Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/331

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LOG OF THE COLUMBIA 319

along side, after much coaxing. (Found the Inscription at the watering place unmolested.) Took the Skins from Sloop on board ship. Sent parties on shore, well arm'd after wood and water. Purchas'd some furs.

20. Haul'd the Sloop on shore, and graved her. Capt. Has- well says she is an excellent sea boat, and sails very well. 151 The Indians among whom we traded never offer'd insult.

21. Got the Sloop off the ways, and fitted her for another Cruize.

24. Weigh 'd and sail'd from the Cove, in company with the Adventure, bound to Queen Charlotte Isles.

25. N. Latt. 50 37'; W. Long. 129 55'. Fair wind and moderate breezes. Sloop in company. The coast about 8 leagues distance.

28. N. Latt. 52 18'; W. Long. 129 15'. Fresh winds, all sail out running along shore, about 3 leagues distance, with smooth sea. Sloop about 2 miles a head. At 2 P. M. the Ship struck a Rock, 152 which lay about 7 feet under water and did not break, hove all aback, and she came off clear, try'd the pump, and found she leak'd 1000 smart strokes per Hour, sounded along the Rock, and found no ground at 70 fm. Hoisted a signal for the Sloop, and she immediately haul'd her wind for us. Stood off, both pumps just keeps the leak under. In the morning bore off to the Northward.

151 Hoskins, writing to Barrel! on 28 th September, 1792, makes a different statement. He says, "she sails very dull"; but Haswell states twice in his second Log that she outsailed the Columbia.

153 Vancouver (Voyage, vol. 4, p. 287, 8vo. ed. 1801) says that Captain Gray in the Columbia struck and received some material damage upon a s tnken rock, which he represented as lyinq much further than a league from Cape St. James in an almost southeast direction. But the latitude and longitude given by both Haswell and Boit place it very much further east. Haswell, indeed, says it was abreast of the south entrance of Loblip Sound, which has been identified as Milbank Sound. There the coast is broken into low craggy islands and detached sunken rocks. "I was surprised to find Capt. Gray," says Haswell, "standing in for the land in a place that looked to me very dangerous. However, as he nal ordered me to lead off, I did not follow him. He had all sail on his ship, steering sails below and aloft. I had seen as I passed several sunken reefs of rocks, and as the Columbia passed not looking out properly, she struck. I immediately made Mil to windward, hoisted my boat out and set off for the ship. She fired a gun, but soon swung clear of the rocks and hoisting her colon stood towards me. The ship hid been roing at the rate of 5 knots when she struck. She appeared to have met with no material damage compared with what might have been expected."

In a letter to Barrell dated from Nootka aist August, 1792, young Hoskins unburdens himself in regard to many matters on the vessel; after complaining of the risk run by Captain Gray in crossing the Columbia River bar, be proceeds: "At last, however, fortune refus'd any longer to smile and in blundering along (for I can call it by no better name) without any lookout kept, within three miles of a most inhospitable & rocky shore, the Ship going six knots with a crowd of sail struck on a rock about four feet under water (this was the ajth of June), the Sloop in company. Mr. Haswell says he in the Sloop saw the rock break ft haul'd from it (the Ship was to follow him)."