The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-06
sor WORTHY OF IMPROVEMENT.
adverse Opinions of the Government,
Enzfneers On f1aIlaru Bay

adverse Opinions of the Government
Engineers on CfaIlnm Bay.
II IL the opsnson OF Chief Engineer
casey. Division Engineer MendefI ard
LApt. Thomas w Symons. L. S. A.. that
TIE Improvement required TO make rEaI-
lam bay barber of refuge il nos re-
earded an worthy 10 be undertaken by
the general government. Col Mendeu
says That u harbor of refuge ss needed
near cape FIattery. Sesh bay fs on every
account to be preferred TO CIaiian hay.
Lieut. Francis X. Skunk says:
Itaiiafn bay h OF the southern shore
OF the Straits OF Juan de Fuca about
swenfy-foar miles east of Cape Fiattsry
lnere are two villages on the bay, East
ana West Ciallafn- The population os
East Clallar r. about 80; that of West
Giaiiam considerably less. The steamer
Niiiapa- which makes three trips weNS
betwean Seattle and Nean bay, sfops az
East cIsiiara. The trail leads from this
place 10 i.apush and other points In the
tuiIiayufe valley. and the people within a
radius OF fifteen or twenty miles per-
haps sao get their provisions at East
Ciaiiam. The country Is sparseiy settled
There IL sawmill at East CiaIlana. which
employs about Iao men. including ioggers
and whose output Ia 81, 90 feet per tiieus.
This is the chief industry OF the country.
The lumber Is shipped chiefly TO San
Francisco in sailing vessels. which some
times bring back supplies at about 81 80
per ton. TIE mill company likewise own
a general store and hotel. There are
also a saloon. "a restaurant and livery
stable A pack train leaves three times a
week for Beaver. twenty miles distant, In
the Gufllayute valley. the minimum
charge liz 80 per ton
Apart from the lumber business, most
of the trade Is with Seattle: the wIiiapa
charges s. per ton for freight 10 and from
Gl1 Ax-r~. T..
TO have the steamer Farailon, OF San
Francisco. stop on her way 10 Seattle
three times a month. IL is said that her
charges wilt be only g.
THE bay Is about two miles wide and
one mile deep. The depth of water across
the entrance Is ten 10 twelve fathons.
The three-fathom curve IL quite close to
the shore. The bottom is rocky Ia places.
bat Is said to be chiefly of sand and gra-
vel. The anchorage is good.
There In nothing remarkable about the
currents. The tidal currents In the straits
have a maximum velocity OF about thres
miles per hour. and produce eddy cur
rents IN the bay. The Ciailam river,
which emptles into the bay. Is so small
as TO be negligible.
This part of the straits Is subject to
fogs. especially in summer. A like eff
feet is often produced by the thick smoke
from burning forests There Is no light
house or fog signal on the west nearer
than atoosh island. twenty miles away:
on the east nearer than Ediz hook. about
thirty miles away
The points inciosing the BAY Siip
point TO the east and Sikyu or Sekou
point TO the west. are quite high and the
bay is well protected TO the east, south
and west. 1t Is. however. quite open to
the north.
During the winter the prevalent winds
are southerly. Sometimes a southeast
wind causes a heavy sea in the strait
From these winds the harbor is quite
sheltered The summer winds are north
eriy. and from these there is no shelter
TO speak Of 4 northeast storm sometimes
forces vessels to leave the bay Both
fogs and winds are heaviest at the en-
trance to the strait and decrease inward
The 'advisahility OF improving ClaIIarn
bay as a harbor of refuge depends upon
two principal considerations: first, the
necessity OF harbor of refuge In those
parts. and second the suitability OF
clailam bay for the purpose I under
stand that my Instructions do not re-
auire a discussion OF the first question
The suitability OF Cialiam bay would de-
pend partly upon its location and partly
upon the physical characteristics
'Claliam bay Is the only available loca-
ton between Neah bay and Port Ange-
les. In my opinion IL Is too far from the
entrance TO the strait. The weather Is
almost uniformly worse and the danger
greater at the mouth OF the strait than
anywhere within. and think that a har-
Dor OF refuge ought 10 be somewhere near
the mouth.
AS regards the physical characters
tics, the depth OF water. area and anchor
age at ciallam hay appear TO be suitable.
On the other hand. the entrance Is very
wide. To obtain efficient protection from
the north would probably Involve the con-
struction of at least mile OF break
water In a depth OF ten 20 twelve fathoms:
this would be very costly