Charting the Grays Harbor Bar
The federal government sends a survey ship to study the treacherous Grays Harbor bar, hinting at the potential for massive economic growth if a jetty is built.
The United States coast survey steamship McArthur is lying at the H street wharf, having come up from the lower harbor, yesterday, to have some repairs made to her machinery at Miner's foundry. In conversation with Ensign C. P. Eaton, he stated that they had measured the depth of the water on the bar and found about seventeen feet at half tide and twenty-four feet at high tide. In his opinion, a little jetty work would cut a channel through the bar, which could be done if the commercial importance of Grays harbor was made known through proper influence and representation.
“In his opinion, a little jetty work would cut a channel through the bar, which could be done if the commercial importance of Grays harbor was made known.”
The navigation of the Grays Harbor bar was the primary barrier to the region's maritime dominance. The 'influence and representation' spoken of by the Ensign reflects the early lobby efforts that eventually led to the construction of the Grays Harbor North Jetty.
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