which they were taken to Port Orford,[1] arriving the 20th of May.
The knowledge of the country obtained in these forced expeditions, added to the exploration of the Coquille Valley by road-hunters in the previous autumn, and by the military expedition of Casey to punish the Coquilles, of which I shall speak in another place, was the means of attracting attention to the advantages of this portion of Oregon for settlement. A chart of Coos Bay entrance was made by Naghel, which was sufficiently correct for sailing purposes, and the harbor was favorably reported upon by Miller.[2]
On the 28th of January the schooner Juliet, Captain Collins, was driven ashore near Yaquina Bay, the crew and passengers being compelled to remain upon the stormy coast until by aid of an Indian messenger horses could be brought from the Willamette to transport them to that more hospitable region.[3] While Collins was detained, which was until the latter part of March, he occupied a portion of his time in exploring Yaquina Bay, finding it navigable for vessels drawing from six to eight feet of water; but the entrance was a bad one. In the bay were found oysters and clams, while the adjacent land was deemed excellent. Thus by accident[4] as well as effort the secrets of the coast country were brought to light, and
- ↑ The Nassau was wrecked at the entrance to the Umpqua a few months later. Or. Statesman, Sept. 18, 1852. From 1850 to 1852 five vessels were lost at this place, the Bostonian, Nassau, Almira, Orchilla, and Caleb Curtes.
- ↑ 32d Cong., 2d Sess., H. S. Ex. Doc. 1, pt. ii. 103–9.
- ↑ Dr McLoughlin, Hugh Burns, W. C. Griswold, and W. H. Barnhart responded to the appeal of the shipwrecked, and furnished the means of their rescue from suffering. Or. Statesman, March 2d and April 6, 1852.
- ↑ Of marine disasters there seem to have been a great number in 1851–2. The most appalling was of the steam propeller General Warren, Captain Charles Thompson, which stranded on Clatsop spit, after passing out of the Columbia, Jan. 28, 1852. The steamer was found to be leaking badly, and being put about could not make the river again. She broke up almost immediately after striking the sands, and by daylight next morning there was only enough left of the wreck to afford standing room for her passengers and crew. A boat, the only one remaining, was despatched in charge of the bar pilot to
