The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-03-12


short channel. or spur, which practically
ends ~ Ocosta, less than I'VE miles from
the open ocean. Still another channel
flows directly south from the entrance and
affords safe anchorage from the oceans
FURY. The Ocos.a channel, - well a. tue
whole lower portion of the haroor-save
the south-aowing channel just men
tioued-are too much exposed TO the vari-
Gus winds TO AFFORD safe anchorage AZ all
times. The Ocosta channe. carries less
than twelve feet Of water at Low tide At
the wharf. The bar at the entrance TO the
harbor Is safe for the entrance and de-
parture Of vessels drawing seventeen feet,
At high tide, and at half tide in calm
weather.
The north channel carries twenty to
thirty feet from the entrance to the hrst
shoals, near the northern outlet OF the
middle channel, and two miles below the
mouth of the Hoquian river. These
shoals. passed on their northern side, car
ried about ten feet before the jetties we're
finished. At low tide. and above the shoals
there VAS plenty Of water to the Hoqu.am
river and up il a. far IS vessels desired TO
60. Above the mouth OF the Hoquiam
river one mile. occur the worst shoals In
the north channel, known Is Cow point.
These carried but four or Eve feet at Low
tide, and were great menace to the grow
ing sea-going trade OF Aberdeen and the
Chehalis river.
The south and middle channels we're
never used by sea-going craft. and only by
local light-draft boats at high tide-the
mouth Of the south channel carrying but
four to seven feet at low tide.
To reduce the two shoals mentioned.
and to thus improve the only channel OF
importance TO the commerce Of Gray's
harbor, the government decided to build.
and now has built. q jetty across the head
of the south channel, near the entrance OF
Chehalis river, to the harbor, and another
directly across the center OF the middle
channel. In the jetty across the head Of
the south channsl-which itself is about
half q mile in iength-there is left An
opening Of 1000 teet in length to accom-
modate the harbor craft and to allow suf-
fieient water to flow through, SO that the
channel may not entirely fill up. The
middle channel 10 completely obstructed
to even the flow of the tide. The jetties,
or dams. 1t will be understood, obstruct
the flow of the tides to the high water
mark. The longer jetty sheers the water
of the river from its more direct course
into the north channel. and up to the
time of the completion of the work ono
month since had deepened the water on
Cow point one foot or more, while the
shoals three miles below were washed
away to the same extent. The improve
ment is undoubtedly still going on. though
it is the opinion Of the government en-
gineers that appropriations for some con-
siderable dredging will be necessary to as
sist the flow Of the water in its destined
work.
At high tide Gray's harbor Is fine body
of water, but at low tide only the channels
contain water. so from q nautical stand
point it 10 more to be considered from q
low water mark.
Col. DeCourcey could not possibly have
risked his reputation a. civil engineer by
stating in broad terms that the effect of
the works had been to fill up the channels,
rather than to deepen them, as intended.
What he might have said, and with truth,
and undoubtedly what he did say, was
that the effect had been to reduce the
depth of the south oh annel and possibly
of the Ocosta channel itself / would not
be surprised if the increased flow of the
north channel, with its burden of sand
and silt, as ii meets the strong incoming
tide at the harbor's entrance, formed an
eddy and a swirl which carried the sedi-
ment to one side or the other, as the chan
nels here spray out like wide-open fingers,
and the natural form of these channels
would add force to the belief that this de-
post would be made in the mouth Of the
south channel and more so In the Ocosta
channel. because it has no water of conse-
quence flowing through it from the Johns
river TO keep it clear.
My successor. of the local paper, was
too loyal and ardent in his support of the
north side' to allow his better judgment
to draw these same conclusions, otherwise
the lie would not be so flippantiy given to
gentleman of Col. DeCourcey's stamp.
o. NJ. MOORE