The San Francisco call., 1906-05-25
DRIFTING LOGS DEADLY
MENACE TO NAVIGATION
DerelictS From Wrecked
Raft Scattered
Over Bar.
Hongkong Maru Narrow
ly Avoids Floating
Dangers.

Captain Ernest Bent. commander OF the
japanese liner Hongkong Maru, which ar
rived yesterday from the Orient, is glad
that he was able 10 make his approach TO
port in daylight If he had come in at
night he believes his vessel would have
been seriously crippled, as in the darkness
II would have been almost impossible TO
have avoided collision with some Of the
immense logs. which were first eneoun-
tered about thirty miles the other side
Of the Farallones and through which the
Hongkong threaded her way until she
passed in beyond the nine-fathorn buoy.
These logs formed part of the raft which
left Astoria May in tow Of the steamer
Francis r. Leggett. The Leggett lost the
raft, which subsequently went 10 pieces to
che great peril Of coastwise shipping They
are logs OF great size. Launched head-on
By the heavy ocean swell against the hull
Of z ship, any one Of these floating men
aces could tear q hole through the stout
est o. steel plates. If the propeller Of a
steamship struck one Of these derelicts
the propeller would do no more propelling
Il The engines were not crippled by the jar
These logs are scattered across the en-
trance 10 this harbOr like a fleet Of sub
marine boats, and are every bit as deadly.
Far beyond the Farallones they float,
lurking dangers 70 approaching and de-
parting craft, and vessels from the south
report encounters with these silent mon
sters from the northern forests long be-
t0re the bar is reached. Captain Bent has
made q report concerning the logs TO the
United States Lighthouse Board. and
masters Of departing vessels are warned TO
keep 2 sharp lookout There were 5000, o9o
feet Of lumber. ali made Up OF huge logs,
IN the wrecked raft.
The Eongkong Naru was shaken by an
earthquake on Nay 6. about ninety miles
outside Of Yokohama. The sensation, as
described by those on board. was as If the
.propellers had suddenly taken 10 racing.
The shock lasted only few seconds. No
plaster fell IN the staterooms. and there
WI be no work for the chimney inspector
on board the HongSOng Maru. Earth
Quakes al sea have their advantages.
The HOngkong brought seventy-nine
cabin passengers. two in the steerage and
forty Asiatics- Her cargo Of 1913 tons in
clUded SIS bales Of raw silk, 121 chests
o. tea and 62ls mats Of rice.
Al q concert held in the Hongkongs sa-
loon on Wednesday night the passengers
subscribed Sl25 for the san Francisco re-
lief fund.
Among the passengers were the follow
ing named:
p AIlertoh. A J. Anderson. H. T. Bar
STOW n - Bil4. MIS- y. -. Bill MISS
Beatrice " Bill. Dr.. II. ". Boone, Justus
Briggs. Mrs. JIstus Briggs c. NJ. O.
Bruce. H Bunb. Mrs 3. Bumb, W. Bieie-
fed. Miss Caroline c. Burns. N. J. Cat
me. r. J. ChaldecOtt. z. J. Dobson, B. P.
Do5sOn, Mrs. Fitzgibbons. Miss Fitzgib-
tlns. Miss Louise Freeman, Z. F'uruya, c.
p Graham. Mrs. L Hading. c. R Hew-
ext 2. A Hollabaugh. z. J. W Hunter.
H. Iyoda- Mrs H Iyoda, J. F. Jelke, F. F.
Jelke Jr-. J. E Jones. L Juinctscfek. A
3. Kepler, Mrs. A. r. Kepler and infant.
Master Kepler, ". r. Kersey, Mrs. ". r.
Kersey. Miss Jesse Lesser. [. r. 7. LUnd.
1Ers. L. r. 7. Lund. r. G. Macfarlane,
James Madison. 7. MAZDA. :. H Matsu-
bara, O. J. McCorkle. z W. Afidderdorf,
Mrs Z. ". 8Iiddendorf. E. P. Miller, Mrs.
Mary Moss. Mss Mullens, Y Mural Mrs.
y. Mural. s. Nozaki. hrs. s Nozaki, G. H.
PaCrinsOn. Mrs. G H. Pattinson, J. Pugi-
bet, Miss n Roberts. Lieutenant Coloncl
r /. Sanders, Baron c. Seckendorf, Bar
oness c. Seckendorh. E. l. Smythe, Mrs
Z. L. Smythe c. Il. strong. Mrs. c. n
Strong. Mss Isabel Strong. DR.. ". w
Werner, L S. N; H ". Wheeler. Sydney
Wheeler, J. Winkin. Miss F. White. Il. b
Winters, Mrs. H B. Winters. 9 "
Wood, H z. Young. T. S. Apcar and
Miss c Mscadan