Around the World on the Columbia (episode 233)

Transcript

Music

Jake:
[0:05] Welcome to hub history where we go far beyond the freedom trail To share our favorite stories from the history of boston, the hub of the universe.
This is episode 2 33 around the world on the Columbia.
Hi, I’m jake. This week. I’m talking about the officers and crew on the ship. Columbia, formally named the Columbia Rediviva and accompanied by the sloop lady Washington.
The ship was owned by a group of prominent Bostonians and charged with opening up trade between boston and china.
Almost by accident, the Columbia became the first american ship to visit the west coast of north America, the first american ship to land in the Hawaiian islands and the first american ship to circumnavigate the globe,
over the course of five years and two expeditions the crew completed to circum Navigations brought the first native Hawaiian to visit boston and discovered the Columbia River,
and I do say, discovered with air quotes because there were dozens of villages and thousands of inhabitants on the river.
The mighty river of the West had previously been thought to be a myth and navigating up this river established us land claims in what would eventually become seven states.
The Oregon country was contested between Russia Spain and Britain, but the Columbia’s expedition opened it to boston merchants and before long all american traders on the west Coast were known as the boston man.

[1:30] But before we talk about the Columbia’s world spanning voyage.
I just want to pause and say a heartfelt, thank you to Kelsey H and john, see our latest supporters on patreon last month’s international podcast day.
Maybe stop and reflect on my time. Making this show at the end of october hub history will hit its fifth anniversary.
And when we started out, we were the only podcast about boston history, depending on how you count it. Exactly. There. About a half dozen more today.
Produced by big media companies, a local museum and as of this month, the massachusetts Historical Society, Only a handful are completely independent productions like this one.
I’m proud of what we’ve created without the support of big organizations like that.
And it’s thanks in no small part to our sponsors, like Kelsey and john Their support means that I don’t have to stress over how to pay for web services, media hosting and the other expenses that go into making a podcast.
Instead, I only have to stress over writing a 15 to 20 page script every couple of weeks, recording it and editing out all the stumbles and mispronunciations piece of cake. Right?
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And now it’s time for this week’s main topic.

[2:59] The Gazette of the United States Records the arrival of the ship Columbia in Boston Harbor on August 9, 1790, after a voyage of almost three years.
It is with real pleasure, we announced the safe arrival in this port on monday last of the ship Columbia, Captain Gray, from a voyage of adventure to the northwest coast of America.
This ship, in company with the slope Washington, sailed on 30 September 1787, and the year following reached their place of destination from whence the Columbia sailed with furs, which she disposed of in china on her return home.
The Columbia in Washington are the first american vessels who have circumnavigated the globe, And the Washington, which is only of 90 tons burden, is the firsts loop of any nation ever sent on so great a voyage,
On the Columbia’s arriving opposite the castle, she saluted the flag of the United States with 13 guns, which was immediately returned there from,
and on coming to her moorings in the harbor fired a federal salute,
Which are great concourse of citizens assembled in the several wars returned with three Huzzahs and a hearty welcome.

[4:10] The story of Colombia’s to circumnavigation of the globe. It’s opening of trade between boston, the west coast and china, and its discovery of the mighty Columbia River. Once thought to be pure legend starts with Charles. Bulfinch.

[4:25] Within just a few years, Bulfinch have become known as one of the premier architects of the new United States.
He designed the finest federal style homes on Beacon Hill University Hall at Harvard and the Bulfinch building at Mass General, as well as the state houses of massachusetts maine and Connecticut.
He renovated Faneuil Hall to its current appearance, created a replacement steeple for Old North after the snow hurricane and redesigned the U. S. Capitol for James Monroe after the british burned it during the war of 18 12.

