Warre and Vavasour, 1845-6. 71 The Columbia River falls into the Pacific Ocean in Lat. — Long. — , forming a barred harbor for shipping, not drawing over 18 feet water. The sea is constantly breaking over this bar, and perpetually over the sands to the north and south of the entrance to the river, rendering it dangerous for ships at all seasons of the year. The distance from Point Adams on the south and Cape Dis- appointment on the north shore is about 5 miles, intersected by sand banks, having two islands, the courses of which are liable to constant changes in consequence of the shifting sands. We were enabled to mark the course of the north channel during our stay at Cape Disappointment by the departure of two vessels, an American merchant ship and a trader belong- ing to the Hudson's Bay Company, having taken nearly a month descending the river in consequence of the prevalence of the southwesterly winds during the winter, they were de- taind 47 days in Baker's Bay, showing the uncertainty of the river navigation and the disadvantages attendant on it as a place of debarkation. Cape Disappointment, at the northern entrance, overlooking the channel in most frequent use by vessels trading to the river, projects as a peninsula from the main shore, to which it is con- nected by a narrow neck of land, not over 400 yds. in width, and is not commanded by any ground in the rear, but the nar- row ridge of high ground facing the entrance is too steep, and the headland too small for a work of any magnitude, except at an enormous and useless expense. The area of the Cape contains 37 acres, rising toward the river like a wedge, rendering the greater portion steep and in- accessible. The area of the neck contains about 194 acres, of which about 60 are swamp. The soil is rich and deep in the valleys. The substrata is a kind of rocky, brittle sandstone. The timber is magnificent and covers the whole Cape, and is the only material found in the neighborhood calculated for building purposes. There is one small stream of spring water on the Cape, and two on the connecting neck of land, but they
are not of very good quality.----
