Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-10
written for The Herald by Robertus


timely interest to the publication OF
two odd drawings illustrating the dis
covery Of the Columbia river in 1902
The discovery Of the Columbia by an
American navigator was of high i'm
portance, inasmuch as It furnished the
United States its original basis of
claim to what is known as "the Ore.
gon country" out of which the states
of Oregon, Washington and Idaho and
parts Of Montana and Wyoming have
been carved.
Nearly two years before George
Washington was inaugurated as the
first president of the United States
Capt. Robert Gray started upon a voy-
age on which he visited the Pacific
coast at the mouth of the river now
named the Columbia, although he did
not make sure at the time that he
came so near discovering great river.
Two American vessels, the Columbia
Rediviva, Capt. John Kendrick, and
the Lady Washington. Capt Robert
Gray, sailed from Boston September
30, 1887, with cargoes OF goods for the
Indians They rounded the Horn and
sailed up the Pacific coast to Moot
ka sound, their object being to engage
in the fur trade of the great north
west. The two vessels, however, were
separated by a storm soon after pass
ing Cape Horn.
The Lady Washington reached the
Oregon coast in August, where, near
the forty-sixth parallel. Captain Gray
ran his ship aground in attempting to
enter an arm of the sea which he al
ready had explored in small boats for
some miles and which he believed to be
the stream then vaguely known as the
River of the West-now the Columbia.
The ship was attacked by Indians and
one seaman killed and the mate was
wounded. This attack caused the ship
to put out to sea again. Historians
differ as to whether Gray actually vis-
tied the mouth of the Columbia on this
voyage. Greenhow holds that the fight
with the Indians took place in the Col
umbia, but Bancroft is inclined to the
belief that 1t was Tillamook bay. The
Columbia and the Lady Washington
both anchored in Nootka sound until
the next spring, returning to Boston
| on August TO- 1890.
1t should be remembered that at this
time there were many adventurous
navigators who We're eager to discover
the mouth Of the great River Of the
Dyaot hoJ - he ~
cific end of mythical northwest pas
| sage" extending across the continent
from Hudson's bay. Many years be-
fore the British government had offered
prize of 100000 to the navigator who
should discover this passage, which for
a century had been supposed to exist.
The Hudson's Bay company which held
the crowns charter granting 1t exclus-
i've right to trade in the whole of inter-
ior and western North America, above
the Spanish possessions, discouraged
any attempts to find this passage from
the Hudson's bay side, and the naviga-
tors made search for 1t on the Pacific
coast.
Capt James Cook, the most famous
navigator of his time, had sailed only
eight days after the declaration of
American independence, in the hope of
discovering the imaginary passage. On
January 49, 1778, he discovered the
Hawaiian Islands, which he named the
Sandwich islands in honor of the first
lord of the admiralty. Resuming his
eastward course, Capt. Cook encoun-
tered the coast of "New Albion" other
wise Oregon, near the forty-fourth
parallel, far south of the Columbia.
Severe storms drove him far out to sea
and he did not reach land again until
he was two degrees north of the mouth
of the Columbia.
Cook returned to England after four
years of voyaging, and the accounts OF
his expedition aroused great interest,
Great Britain being eager to annex the
new country on the Pacific. England,
Russia and France each dispatched ex-
petitions to explore the region more
thoroughly and to share in the fur
trade Of Nootka sound. Capt. John
vessel to engage in the fur trade on his
own responsibility, and during his voy-
age he found an opening in the coast
which he named Deception bay" but
which undoubtedly was the mouth of
the Columbia. Neares, however, did
not discover that it was river and
sailed away. Had he made the dis
covery Great Britain might now be the
possessor OF all the rich territory sur
rounding and including the Lewis and
Clark exposition site.
Gray's Second Voyage
But. Capt. Gray remained only six
weeks in Boston after returning from
his first voyage. starting for the North
Pacific again on September 2S, 1890. this
time in command OF the ship Columbia
Rediviva. Gray reached Vancouver
island the next June. About the same
time Capt. George Vancouver of the
British royal navy began a series of
tsoxtasao an aad down the Pacific aOa at