Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-11-02

"a
-. Heavy Gale--A Conservative Es-
III .,ate Places the Loss at Least
eighty Thousand Dollars.
CIV Francisco. October 81. - All
,.,bts as to the fate of the big log raft
-bicb recently left Astoria for this port
= tow OF the tug Monarch were settled
.bis morning by the arrival in port OF
~ tho minus her tow. Immediately
anon entering the harbor this morning
ao Monarch went to her berth. Ac-
oording to the captains story he had
one of the toughest voyages ever ex-
norienced. In telling about the tow
rantain Thompson said:
owe left Astoria at 1880 A. NJ. on the
10Th instant. The bay was as smooth as
rlass: so at 4 o'clock we were on our
oourse for San Francisco. Shortly after
that the wind began to rise, and at mid
n;oht it was blowing forty miles an hour
trom the southeast. At 4. NJ. last Sat
nrdav we saw Tillamook light, having
Tins made eighteen miles in about six
taen hours. The wind fell light after
that for awhile, but in the afternoon 1t
was again blowing a living gale. Half
the time we could make out the raft only
bv the foam that was breaking over it.
We could make no Roadway ; so | headed
the Monarch off shore, and all that night
the tug and the raft lay in trough OF
the sea. Sunday morning at O'Clock
/ b lrnYN and hon '
later il was almost calm. There was a
very heavy sea running, however, and
when | put the steamer on her course
the strain on the hawser was terrific.
frequently the Monarch's stern was
under water, but she always came up
AGAIN like a duck. A better sea boat
and better tug | have never been on
Had it not been for the storms that We
encountered there would have been lie
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 off Cape Mears and about
fifteen miles off shore. We had thus
made about forty-six miles in eighty
three hours.
"All went we'll 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
raft. The men succeeded in their task
and after some difficulty regained the
steamer. They reported to me that the
raft was working heavily and liza BILE to
90 to pieces. About noon the wind came
up again from the north, and by 1T was
blowing forty miles an hour. There wa:
a nasty cross sea on, and at s P. NJ. the
frame house for the light was washed OF
the raft. At midnight it was blowing
fifty miles an hour, and on Tuesday
morning the breakers were playing havoc
with the piles. At 6 A. NJ. the raft begar
to break up, and an hour later there were
only seventy-tive feet out of the 525-ioo
raft left together. We were off Hecetf
light, and seeing that all further eftor
was useless, cut the remains of the TOW
sdrift. There were sixty tons of chair
around the piles, and as the tlmber
slipped out of the raft the chain sank tt
the bottom, anchoring both tug and raft
After casting off from the raft we carried
the gale to Cape BlancO, and from there
it was calm to Crescent City. From tina
point we had fresh southeasterly gait
to San Francisco"
The raft was for the Southern Pacific
Company, and had it reached here IL
safety the piles would have been used OF
the Oakland water front. 1t was 52'
feet long, 81 feet broad, and drew % fee
inches of water when lying in the 20
lumbia river. The first cost was 500,
600, but had it reached San Francisco II
safety it would have been worth $76,OU
at least. The chains that bound thu
monster together cost 81 600. Ihel
there was the building of the cradle II
which the piles lay, towage and interes
on the outlay, so that a conservative es
innate would make the loss at least $50,
900. The tug is very much chafed abou
her stern railing, where the hawse
worked, but otherwise she shows M
traces of her fight with the elements
The crew assert that they never agar
want to be at sea in a steamer towing
bundle of piles.
WHAT Is THOUGHT OF IT AT ASTORIA.
ASTORIA, October 2l.-The news of the
breaking up of the log raft was received
here with profound regret by all the cltl
Gems, with the exception OF those inter
ested in the saw mills. Latterly the
price of logs has been exceedingly. low
and saw mill men dislike the idea of any
market being provided for loggers othel
than that produced by consumption IL
their own mills. 1t was believed by
those owning timber lands in differen
portions OF the county that the success
of Messrs. Robertson & Baine's venture
meant the creation of demand for lum
Der which is at present inaccessible anC
worthless, and the disaster is therefore
regarded as serious blow to the inter
ests of people owning timber claims.