The San Francisco call., 1899-09-25
RAN ON A REEF
AND LAY THERE
SEVERAL HOURS
LeelanaW Had a Close
Call at Sea.
ARRIVES IN PORT LEAKING
HER CARGO OF HORSES LEFT
AT HONOLULU.
Detailed Story of the Accident as It
Was Told by Captain Storrs,
Commander of the
Transport.
ARRIVES IN PORT LEAKING
HER CARGO OF HORSES LEFT
AT HONOLULU.

The United States transport Leelanaw,
that arrived yesterday from Honolulu,
narrowly escaped total wreck Saturday
on a reef south of Montara She came
into port leaking and al once transferred
the cargo in her hold to the transport
Rio Janeiro, preparatory to going upon
the drydock for inspection and repairs.
She was ashore several hours on the
rocks not far from a point where several
vessels have been totally wrecked. The
sea was luckily smooth and only a small
swell was stirring from the time she
struck to the time when she was worked
off into deep water She is not badly in
jured. Yesterday as she lay beside the
Rlo, shifting her cargo, she was able to
keep out the water with her donkey
pump. The story of the wreck is told by
Captain Storrs, who commands the Lee
lanaw
The vessel grounded on a reef to the
south of Montara," he said about six
teen miles from the bar, during a fog so
thick that | could not see the lookout. We
sailed from Honolulu September Ia and
had fine weather until the 10Th. | was un-
able to get a perfect observation on the
list and got none on the 22d or 23d and
was compelled TO run by reckoning. On
the I'D there was dense fog with clearing
intervals, but no chance for an observa-
ton. BY reckoning | ought to have been
at the South Farallon at l p. m. on the
23d. | had the patent lead going every
half hour from 11:30 a. m. to 1880 p. m.
From then on the lead was going every
fifteen minutes until we got bottom i'll
80 fathoms at S:45 p. m, Then, after we
got the bottom, the lead was kept going
as fast as it could be worked.
Il heard a fog whistle at 4:40 p. m,
which was on the port bow. The patent
log was hauled in, and L found that one
blade of the rotator was missing. The
blasts of the fog signal were very irregu-
cOllId intervals hP-
tween the blasts agree. At 4:45 o'clock
the lead showed thirty-five fathoms. We
slowed down to dead slow to identify
the signal, the sound of which was indis-
tinCt and faint. The first officer, at SOP
o'clock, showed ten fathoms. Before the
headway of the vessel could be checked
she grounded lightly on the reef.
THE soundings that were then taken
all around the ship showed nothing less
than IA feet at the bow forward, deep
ening quickly after passing one-thrd of
the length from forward. There were nine
fathoms under the stern. l gave orders to
pump out No. ballast tank and TO fill
Nos. and 4, which were empty. The en-
gines were all the time backing strongly,
but the tide was falling and we could no.
move her. The engines were slowed just
to hold her from going further on with
the small swell that was running. Every
thing was made ready to try again after
the tide made. Until II: 80 the snip rested
easy and then slowed around about four
points. l put the helm over to port and
ordered full speed aStern. After rolling
and humping several times she came off
in deep water. The water was coming
in the No. 1 ballast tank but there was
no trouble in keeping 1T free. We came
up off the bar. but couldn't find the light
ship because it had been removed for re-
pairs
The reasons that Captain Storrs gives
for the accident are: Lack of opportunt-
ty for observations to verify my position;
losing blade off the rotator of the pat
ent log, which altered its rate and thereby
fouled my dead reckoning; running with
the wind and sea abeam for three days
set the ship further TO the southeast than
/ allowed for
The Leelanaw sailed from San Fran
cisco September l for Manila via Homo
lulu. She had on board a cargo of horses
and a large amount of commissary stores,
principally canned goods. On the trip
down to Honolulu five horses died When
the steamer reached Honolulu the horses
were put ashore for their health. There
they very soon developed a disease that
became epidemic and II was impracticable
the voyage to Manila Captain Storrs
CISCO bringing the commissary stores
with him. How near the vessel came to a
shipwreck has already been told.
The disease that the horses developed is
unknown People who have some knowl-
edge of horses in Honolulu haZarded the
opinion that il was what is known as the
boo hoo fever, painful but not neces-
sarily dangerous malady.
An investigation of the accident to the
Leelanaw will be made probably this