W.H. Harrison (steam schooner)
[5] Following stormy weather in the preceding week, Harrison arrived at Astoria on December 30, 1890 en route to Portland, Oregon from points on Shoalwater Bay.
[6] Late Tuesday night, April 25, 1893, Harrison arrived in Astoria, Oregon, having departed the Nestucca River six days previously.
[7] After departing Nestucca, the steamer met a severe storm and was blown north past the Columbia bar almost to the mouth of the Quinault River in southwestern Washington state.
[7] Fuel was running short, so it was necessary to set sail, by which the vessel reached Shoalwater Bay, where a supply of wood for the boilers was obtained.
On November 5, 1894, Harrison arrived at Astoria, after having been barbound (unable to leave the harbor because of bad weather or a shifting channel) at Nehalem for two weeks.
[13] On Wednesday, May 10, 1899, weather permitting, Harrison was scheduled to sail for Tillamook, Garibaldi, Bay City, and Hobsonville, running in conjunction with the Columbia river sternwheeler R.R.
[16] Although the fog potentially impeded Harrison's own chance of making port, Crim transferred twenty pounds (9.1 kg) of pork, potatoes, tea, biscuits and thirty US gallons (110 L; 25 imp gal) of water to Bidwell, and gave the schooner directions to a reach a position near the beach where, when the fog lifted, the schooner could be seen by the tugs.
[16] On the afternoon of Sunday, November 18, 1894, Harrison, having departed Nehalem bound for Astoria with Captain Schrader in charge, encountered the large British bark Swanmore flying distress signals and nearly in the breakers off Cape Falcon.
[17] Harrison picked up a steel hawser from the bark and commenced towing Swanmore away from the surf to a point 15 miles (24 km) off shore.
[18] Harrison departed Florence on Monday, December 2, 1895, with the cannery crew, consisting of about 35 Chinese workers and 20 fishermen on board, who were to be transported to Astoria as soon as possible.
[18] At noon on Thursday, September 25, 1902, under Captain Leatham, Harrison departed Astoria for Yaquina Bay with a load of canning supplies.
[19] The cause of the leakage was not immediately known, but it was believed that the seams may have opened in the ship's hull, or some of its keel or rudder bolts worked loose.
[25] By the afternoon of Friday, September 22, 1905, the sea seemed to have become more tranquil, so Captain Hansen took Harrison back out into the ocean to make the run to Alsea.
[25] However, in crossing the bar, Harrison struck ground hard, and was driven onto the sand spit on the south side of the bay entrance, about one-quarter mile from shore.
The keeper of the life-saving station, Captain Otto Wellander, and his crew responded overland, securing two teams of horses to pull the carts containing their beach rescue gear and the station's surfboat south down the beach and on the narrow wagon road around Seal Rocks, arriving at the wreck scene about 3 hours after having received word.
[25] According to the official life-saving service report, Harrison had been stranded 14 miles (23 km) south of the station and about 350 yards offshore.
[26] The following day the life-saving crew took the master off to communicate with his agent, Elmore & Co.[26] At 1:00 pm, when the tide was out, a wagon was driven out on the spit near the stranded vessel, the three men remaining on board were taken off, and the baggage belonging to the sailors was hauled ashore.
Cleverdon, send a letter expressing their appreciation for the services of the life-saving crew, and enclosing as a memento, the wheel of the Harrison.