[4:59] Before any of that though, Charles Bulfinch was a recent Harvard graduate in need of a job and he found one through a friend of his father for whom he would eventually design a grand mansion in Charlestown called Pleasant Hill.
In a paper read at the April 1960 meeting of the Colonial Society Dean a fails describes how a young Bulfinch first encountered the idea of a voyage to the northwest coast of North America.
In 1781, Joseph Barrell took into his counting house for five years. A young family friend, Charles Bulfinch a graduate of Boston Latin School.
This was the start of a long friendship, culminating finally in Bulfinch designing Pleasant Hill after his European tour in the 80s.
While Bulfinch was working for Barrell journals of Captain Cook’s voyages to the northwest, reached boston.

[5:51] Captain James Cook was a British naval officer who made three famous voyages around the world in 1768,
In 1776, vastly expanding British and by extension, American understanding of the Pacific Ocean.
His first two voyages focused mostly on Australia, new Zealand and the islands of the South pacific but his third went much much further north.
This time he made the first european contact with the Hawaiian islands, traveled to the west coast of North America, which he followed from the spanish settlements in alta California all the way up to Alaska, through the Bering strait into the arctic ocean and then he returned to Hawaii,
Where he pissed off the wrong Hawaiian by attempting to kidnap the king and got killed in February 1779.
His surviving crew completed the journey, returning to Britain in 1781.
Captain Cook’s journals were published in 1784 and it was these that Charles Bulfinch in his circle of friends, devoured as Bulfinch his daughter put it in a biography of her famous father and his father Thomas’s house.
It was that dr thomas, Bulfinch is mansion and by his fireside that those plans were discussed among a little circle of friends which resulted in the purchase, an outfit of the ship Columbia, who’s voyages during the next five or six years have become a matter of history.

[7:16] Charles bow, Bulfinch became fixated on Cook’s account of buying sea otter furs on the west coast of North America and then selling them in china,
demand for chinese goods like tea and porcelain was through the roof in boston, but there was little demand in china for any goods produced in boston.
Historian Samuel Eliot Morrison’s book, The Maritime History of massachusetts, 17 83 to 18 60 points out,
although America was outstripping every other nation in china trade save Britain, she could not long compete with Britain without a suitable medium.
The Canton market accepted little, but specie and Eastern products, british merchants can import the spoils of India and the moluccas, opium and mommy and shark’s fins and edible bird’s nests.
Yet Britain paid for the major part of her teas and silks and silver massachusetts on the morrow of Shay’s Rebellion could not afford to do this,
Jensen could be procured and sold and only limited quantities to find something salable in Canton was the riddle of the china trade boston solved it.

[8:25] Charles. Bulfinch knew instantly that could solve the problem, and he convinced his extremely rich friend, Barrell to take the lead in underwriting a voyage from boston to try to open up an american sea otter trade with china.
In 1838 statement to Congress, Bulfinch said In the year 1787, Joseph Barrell Esquire.
A distinguished merchant of Boston projected a voyage of commerce and discovery to the northwest coast of America and associated with him.
Samuel brown Charles, Bulfinch john Derby, coal hatch, and john Mp, entered As the richest guy in the room.
Barrell was the majority shareholder, buying a 2/7 share in the ship.
Each of the other five purchased a 1/7 share.
Together, they put up over $21,000 to purchase two ships and higher cruise for each of them.
The Columbia was a full rigged ship of 213 tons capacity, with three masts and square sails.
She carried 10 cannons and a complement of swivel guns on deck, and she would have been crewed by about 25 men, Together with the lady Washington. The total complement of sailors and officers on the expedition was about 40.
The Washington was an even smaller ship, slope rigged with two masts At 67 ft long. She could ship about 90 tons of cargo.

[9:53] On the 1787 Expedition. The Columbia was to be captained by John Kendrick and the lady Washington by Robert Gray At the time. Captain Kendrick was 47 years old.
A veteran of the seven years war and the American Revolution.
After growing up on the Outer Cape in today’s Orleans, he served in the militia on a campaign against the french in western new york in 17 62 sailed on a whale ship and eventually moved to boston in the 17 sixties.
During the Revolutionary War, he commanded a series of privateers and captured several british prizes.

