LOSS OF THE PEACOCK. 401 



ledge of those on board of her. As respects the examination of the 

 bar in boats, this is a thing next to impossible; for the tides are so 

 strong as to be beyond the power of oars to contend with. To wait 

 until a thorough knowledge could be had of the bar from survey, 

 would have been equally impossible at that time : all were uninformed, 

 or incapable of judging of the accuracy of the directions; but, so far 

 as appearances went, they seemed to be true, and they are such as I 

 should even now give, so far as compass bearings are concerned. 

 But there is one difficulty that will ever exist in passing over the bar, 

 and this, nothing but an intimate acquaintance with the locality will 

 remove. I allude to the cross-tides, which are changing every half- 

 hour. These tides are at times so rapid, that it is impossible to steer 

 a ship by her compass, or maintain her position; and no sailing direc- 

 tions can possibly embrace the various effects produced by them upon 

 a vessel. A singular fact in illustration of this remark is, that the 

 safest time to cross the bar is when both the tide and wind are ad- 

 verse; and this is the only port, within my knowledge, where this is 

 the case. Captain Hudson, in venturing the attempt to enter the 

 Columbia, manifested the strongest desire to accomplish his orders and 

 forward the objects of the Expedition. Disregarding the well-known 

 perils of the navigation, he did not hesitate, when in his judgment the 

 time was propitious, to incur the dangers of the bar, rather than subject 

 the service to a further delay, which might have proved as disastrous 

 to the Expedition as the loss of the vessel. 



There are no pilots for the entrance of the Columbia river, or rather, 

 none that could be relied upon. Neither old Ramsey nor George 

 deserve the name, nor were there any other persons known, who had 

 any pretensions to be considered as pilots. 



Having set this matter at rest, I shall proceed to give the details of 

 the loss of the Peacock. 



On the ship striking, the helm was immediately put a-lee, and every 

 practicable effort was made to bring her by the wind, and haul off. 

 These efforts were not successful, and the ship, which hung by the 

 keel, began to thump heavily. Every sea forced her further upon the 

 shoal, and as she had now become completely unmanageable, the sails 

 were furled. The stream cable and anchor were got ready, and the 

 first cutter was hoisted out. Lieutenant Emmons was sent to sound 

 around the ship in various directions, in one of the waist boats. 



At this time, the wind having veered to the northward and west- 

 ward, was freshening ; the air was hazy and a fog was forming ;* the 



* During the summer, this wind, haze, and fog occur almost every day in the afternoon. 



