The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-04
HARBOR ROCKS DOOMED.
Congressman Think Money
VIII Be Voted for Their
Removal.
ARE MENACEs TO NAVIGATION.
Members OF the Delegation Take a
Trip About the Bay and to
Fort Point.

The big cannon and the mortars at Fort
Point and the rocks in the harbor that are
sources of danger to navigation received
the attention of members of Congress yes
terday. On the bay the honors were done
by Harbor Commissioners Colnon and
Cole, who took the party out in the States
tug Governor Markham.
AT Fort Point General Graham, with
battery of artillery, fired {. Senatorial
salute of seventeen guns and showed off
his battery In some eyolutions, and Lieu
tenant Armand Lissak showed off the big
new Krupp gun that guards the Golden
Gate by firing a 1000-pound projectile
against the Marin County shore.
The party boarded the Governor Mark
ham at 10 o'clock. There were present
Senators White and Perkins, Congress-
men Loud, Hilborn, and Barham; Harbor
Commissioners Colnon and Cole, Colonel
Aendell, Professor Davidson; John C.
Coleman, e-president of the North
Pacific Coast Railroad Captain Mckenzie
of the steamer San Rafael, ]. w. Harrison
of Sausalito and Miss Hazel Colnon.
The tug first steamed out by Blossom
Rock, Arch Rock and Shag Rock, all of
which Colonel Mendell has recommended
act of 1894 he made preliminary exam
ination and reported that the harbor was
worthy of the Improvement of having these
rocks, the two Mission rocks, the Broth
ers. inside the harbor, and the MONDAY
and Anita rocks, outside the heads, re-
moved, and recommended that a survey
and estimate of the cost of removal be
made.
The cost of this work would be, accord
ing to rough estimates made by members
of the party, from $4,000 to $4,000 in each
case.
Professor Davidson stated that the rec
ords show that seyenty-one vessels have
gone on the rocks in the bay, nineteen on
the rocks at Fort Point, nine on Arch Rock
and eight on Mile rocks in the entrance.
Three of the vessels going on Arch Rock
have been total losses. These were the
Autocrat, valued at 100000: the Winged
Racer, $4,000, and the Flying Dragon,
$50, 900.
On MONDAY rocks the loss by the
wrecking of the MONDAY was 5000 and
of the Alaska S57, 900. The loss on vessels
totally wrecked or njured OF all the rocks
ran up into the millions dozen times as
much as it would cost the Government to
blow them all up.
While passing Blossom Rock Professor
Davidson reminded the party that it OBJ
tanned its name from the British sloop of
war of that name which ran upon it in 1926.
All the members of Congress expressed
the belief that there would be no trouble
in getting an appropriation in accordance
with Colonel Mendells recommendation
for surveys and preparation of necessary
plans and estimates for the removal Of
most of the rocks.
Senator Perkins said: 81 think that we
can get the appropriation for the surveys
at the coming session, and that, of course,
Is all that can be asked for until it is known
what the work will cost. Then, l think,
we should be able to get appropriations of
600 year until they are all removed.
The losses that have been incurred would
have paid for the work dozen times over"
A stop was made at Lime Point to look
into the question OF getting wagon road
built from Saasalito to Point Bonita light
house. ]. w. Harrison advocated this in
behalf of the people of Sausalito. He
pointed out that when the steamer New
York went ashore there was no road over
except through private property by roads
that were three or Jour miles longer than
the proposed highway would be.
From there the party steamed out the
Golden Gate by the Mile rocks and back
to Fort Point.
Lieutenant J. E. Kuhn of the Engineer
Corps, who is in charge of the building of
the Notifications, and Lieutenant Summer
all of the artillery met the party at the
wharf
Tney were driven In a four-mule bus
upon the bluff where General Graham was
stationed with battery of artillery which
fired salute of seventeen guns and was
put through some evolutions. The four
sunken batteries with sixteen big mortars
were inspected, after which the party went
up and watched the firing of the big can
non on the bluff by Lieutenant Lissak.
Senator Perkins received yesterday
telegram from the Board of Trade of
Enrpl-o 81 yinr tho dalonatInp RI ms visit
to that harbor. He replied that at pres
ent, at least it would be impossible to do
so, as Senator White returns to the south
to-day All the members, he said, were in
favor of keeping up the work that is being
done there.