[10:32] Little is known about the early life of Robert Gray, who was 32 years old, missing one eye when he took command of the Washington.
Most of the officers on both ships hailed from boston and New England, and our best descriptions of the Columbia. The Washington and their voyage to the northwest coast comes from one of them.
According to a mass historical society profile, Robert has well was born in 1768.
The eldest son of William and Rachel Woodward has well, robert’s father was an officer in the Royal Navy who was a customs official in massachusetts.
We know little of robert’s early life and that only because his step sister, Susannah has well.
Rosen became a famous actress, author and educator, Robert has well next appears in 1787 when at age 18, he was made third made of the Columbia on its first voyage.

[11:27] Has wells log of the voyage commences a few days before the journey itself did.
He records that the Columbia was moved from the wharf to anchor in the inner harbor, where it was loaded with trade goods, provisions and other stores.
Then the ship was moved out into the channel near Castle Island.
Two days before the scheduled departure, the lady Washington was anchored nearby.
One day before the second mate in gra ham came aboard and the crew was busy cleaning the ship from top to bottom, stowing supplies and making the vessel ready for sea.
On Sunday September 30, 1787 the day was at hand, and has well wrote.
We were thronged with friends of almost all our people, and about noon Captain Kendrick and Lieutenant.
How is Clerk Mr roberts, our surgeon and mr nutting. The astronomer came on board with the pilot, accompanied by a great number of merchants, gentlemen, and others of boston.

[12:24] The departure that afternoon was a bit anticlimactic, as the two ships were forced to Ankara again and nan task it road near hull due to a lack of wind, that gave them the chance. For one last hurrah described by as well.
The evening was spent in mirth and glee, the highest flow of spirits, animating the whole company great songs and animating sentiments past. The last evening we spent on that side of the continent.

[12:52] They finally got underway for real on October one. Early on monday morning we weighed and came to sail, and by sunrise we’re out of the harbor.

[13:03] By the fourth they had cleared Cape Cod and the journey was fairly uneventful until they arrived at the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa on November nine.
There they stayed for over a month, making minor repairs to both ships, taking on water and buying goats and cattle.
During the protracted stay, Captain Kendrick and second mate Simeon Woodruff argued constantly until Woodruff finally quit the expedition and caught a ride home on a spanish ship.
Woodruff had been a gunner’s mate on Captain Cook’s third circumnavigation. So he was the only member of the expedition who had already been to the west Coast Hawaii in china,
Kendrick would later face criticism for letting the most experienced member of his crew get away,
as well as for the sheer amount of time he dallied in Cape verde.

[13:54] Once they finally got underway again, they crossed the equator, and we’re sailing past the Brazilian island, Fernando de Noronha by January six, at the Falkland Islands near the southern tip of South America.
The ship’s paused again for another period of weeks, as well as log at this point is full of details about his personal conflicts with Captain Kendrick, and when the ships left, the Falklands has will have moved over to the Lady Washington with Captain Grey,
On February 28 with has well now on the smaller slope, the two ships set out from the Falklands to make their attempt to round Cape Horn into the Pacific as well as log reports that they were lucky that they didn’t encounter the legendary storms of the region.
Instead, just dealing with more typical weather, like a wind violent from the southeast accompanied with frost and so high a see that our vessel was almost continually underwater.
Well, that sounds fun.

[14:52] It was difficult for a full rigged ship like the Columbia to navigate the wind, heavy seas, treacherous shoals and occasional icebergs in the southern ocean and it was completely unheard of for a tiny sloops like the Washington to even attempt it.

