raft left together. We were of Heceta
light. and seeing that oil further EFFORT
vas useless. cut the remains Of the tow
adrift. There were sixty tons OF chain
around the piles, and as the timbera
clipped out OF the raft the chain rank To
the bottom, Anchoring both tug and raft.
After casting of from the raft We carried
the gale to Cape BlAnco, and from there
il was calm to Crescent City. From that
point We had fresh southeasterly gale
% San Francisco"
The raft Was for the Southern Pacific
Company, and had it reached here in
safety the piles would have been used or
the oakland water front. 1t vas 81
feet long, 81 feet broad, and drew Is feel
s inches Of water when lying in the Co
lnmbia river. The first cost was $50,
OO0, but had il reached San Francisco il
| safety il would have been worth SIS 90
| at least. The chains that bound tn,
monster together cost tl,0O. Their
there was the building Of the cradle il
which the piles lay, towage and interee
| On the outlay, 20 that . conservative &c
innate would make the loss at least $50.
coo. The ting is very much chafed abou
/ her stern railing, where the hawee
, worked, but otherwise she shows n,
I traces Of her eight with the elements
| The crew assert that they never agail
| want to be at sea in . steamer towing
bundle Of piles.
| WHAT n THOUGHT OF n AT ASTORIA.
| ASTORIA, October 2l.-The news Of tn
breaking mp OF the log raft was receive,
here with profound regret by all the citi
Iens, with the exception OF those inter
ested in the cav mills. Latterly tn
and saw mill men dislike the idea Of an
market being provided for losgers oths
than that produced by consumption i
their own mills. II Was believed b
those owning timber lands in differen
portions Of the county that the succel
81 Mesers. Robertson & Baine's ventur
meant the creation Of . demand for lun
Der which Il at present inaccessible an
worthless, and the disaster 10 therefor
REGARDED as . serious blow to the intel
ests Of people owning timber claims.
i Talk of an Upheaval.