This was principally because the logs, which were often left for long periods in the water due to the poor and infrequent steamer services, became infested with teredos or shipworms.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The bridge supports had been weakened by the marine molluscteredonavalis (commonly known as shipworm).
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Wooden pilings to support the platforms were vulnerable toteredoworms.
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They were riddled with tubes made by burrowingteredoworms.
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Thus, it was also used to sheathe the piles of piers in tropical seas, as a protection againstteredoshipworms, and in locomotive tubes.
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