Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-09-17
GRAYS HARBOR|
DESCRIPTION OF THE PORT BY
ENGINEER CLAPP.
J. N. CIapp. U. 5. Assistant Engineer. in
Paper Read Before the Pacific Northwest
Society Of Engineers. on the Improvement
Of Grays narbor.


Of Grays harbor.
From Mexico to the British line there
exists only two halbors on the Pacific
Coast whose entrances have been deep
enough at all times to admit OF the free
passage OF deep draught merchant and
war vessels without work designed for
their improvement. The southernmost
one is the Golden Gate entrance to San
Francisco Bay in California, and the
other the Straits Of Fuca, the entrance to
Puget Sound ia Washington. Along the
Pacific Coast Of the United States there
are only seven important harbors. These
in the order OF their Importance, are as
follows:
Straits Of Fuca, Washington.
San Francisco, California.
Columbia River, Oregon.
Grays Harbor, Washington.
Humboldt Bay. California.
Coos Bay, Oregon.
| Willapa Harbor, Washington.
Grays Harbor lies wholly within the
State OF Washington, its geographical
position being longitude 1874 degrees
minutes west; latitude IS degrees 81
minutes north. 1t is about forty five
north Of the entrance to the Columbia
river and about eighty miles south Of
Cape Flattery. 1t is pear.shaped arm
of the sea. with the big end nearest the
ocean. The entrance lies between mar
row, sandy peninsulas running north
and south, which separate the North and
South Bays from the ocean. These low
headlands are distant from each other
about 1880 feet. The channel entrance
adjoins the south headland and has a
width of about 5000 feet. Its direction
is east and west. Between the north
headlands and the main entrance chan
mel there is shallow spit oyer which
there is a depth of water at low tide
varying from few inches to several
feet. Between the south headland and
this shallow spit, known as the North
Spit, is deep hole or gorge in the en-
trance channel. Here depths as great as
ITO feet are found. From this point
channels extend northward, eastward
and southeastward. 1t is presumed that
this deep hole is the resultant OF the
meeting OF the ebbing waters from the
different channels.
Grays Harbor has drainage area of
about 8, 100 square miles. Ten rivers
find an outlet into it, among which are
the Chehalis, the Humptulips, the Ho-
GUAM, the Wishkah, the Wynoochec,
the Satsop, the Elk and John rivers.
The Chehalis river drains great por-
ton OF the country lying west OF the Cas-
cade mountains, north of the Cowlitz
river, south Of the Des.Chutes river and
southeast OF the Olympic peninsula. In
area this territory is about forty town
ships, or fourteen hundred square miles.
The other rivers drain fortyfve town
ships, or about sixteen hundred square
miles.
At high tide the harbor is a splendid
looking body Of water, with an area OF
about one hundred square miles. At
low tide great areas Of mud flats are ex-
posed, which reduces the water area to
about thirty square miles. At the en-
trance the mean rise Of tide is eight and
one.half feet; the extreme rise is four.
teen and one.half feet. The extreme
range of tide is sixteen feet. The lowest
tide observed during my stay at the en-
trance was one and One-half feet below
the plane OF mean lower low water. A,
Hoquiam, about fourteen miles distance
the extreme range observed in 1893 wal
seventeen feet. AT freshet season tn,
rivers convey great volumes Of fresl
water to the harbor, which has at time
been dipped up on the bar and fount
fresh enough to drink. During thu
spring, summer and fall months thu
water in the whole harbor is salty. Thi
, is also the case in the rivers for dis
tances varying from one to six mile
above their mouths.
Located on Grays Harbor are thre'
, important towns-Hoquiam, Aberdeen
1 and Cosmopolis-aggregating popula
ton OF about ten thousand people. Th'
chief industry is the manufacture Of lum
, Der and timber products. The volume
, Of business done on Grays Harbor waite
shipments during the year 1900 amount
? ed to about four millions OF dollars. Il
the early days prior to 1890 the lumbe
was all shipped in shallow draft round
bottom schooners OF the two and three
, mast type, to San Francisco. Now
however, or since the days Of the rail
way, great amount Of lumber manu-
! featured into shingles, siding, etc.,
! shipped East by rail. A greater volum
than formerly is shipped by vessel
coastwise, and some goes foreign. TIL