Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-11-19
An Ancient Relic,

q
arssriF:is4 Of ~ Interesting Eensrts Of
the eAredition @. Capita kenr,r'ek sni Gray.
in the y-ar i79e. ~tieh rrSzl,sl IL the Dis
esvery Of the Cslusal.i. river. The meial Is
ns~ depo~ited with the archives Il O,sEaa.
and l. thus dcscr5bsd: on the ens ssis y the
insc1ipsion- :" Csls~5ss and Rssss.xsss.
cauna.aei by J. k-nari-k !" and inside the
eirie mad By the lc--ra are v~>~is una~r
sal n rsllro. osn the ebse-Sc -rc the vos8~.
FRIED 4; Rs Ca N01k Am-=ica- tx ihs
Pscike Ocean. by J. Bard. : BroErA G
BallEnrh. J. Darby. c. nHfch- J. ". I'm
tard-i7s7.- Th- medal Is silver. al-.si The
size ofa Nexiczn dsllxr. aud vas struck in
the town Il Boston. province Of Na-sacas~es's.
in l.s7 IL was prrs~n,-d a. The State by
]. Qaian Thorutsn. accanpani-d by a uasrao-
rial from which the correspondent eoud~nscs
its story.
In the year l717. company Of merchants
If Boston. cansis,insos the prisons uamrd on
the diverse sid. of the medal. fitted OF: the
ships Coixmbia and ITasAisgtos for trade
and exploration on the northwest coss' of
North America. Tn. first named vess.l was
under the command Of Capt. kerdrick, and
the latter Of Capt. Gray. On the 3oth Of
September of the same year. both vessels
sailed from Boston. with letters from the
Confederate Government of the Thirteen
United Colonies, and passports from that Of
the Bay State. Both vessels arrived at
Nootka Sound III September 1888, ard spent
the Winter there, trading in furs with the
natives. In the spring of 1889. Gray sailed
in the Columbia for Canton, and thence to
Boston, which place he reached in the Au-
tumn Of 1890. In the Spring Of 1892. Capt
Gray returned to the north west coast in the
Columbia, accompanied Ivy the brig Hope
commanded by Joseph Ingraham. While
sailing northward, Capt. Gray discovered an
opening in latitude 46 deg 16 min., from
which current flowed with force sufficient
to prevent him from entering, although he
spent nine days in attempting to do so. In
April, 1902, Capt. Gray hailed the British
ship Discovery, and informed her commander
Capt. Van Couver, of his discovery of the
mouth of river which he was unable to
enter. On the nth Of May, 1892, Capt.
Gray feeling confident that the current came
from the mouth of a river, renewed his efforts
to enter in the Columbia, and proved with
some difficulty successful. He sailed up the
place now called Tongue Point. where he
dropped anchor and remained until the goth
of the month trading with the natives.
Upon leaving the river, Capt. Gray exer-
cised tho prerogative Of tiscovsrer, and
named it after the first keel that ever rested
upon its waters-the good ship Columbia.
The land on the north side of the entrance,
like n true Bostonian, he called Cape Han
cock. and that on tho south Point Adams.
The name of the river and the south land We
still maintain, but the north land has the un.
pleasant appelation Of Cape Disappointment,
given to it by Mcares, in 1888. Mcarcs,
concludes that no river flowed into what he
thought to be only bay. named the opening
Deception Bay, and the hcadland Cape Dis.
appointment
Upon the final return Of the expedition to
Boston,, few silver medals were struck to
commemorate the discovery of the mouth of
the river. One Of these medals was depos-
tied in the State Department at Washington
and is now in the Library of Congress. One
was retained by Capt Gray. 1t is believed
that these two are the only copies now in ex-
istcnce. Upon Capt Grsy's having ended
the voyage Of life, and gone "where all the
ships company meet" his widow became the
posscssor Of his medal. After keeping it
several years, she gave it to Hall j. Kelly, in
trust that he wonld make some appropriate
use oft" In 1S48, Mr.. Thornton being at
Washington as a sort of envoy from the Gov
crnor of the then Provisional Government Of
Oregon. received this medal from Kelly, with
like injunction. Mr.. Thornton brought it
TO Oregon, and retained it in his possession
until 1860. when he presented it to tho State,
As have mentioned. And 90. after three.
quarters of century. Capt Gray's medal
has found an appropriate resting place ip the
archives Of State upon the banks ofthe river
he called Columbia.
The MiSEs.-Thc excitement in regard to
the lately discovered mines near Matches Pass
has not hem 50 Intense the past week. The
opinion Of many Who have returned appears
t. he that the ledge j. rich in sold and silver.
but difficult at sccess, and he disvction and