Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/328

 No material change in wind or weather, heat rather oppressive during the day, the thermometer standing at 86° in the shade at sunset. Dr McL— furnished me an apparatus for determining the heights of mountains by boiling water, such as has lately been used by the Co's officers in crossing the Rocky Mountains, principally on account of its portableness— by several experiments made the boiling points at Vancouver 213 25/100°, but not knowing its gage at the level of the sea am unable at present to estimate the alt. of the Fort above the latter upon such data. Men employed working at suits, bags, tapolins and fitting axe helves. Capt Varney lost a man by desertion. The Co. do not countenance men who leave vessels under such circumstances and will lend their aid in detecting them. Accompanied Dr McL— to their mills about six miles up the river on the N bank, both situated directly on the bank on beautiful never failing streams of water which spring from the earth near by, so near that soon after leaving the mills drank from the source of one. Both the flour mill and the saw mill are carried by overshot wheels, the former has one set of stone, which more than answers all the present demands of the Co. The latter runs 9 saws, & I think Dr McL told me, turned out 2500 feet of lumber daily, employing from 25 to 30 men, and about 12 yoke of oxen. Most all of these men I observed were Sandwich Islanders, their ration consists principally of smoked salmon — sea biccuit, and the pay of each 17 pounds per an. Thus the Co. is selecting the choice timber from our forests and supplying the Sandwich Island & California market their vessels coming up the river and loading at the mill. About % mile back from this shore is an open high prairie where one of their shepherds resides and looks out for a large flock of sheep & a few cattle.

29 & 30 July, 1841.

Weather much the same. Ther' 88° in the shade. Not well. The H. B. Cos sloop Victoria arrived from Fort