Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/366



354 CAPTAIN ROBERT GRAY

she did not stay long before she came off, without any assist- ance. We backed her off, stern foremost, into three fathoms, and let go the small bower, and moored ship with kedge and hawser. The jolly-boat was sent to sound the channel out, but found it not navigable farther up; so, of course, we must have taken the wrong channel. So ends, 5 with rainy weather ; many natives alongside.

May 15th. Light airs and pleasant weather; many natives from the different tribes came alongside. At ten, A. M., un- moored and dropped down with the tide to a better anchoring- place ; smiths and other tradesmen constantly employed. In the afternoon, Captain Gray and Mr. Hoskins, in the jolly-boat, went on shore to take a short view of the country.

May 16th. Light airs and cloudy. At four, A. M., hove up the anchor and towed down about three miles, with the last of the ebb tide ; came into six fathoms, sandy bottom, the jolly-boat sounding the channel. At ten, A. M., a fresh breeze came up the river. With the first of the ebb-tide we got under way, and beat down the river. At one, (from its being very squally,) we came to, about two miles from the village, (Chinook) which bore west-south-west ; many natives alongside ; fresh gales and squally. 6

May 17th. Fresh winds and squally; many canoes along- side; calkers calking the pinnace; seamen paying the ship's sides with tar ; painter painting ship ; smiths and carpenters at their departments.

May 18th. Pleasant weather. At four in the morning, began to heave ahead; at half past, came to sail, standing down the river with the ebb tide; at seven, (being slack water and the wind fluttering,) we came to in five fathoms, sandy bottom ; the entrance between the bars bore south-west by west, distant three miles. The north point of the harbor bore north-west,

5 This day Capt. Gray proceeded around Point Ellice and past Cliff Point and Knappton as far as some sand bar in the shallow waters off the wide entrance to Gray's Bay. presumably more than half the distance across the entrance to that bay. By soundings from his small boats he then discovered that the deep water channel crossed the river above him, from Harrington's Point to Tongue Point, and that his ship was not in a safe place, and he therefore dropped down the following morning to a better anchorage off Point Gray (Frankfort).

6 Today the ship again dropped down stream, first to anchor opposite Knapp- ton and later to the upper or lea side of Point Ellice, where she remained until the 1 8th.