The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-24
DIT the Union
For the Union.
MOuTH OF THE COLUMBIA.

MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA.
The remarks of Commander Wilkes, in his Mar
rstye respecting the mouth of the Columbia, de
ssye especial notice,
He says: "Mere description can give but lite ide
Of the terors Of the bar Of the Columbia; all VIII
have seen Il have spoken Of the wildness OF tn
Gene and the inetssaRi roar of the waters represent
ing as one Of the most fearful sights that can pos
,i6ly meet the eye Of the sailor"
This language has but one meanings It certainly
represents the bar to be in perpetual turmoil iron
'incessantn breakers. No statement could he NOR
opposite 10 its real condition. II the expressions o.
Commander Wilkes were less explicit IN their ref
srence TO the bar, we might suppose he was speak
ing Of the north and south breakers, where the roa
Of the waters" is constant enough, but his deseriP
tion will not admit of this construction.
The bar of the Columbia was perfectly qnlet OF
every occasion that we crossed 1t, either with tn,
brigs, the schooner, or the boats, embracing mor'
han dozen instances during the three months o
our stay about the mouth Of the river We coult
only tell when we were upon It by the soundngs, o.
BY marks on shore.
In moderate weather, the bar will never hay,
breakers on il, unless in the case Of a westerly gall
al sea- which does not blow horas TO the coast W.
once saw "rollers" upon IL when the wind was quit
light, and could not account for them In any othe
way,
Strong winds blowing on shore will eertlinly
cause breakers on the bar, and render 1t lmPass
able.
The Narrative further says: "The examination Of
the bar in boats is thing next TO impossible; for the
tides are so strong as TO be beyond the power Of
oars to contend with them
The sehooner's boats sounded over the bar when
Il was troubled with 'rollers;" and again, on the
2ls, October a, work all over it, from early IN
the morning until sunset, without experiencing al
much difficulty from the tides there as they had IN
side. The tides on the bar are mingled with the
ocean, and have not the force they attain in the
channels Of the river.
The Narrative again asserts: "But there is one
difficulty in passing the bar that will ever exist
and this nothing but an intimate acquaintance with
the locality will remove. allude TO the cross tides
which are changing every half hour. These tides
at times rapid that IL ID impossible TO steer
ship by her eompasses, OF maintain her position
and no sailing directions can possibly embrace the
various effects produced by them on a vessel. A
singular fact in illustration Of this remark Is, thai
the safest time TO cross the bar is when both the
wind and tide adverse, and this is the only port
within my knowledge where this is the case"
Our experience about the bar did not furnish us
with any knowledge Of these rotary and ever chang
ing tides. On the contrary, we observed that the
udes upoa this "snehantsdn place, changed after the
usual Of tIdes in general; they differed lit
tie IN their direction from those 10 the north chan
nell the food setting more to the north and the ebb
more 10 the south. SO far as the knowledge OF
Lieut.. Knox and myself IL concerned, this phenOms-
non Of the Narrative does not exist.
In very possible that in the currents of the Co
lumbia vessels will at times, become somewhat UNI
manageable, but not more so there than IN the cur
rents Of other quarters Of the world The Peacock
was affected IN this way the morning Of her wreck,
but she was not upon the bar at the time.
As to the singular fact by which the comman-
der illustrates his remark )" the language il hap
PLY obscure that we may well be excused from any
endeayors 10 penetrate It's meaning. II is sufficient
to say, that in moderate weather, the bar may he
safely crossed with any wind in the compass, and
that vessels arriving of the Columbia, with fair
wind from the south Of west to southeast and at
the time Of food tide will never wait for the ebb
tide TO cross the bar and enter the river.
On every other OCCASION that the Narrative al
ludes to the entering or leaving the Columbia, the
passage Of the bar is referred TO the great obstacle
in the way: we might be even led to suppose that
the Peacock had been wrecked upon it from this
expression; Captain Hudson did not hesitate to
incur the dangers Of the bar" when he determined
10 attempt the entrance.
All this IS exceeding strange, as the bar is gener-
ally quiet enough; when the weather is so bad as to
render 1t really dangerous, vessels can keep the sea.
When the weather series for approaching the coast,
and for entering the river, the first difficulty that
presents itself to the stranger navigator Is not the
bar, but the discovery Of the ehdnns and in the alb
sence Of satisfactory landmarks, he will be some
what puzzled to find passage of less than "a mile
wide, between breakers that extend so far from the
shore. The erection Of beacons will remove this
The set Of the tides can be explained so
as to be sufficiently understood. Pilots, steam, and
artificial ranges will certainly render the Columbia
accessible for more than one-thrd of the year, and
also very much diminish the dangers that at present
attend its entrance.
Since writing the above, have seen Commander
WlIkes's memorial to the Senate. Among Some
very singular matter contained in that document
the following extract cannot be reconciled with the
account of the bar in "the Narrative" which has
just been noticed.
He saws: "The bar has been enormously represent
ed as the position of danger; that is mistake No
accident to my knowledge, has ever happened to III
it is attended with no particular danger, unless the
sea is very heavy, when breakers form on It, also
and vessel would be subjected to risk from the
heavy swell in passing"
This description of the bar is much more faithful
than the 'fearful" painting Of its "terrors' in the
Narrative" but it did not appear until after the
publication of the letters Of the young officers
whose opinions Commander Wilkes has been
pleased so TO disparage.
do not exactly understand the meaning intended
to oe conveyed by the expression that "the bar has
ger" 1t certainly cannot be applied to the state
ments of either Mr.. Knox, Mr.. Blair, or myself, as
ii is only necessary to refer to them and to the Mar
rative to find where the erroneous representations
really are.
Having been applied to by Mr.. Benton and by
yMr. Blair for a statement of my Impressions re
fpectng the Columbia as n harbor, have giver
(hem my views to the best of my judgment DIFF
Fer widely from the condemnatory and sweeping
Opinions expressed in the Narrative of the Explor
ing Expedition, and perfectly contented to leav'
the matter to be decided by Time.
The Columbia would be an exception to almos
every port in the world if it were without its dan
gers. 1t has its perils, but they may be guarded
against. There will be times when it cannot be en-
tered, but then vessels will have every chance tc
keep the sea in safety.
have commented freely upon the statements o
the Narrative, not more so, perhaps than their sin
gularity required.
VIM. REYNOLDS,
Lieutenant U. S. N,
LANCASTER, PENN, August Is, 1916.