Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 14.djvu/23



LIEUTENANT HOWISON REPORT ON OREGON, 1846 15

in some places ten miles from shore, and in high westerly gales the sea often breaks five miles from the beach. A ship should never go nearer the coast than ten miles or twelve, unless with a view of going right in, or of reconnoitring the bar, particularly in winter, when the southeasterly gales spring suddenly up, and as suddenly shift to SW, and WSW., which with a flood tide requires a good sailing vessel and a press of canvas to keep a safe offing. I lay at anchor in Baker's bay, some three hun- dred yards inside the cape, from November 17, 1846, until January 18, 1847; and although we were unfortunately desti- tute of barometer and thermometers, we had a good oppor- tunity of observing during these two winter months the wind and weather. The heavens were almost always overcast; the wind would spring up moderately at E., haul within four hours to SE., increasing in force and attended with rain. It would continue at this point some 20 hours, and shift suddenly in a hail storm to SW., whence, hauling westwardly and blowing heavy, accompanied with hail and sleet, it would give us a continuance of bad weather for three or four days, and force the enormous Pacific swell to break upon shore with terrific violence, tossing its spray over the tops of the rocks more than two hundred feet high. A day of moderate weather, with the wind at NE., might succeed this ; but before the sea on the bar would have sufficiently gone down to render it passable, a renewal of the southeaster would begin and go on around the compass as before.

Throughout Oregon the NE. wind, or between N. and E., is clear and dry, and in winter very cold ; it is the only wind at that season which will serve to take a ship safely out to sea; and as it generally succeeds the westerly gales, which leave a heavy sea on, the impatient navigator is oftentimes obliged to remain at his anchor until this fair wind has blown itself out. The northeaster may, as I have said before, be considered a land breeze, not reaching over ten or twelve miles to sea. In the upper part of the Territory, and above the mouth of the Cowlitz, on the Columbia, clear easterly winds