. History of Oregon; the growth of an American state. aftera period of storms, it was in the gray of spring, theshores being heavy and cold compared with the bril-liancy of the Hawaiians, and the distant mountainsbeing topped with snow. The dun shores, the pie-bald appearance of the higher ranges of mountains,and the scudding clouds and tempestuous sea, damp-ened the spirits of the men, and in Thorn it seemedto bring out all the rashness and intemperance of hisnature. To no one more than to him, probably, doesthe Columbia owe the reputation of a dangerous en-trance. Irving, to be sure, has des
. History of Oregon; the growth of an American state. aftera period of storms, it was in the gray of spring, theshores being heavy and cold compared with the bril-liancy of the Hawaiians, and the distant mountainsbeing topped with snow. The dun shores, the pie-bald appearance of the higher ranges of mountains,and the scudding clouds and tempestuous sea, damp-ened the spirits of the men, and in Thorn it seemedto bring out all the rashness and intemperance of hisnature. To no one more than to him, probably, doesthe Columbia owe the reputation of a dangerous en-trance. Irving, to be sure, has described the inci-dents with so much interest, and has made such aplace in literature for his history of the foundingof Astoria, that he is responsible also for giving theColumbia an evil fame. It was as a matter of facta stormy time, and great care should have been usedin crossing a bar in the bad weather of March; butthe reckless loss of life and the narrow escape of thevessel itself must be ascribed to a captain whosemind was hardly well WASHINGTON IRVING AN AMERICAN STATE 249 The mouth of the river was reached the 22d ofMarch, 1811. The breakers along the shore wereclearly seen, and were of unusual force. Indeed theaspect of the surf on the weather coast at this pointin winter is by no means reassuring. The breakersalso seemed to cover the entire entrance with foamfrom cape to cape. Instead, as was done by Gray,of waiting for calmer weather, so that the channelmight be distinguished between the spits, and thendirecting the course of the vessel himself from themasthead, Thorn stood within three leagues onto theentrance, and at one oclock, just as the northwestwind was roughening the bar to a dangerous andunrecognizable condition, he ordered the first mateto take a boat and sound the channel. The mate, , was not supplied with sailors, but voyageurs,or landsmen, unaccustomed to rough water. Thewhaleboat, moreover, in which they were ordered togo, was old and not
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectoregonh, bookyear1903
