Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/304



292 JOHN BOIT

winter quarters, which we call'd Adventure Cove, 84 and moor'd Ship for the winter. Vast many of the Natives along side, and appear'd to be highly pleas'd with the Idea of our tarrying among them through the Cold Season. The Columbia lay moor'd in this Cove till the 25th of March, 1792. I shall en- deavour to give the heads of our proceedings during that period. Adventure Cove was situated in about the Latitude of 49 15' N. and Longitude 125 30' W. of London, about 17 miles from the Ocean. This Cove was form'd by an Isle and the SE. shore Clioquot sound so small, that when the Ship was moor'd, you might throw a stone upon the beach in any direction, the passage in was not to exceed 100 feet, so that we was in a complete bason. (At 25th inst. Capt. Kendrick sail'd for Can- ton. 85 } The Adventure was set up at the back of a fine beach, the woods being previously clear'd. A Log House 86 was erected near, mounted with two Cannon, with Loop holes for Musketry. Here Capt. Haswell, with a party of Seamen, and all the Mechanics was station'd. Near it, the Blacksmiths and Boat Builders Shops were plac'd; two Saw pitts was erected, and kept constantly at play, sawing planks, and was supplied with Logs from the sound, by Boats constantly on that duty. So that Adventure Cove soon had the appearance of a young ship yard. Strip'd the Ship to a gritline, and kept a gang under the directions of the Boatswain upon the rigging.

from the anchoring place (Port Cox) and fifteen miles from the sea. According to Haswell, it was intended to winter at Naspatee (Nesparte Inlet, Columbia's Cove), but the wind was adverse, and as the fall was approaching it was con- cluded to find some suitable spot in Clayoquot Sound.

84 It is difficult to identify this cove with certainty, principally because none of the writers, Boit, Haswell, nor Hoskins agreed upon its distance from any one place; and again, it was such a small cove that the Columbia was moored with cables to the trees on either side, and thus situate was completely landlocked. Hoskins says also that the Indians called it Clickslecutsee; all efforts to trace this name in the nomenclature of today have, up to the present, been unsuccessful. It is clear that Adventure Cove was on the eastern side of Disappointment Sound, Meares Island, for Hoskins records that when the Columbia lay in the harbour (Port Cox of Meares) the flag staff of Opitsitah bore north northwest, Harbor Island (Stubos Island) south one half west, and Fort Defiance (Adventure Cove) east by north. Dr. C. F. Newcombe of Victoria has kindly furnished me with the following note, which supports the above statement: "The Indians of Clayoquot Sound told me that the Americans built their first ship on the southeast point of the entrance to Disappointment Sound in Meares Island, just opposite the present village of Opitsat, which was already in existence."

85 Captain Kendrick appears to have made this voyage with more celerity than he usually showed. He left Clayoquot on zsth September, 1791, and was at the Sandwich Islands on 2/th October, as appears from Vancouver's Voyage (vol. I, p. 383, ed. 8vo. 1801). There he left some men to collect sandal wood and pearls. He sailed for China and, according to Ingraham, arrived in Larks Bay, near Macao, on 7th December; a good quick passage.

86 Kendrick had called his house Fort Washington; Gray named his Fort Defiance.