Steamer Pacific Wrecked on the Columbia
A local steamer strikes a rock in the dead of night, leading to the loss of its cargo and livestock.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
We learn from Capt. Bolinan that the steamer Pacific, on going down the Columbia River on Thursday morning at about 2 o'clock, struck upon Coffin Rock—an isolated rock—and after proceeding about ten miles, was beached upon La Du's farm on the Washington side of the river. Three valuable horses were drowned. Her cargo is a total loss, though treasure and express matter were saved. Her passengers came up on the Multnomah. The steamer's stern is under water to the hurricane deck, and her bow is on Coffin Rock, two miles below Rainier.
“Her cargo is a total loss. Treasure and express matter saved.”
Maritime disasters were a constant risk in the mid-19th century when rivers served as the primary highways for commerce. The mention of 'La Du's farm' near the Columbia River places this event in a long history of agricultural settlement along the waterway.
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