[15:06] After fighting the elements. For over three weeks, the Washington finally rounded the Horn on April one, but then it got separated from the Columbia and a violent storm that caused damage on both ships,
has well noted in his log on April 14 began to experience that beautiful serenity that this ocean is celebrated for This, having been 40 days from the Falkland Islands until we were to the northward of the straits of Magellan.
The bounce that have been stipulated by most navigators to this extensive cape, we viewed the remainder of our passage to the coast of America with indifference.
The worst part now being over, they were safe.
They’ve made it into the pacific ocean and now they just had to find the Columbia again and make their way north to the north. American coast.
They basically island hopped up the coast of Chile to the Juan Fernandez Islands, where they arrived on May five.

[16:02] From the Chilean coast north, they tried to avoid land as much as possible because the officers worried that the slope alone could be taken advantage of in spanish ports without the support of the Columbia.
Finally has Wells diary notes on august 2nd at 10 a.m.
To our inexpressible joy, we saw the coast of New Album yet Distance about seven leagues.
New Albion was the term in english for the stretch of north american coast that later the north of spanish claims in Mexico.
The name was given by Sir Francis drake, but the british had never attempted to start a colony on this far away coast.

[16:41] It has wells calculation of latitude was accurate. They sighted the coast of today’s northern California, roughly between Redwood National Park and Plymouth and rural del Norte County, about 30 miles from the Oregon state line.
Two days after sighting land, the lady Washington explored the shore and made its first contact with the indigenous people of the West Coast.
This first interaction seemed innocuous, with a giant oceangoing dugout canoe carrying about 10 men approaching the ship when it was a bit less than two miles offshore and making gestures that the Americans interpreted as signs of friendship.

[17:18] After that first encounter, the american expedition enjoyed mixed relations with the Tillamook people who lived along the coast of Oregon,
as the ship made its way slowly north, that explored many inlets, rivers and bays in hopes of finding a sheltered harbor where can anchor and start trading for furs, which was the whole point of the voyage.
Instead, they kept finding treacherous currents, sandbars and hostile locals.
After one of these attempts, somewhere south of today’s Newport Oregon has wells log recorded that the attempt to locate a harbor had found nothing remarkable except vast numbers of the NATO’s, that appeared to be a very hostile and warlike people.
They ran along shore waving white skins. These are the skins of moose, three or 4 thicknesses completely tanned and not penetrable by arrows.
These are their war armor.

[18:13] The Washington moves slowly up the coast at every likely looking inlet in bay, lowering a longboat and taking soundings to find a safe harbor, and every time being disappointed at several of these stops.
The crew traded mirrors, combs and buttons for fresh berries that helped care.
They’re advancing scurvy, and the officers traded iron knives and adds is for sea otter skins,
has well notes that in every encounter, whether in canoes are on shore, the indigenous residents always came armed with bows and spears and they wouldn’t approach the americans unless their knives were unsheathed and in their hands,
as though they expected the crew to attack at any moment.

[18:55] Has well concludes that the distrust meant that the natives had never encountered Europeans before,
but it makes me think that perhaps they had, it didn’t go well.
On August 16, 1788, the Washington ran aground on a hidden rock, possibly near today’s Cape Meares lighthouse, near the entrance to Tillamook Bay in Oregon.
While they’re waiting for high tide to lift the slope back off the rock, A party, including robert, has well when ashore near a village to gather firewood and grass for their livestock.
Having traded for several days with this village and their neighbors has well notes that they were more lightly armed than usual as they cut grass.
The party had two muskets, three or 4 Cutlasses, and each of the two officers carried a sword and pistol.
Eventually a sailor named Marcus Lopez carefully stuck his cutlass in the sand so we could use both hands to haul a huge bundle of grass down to the longboat,
has well notes that Lopez was a black man who had joined the voyage of Cape VErde as Captain Grey survey.
The voyages started in the midst of the freedom suits that gradually ended slavery in massachusetts.
The language used in hospitals, log is wishy washy, so I honestly can’t tell if Gray enslaved Lopez or if he was a free black sailor.

