COLUMBIA RIVER. 
121 
survey, one of the small boats of the Porpoise, that we had in tow, 
was, through the negligence of her crew, capsized. Every thing in 
her except her oars w r as lost, and in addition to this the accident 
caused us much detention. 
In the afternoon we reached Katalamet Point, and anchored at the 
lower end of Puget Island, where we passed the next day (Sunday). 
On Monday we again resumed our surveying duties, and reached Oak 
Point, where the river takes a turn to the southward and eastward. 
On the 24th, Lieutenant Emmons joined me, and received his instruc¬ 
tions to pass through the country to the south, and join the ship at 
San Francisco. His instructions will be found in Appendix IV. Just 
before reaching Walker’s Island we ran aground, by the pilot mis¬ 
taking his marks, but were soon relieved. In the evening of the next 
day, we reached Mount Coffin, at the mouth of the Cowlitz. This 
mount afforded a favourable point for astronomical observations, being 
seven hundred and ten feet high, and quite isolated. The canoes used 
by the Indians as coffins are seen upon it in every direction, in all 
stages of decay. They are supported between trees, at the height of 
four or five feet above the ground, and about them are hung the 
utensils that had belonged to the deceased, or that had been offered as 
tokens of respect. 
I remained the wffiole day on the top of this mount, and obtained a 
full set of observations; the weather being remarkably clear and beau¬ 
tiful. Here my boat’s crew carelessly omitted to extinguish the fire 
they had used for cooking our dinner, and as we were pulling off to 
the brig, I regretted to see that the fire had spread, and was envelop¬ 
ing the wffiole area of the mount ;~but there was no help for it. The 
fire continued to rage throughout the night, until all was burnt. I 
took the earliest opportunity of explaining to the Indians who were 
in the neighbourhood, that the fire was accidental; and, after receiving 
a few small presents, they appeared satisfied that it was so. But a 
few years earlier, the consequence of such carelessness would have 
been a hostile attack, that might have involved us in difficulty of no 
ordinary kind. We had a minor punishment to undergo, for the smoke 
was so great that it enveloped all the signals towards the mouth of 
the river, and made it necessary for me to anchor within sight of 
Mount Coffin till the next morning. 
Before reaching the mouth of the Willamette, better known here as 
the Wapautoo Branch, a long flat extends across the river, where we 
were again unfortunately detained a few hours, by getting aground. 
Warrior’s Point, the locality where Mr. Wyeth proposed to erect his 
great city of the west, w r as passed; and on the 28th, at sunset, we 
16 
VOL. V. 
