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tility, and adorned with all the wealth of vegetation. From these prairies, which arc sometimes a few rods and sometimes several miles wide, often rise round isolated hills, heavily wooded, and presenting a lovely contrast to the sea of grass and flowers from which they spring.
I have now reached the Columbia river. The few statements which I propose to make concerning this noble stream will refer to matters which may not come within the knowledge of the committee from other sources.
I made surveys of the Columbia from the Wallamette to the ocean, the results of which appear upon the map which I had the honor to transmit to the committee.
For about 100 miles above its mouth the banks of the Colum- bia are generally above the reach of inundation. The period- ical floods begin about the first of May, and subside about the middle of June ; and of the distance of which I have spoken, it may be that one-tenth part is reached by the waters.
During all seasons of the year the entrance into the Colum- bia is both difficult and dangerous. Flats and sand bars stretch nearly the whole distance between its two headlands, Point Adams and Cape Hancock ("Disappointment") leaving only a narrow channel near the point last named This chan- nel, however, furnishes at all times more than twenty feet of water. [55]
From October to April, the prevalence of strong westerly winds increases the difficulty of threading this channel. The waves are driven landward with great violence, and break upon the shoals and bars with tremendous force and deafening roar. It sometimes happens, therefore, that vessels are driven by the force of the waves from the channel, and dashed hope- lessly upon those treacherous sands.
There are several harbors, formed by the curvature of the river banks, which deserve mention.
Of these, Chenook harbor, on the northerly shore, is a spa- cious bay, directly back of Cape Hancock, having deep sound- ings and a good bottom, the outer part of which is somewhat exposed, but within it is Weltered by the cape.
