THE
WEST SHORE.
l uniiEENTii Yeah. NOVEMBER, ISA Nnmnll.
TIIE Q RAY'S HARBOR COUNTRY.
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ARBORS oo the Pacific coast
are not so numerous as on the
Atlantic seaboard, and a good
harbor on this si Jo of the
continent is of correspond
ingly great importance. Oo
the thirteen hundred miles
of American Pacific const
line, from Ban Diego to Pa.
get Bound there are bat four
natural harUrs accesiiblo at
all times to deep draught
vessels tboso at either end
of the line, and 8an Francisco bay and the Colombia
river intervening. There are a number of roadateds
and small bays accessible daring portions of the year
or for light draught boats, such as Humboldt, Coos,
and Yaquina bays and Port Orford, none of which,
however, are entitled to be classed as entirely reliable
harbors for sea craft Perhaps ranking next in im
portanco to the fonr principal harbors j'ost mention
ed is Gray's harbor, which is a perfectly land-locM
natural refuge, accessible to boats of medium draught,
and capable of being rendered suitable for the deep,
cut ocean craft
0 ray's harbor is tho name of an inlet from the
Pacific ocean indenting the shore of Washington Ter
ritory about one-third the way op tho coast from tho
Columbia river to the Straits of Juan do Faca. It
occupies a triangular area approximating ono ban.
dred square miles, extending inland about fift'n
miles and being about twelve miles across at tU br,
which is separated from the ocean by two j-ointa of
land -Peterson's point, projecting from tho south
ard, and Daman's point, from the northward. Tho
entrance is between one and two miles broad and is
obstructed by the usual bar, having a channel n-n
hundred feet wide, carrying at low tide a depth of
twenty feet'of water, with a well defined lino of break
ers on each side. There are no shifting bars aUmt
the entranco to Gray's hartar, and tho water, instead
of Incoming rnoro shallow, is dr now than when
tho bar was surveyed In IHfii Th estiraatM anchor,
ago area inside tho harbor is four thousand firo hun
dred acres, carrying at least thirty tM of water at
low tide, Tho usual tides in tho harlur aro right to
ten fret, and spring tide a!ut fourteen fet, so tho
largest vessels, by crossing tho bir at high tide, may
enter and depart in safety. Within tho harbor aro
some shoal places, but they aro by no ramus danger,
ous, and tho bars could easily U removed by drlg.
ing. No money has evrr Wmi snt on this harbor
to improve its navigability. Tho comparatively largo
couinerco of Gray's harbor ha Ixn built up entire
ly without tho aid of government improvements and
ujwn tho merits which tho country naturally .
sesscs.
Emptying into tho apex of tho triangularly ahtil
bay is Chchalia river, ono of tho iut imitaut
streams in Washington territory. It drains an are
of fully two thousand iquaro tnih-s and is cIM
for sea going ships to Monteaano, tho CVhalis man.
ty seat, situatM al;ut CfUen mil- from th mouth
of tho stream. This is as far as th iff.rts of tho
tido aro usually noticeabk Of couro river lnts j ly
many miles farther up tho Chrhalis. Tho
record shows that boats drawing thre fed of watr
can navigato tho IVLalia rifer a ditanei of seventy
milts from its mouth daring tino months of tho ymr.
Its chM tributaries aro tho WjboocM an I 8!.p,
Mb flying from tho northward and tailgahU a
number of wiles for small !!. Tho lilaek, G.
lurn, Drlsne, Lincoln, Mock (Vhalls, an I Hk4
urachuck aro branches valuaUo f ;r l! ting tlmbrf
from tho worU
Tho other streams flwing to Gray's harbor ar,
from tho north, tho Wi.hkah, tho Ilotplaw andlU
Ihmptulej, of which only I.U last tt-ttite! Is u
sffccteij by tho iU and uA tavlgah! Tto tito a,
cends tho others twelve or ltnn !. U which