Deadliest Shipwreck in Oregon Coast History: Nehalem Event Talks About the Leggett

Published 03/01/26 at 5:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) - In September of 1914, the steamer Francis H. Leggett left Grays Harbor in Washington for San Francisco. On board were 37 passengers, 25 crewmen, and an overload of railway ties. (Above: detail from cover of Marvin's book).

Two days later, the ship encountered a 60-mile-per-hour gale off the north Oregon coast. The railway ties shifted, causing the ship to list. Water began filling the vessel. The Francis H. Leggett was in deep trouble.

It ended up the deadliest shipwreck on the Oregon Coast, but much of the story remains unknown nearly 112 years later. No one knows exactly what happened – except that it went down somewhere just west of Cape Meares.

Capt. Daniel C. Marvin is author of “Francis H. Leggett: Unraveling the mystery of Oregon’s worst maritime disaster.” He'll talk about the wreck in a presentation called “Deadliest Shipwreck on the Oregon Coast,” put together by the Nehalem Valley Historical Society.

It happens Saturday, March 14
3:30 pm
NCRD
36155 9th St. Nehalem
$10 at the door

Lumber all over Manzanita's beaches - courtesy Cannon Beach History Museum

As deadly as it was, it provided tons of lumber to the north coast for years, washing up on beaches like those at Manzanita.

What is known is that for a good decade the steam schooner Francis H. Leggett hauled lumber, wheat and passengers along the West Coast. On its way back to California from Grays Harbor, Washington, it took on about 37 passengers and a heavy load of lumber and railroad ties. Reports later indicated the vessel was overloaded and riding low in the water.

It was fair skies on the morning of September 18, although officials had already warned of the season's first storm a couple of days earlier. The Oregon coast was about to live up to its tempestuous reputation – but then the warning was canceled. However, conditions worsened anyway, and by the afternoon, the Leggett passed the Columbia River with winds estimated at 60 miles per hour. Then there were those large swells kicking up.

Passengers and crew worked pumps as the ship took on water. Near Tillamook Rock, a violent roll caused the load of railroad ties to shift, worsening the list. Survivor James Farrell later told The Oregonian that waves swept the hatches off and water poured into the hold.

With the ship clearly on borrowed time, the captain ordered lifeboats launched. The first, carrying about 30 people including two children, capsized immediately in the heavy surf. A second lifeboat with four couples met the same fate.

Captain Charles Maro, just 25, ordered a distress call sent as the ship continued to founder. A nearby Japanese cruiser heard the call but only relayed the message. By the time help arrived, the ship had been long gone.

As it rolled and sank, everyone left was thrown into the water. Only a couple of men survived: they had clung to a floating railroad tie. In the days that followed, those ties and lumber washed ashore along the Oregon Coast.

One of those who did not make it was a man who'd been stranded on an island with his family for six months after another shipwreck.

About 35 passengers and all 25 crew members died, making the sinking of the Francis H. Leggett a dark page in Oregon history books.

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