Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/318

Rh various shapes, added to their doubts. Many therefore, came to believe that it was a mineral deposit which had been thrown up from the bed of the ocean, or washed down from the mountains. That it was frequently found at a considerable distance from the present shore line and above the highest known tide, gave some credence to this theory But when blocks symmetrical in form bearing inscriptions such as IHN and IHS, also many candles, which the sun had melted at the ends thereby preserving the wicks, were found it became apparent it was truly beeswax which had been sent to missions for use in worship. But in time, scientists from the Smithsonian Institute and elsewhere began to inquire, "How came the wax here?" It was then suggested that Lewis and Clark had reported the presence of this substance, and that Indians had prior to 1850 used it for lights and for other purposes. Later, when portions of ancient ships were found imbedded in the sand, it was decided that various wrecks had taken place near the mouth of the Nehalem, and that the cargo and parts of the various ships had been washed to the same shore and then strewn by wave and tide up and down the beach. In a vain endeavor to gain specific information regarding the lost vessel, wrecks of numerous ships were recounted, among which was the one mentioned by Hall J. Kelley, which was laden with a similar cargo, and met its fate farther up the coast. No one, therefore, has been able to learn the name of the craft that was lost with her cargo near Nehalem, whence she sailed nor whither she was bound. Her identity and destination are shrouded in mystery. Therefore, her stranding and destruction may fitly be termed the wreck of the "Beeswax Ship."

Celilo Locks and Canal. One of the Great Internal Improvements that had engaged the attention of the early transportation companies of Oregon was the construction