[20:14] Either way, while Lopez was busy with this bundle of grass, one of the Tillamook grabbed his cutlets and ran off with it.
Lopez ran after him, shouting, and one of the other sailors took aim with a musket but didn’t shoot because they’ve been ordered to only fire as a last resort to protect life.
Most of the landing party ran toward the village where Marcus Lopez had disappeared in pursuit of his cutlass, while a few followed parallel to the shore in the longboat.

[20:41] Eventually they caught up to Lopez, who caught the thief. He stood holding the man by the shoulder, surrounded by a large group of heavily armed Tillamook men and shouting for the rest of the party to help him recover the cutlass as they rushed forward to help him.
Has well wrote, when we are observed by the main body of the natives too hastily approach them, they instantly drench their knives and spears and the body of the unfortunate youth, he quitted his hold and stumbled but rose again and staggered toward us.
But having a flight of arrows thrown into his back, he fell within 15 yards of me and instantly expired while they mangled his lifeless corpse.
The rest of the party dashed for the boat, taking a few shots as they ran and dodged arrows,
has well, and another officer were wounded in hand to hand combat in the surf as they tried to reach the boat,
and another man was stabbed deeply enough that he nearly died of blood loss, but the survivors made it back to the Washington, which fired a few shots from its cannons and swivel guns to keep the pursuing canoes from catching them.
The crew named this bay murderers harbor, and from Has Wells Diary. It appears they thought that they had found the legendary Western River murderers harbor is, I suppose the entrance of the river of the West.
It is by no means a safe place for any but a very small vessel to enter the shoal at its entrance.
Little did he know that the great river still lay ahead.

[22:08] For the rest of august. The Washington traded its way up the coast, buying sea otter skins for iron tools whenever they could.
The further north they went the more contact the native Tillamook had had with the european traders, these hunters insisted on trading for copper coins or muskets, which weren’t among the trade goods available on the Washington.
Their difficulty in trading meant that the crew of the lady Washington was approaching their goal and they finally arrived in Nukus sound on September 17, 1788.

[22:40] Newt Casson was a large sheltered harbor on the seaward side of Vancouver Island, about 200 miles northwest of today’s Seattle, After Captain Cook claimed the area for Britain.
In 1778, the British established a base for trading in the area in 1786.
At this point, our story turns from adventure on the high seas to a diplomatic thriller.
As the Washington arrived at Nuka Sound, on the eve of a crisis between the great powers of the pacific first though, came a happy reunion.
Six days after Captain Grey in the Washington anchored in Nukus Sound, the crew was busy making repairs and laying in wood, water and provisions to get ready to sail again.
Some of the officers onshore has well wrote, saw a sale in the open, which, by our glasses, we soon knew to be the Columbia.
At about 5:00 PM, she anchored within 40 yards of us.

[23:38] It was the first time the two ships have been within sight of each other since getting separated in a storm.
After rounding the Cape almost six months before, after the Columbia was damaged by a series of storms, they landed in the juan Fernandez islands, arriving about three weeks after the Washington departed.
They stayed there for 17 days, making repairs and falling even further behind the Washington.
By the time the Columbia finally caught up with the smaller sloops, most of the crew had advanced cases of scurvy, which had killed two sailors,
As they recuperated, the crews of both vessels celebrated the anniversary of their departure from Boston on October one with a 13 gun salute from both vessels.
This was returned by the three British ships in the harbour, and then came a feast for the officers on board the Columbia and Booze and Games for the crew.

[24:33] In the last week of october, the three british trading vessels left Nukus sound.
Having announced a plan to winter over in the sandwich islands, today’s hawaii, before continuing on to china to sell their valuable store of sea otter skins with the british gone, Captain Kendrick announced that the americans would be staying at Nuka for the winner,
and since the ships were reunited, he was in command again of the combined expedition.
Under his direction, the crew of the Columbia began fortifying one of the islands in Nukus Sound to use his winter quarters.
While the Washington sailed south to continue trading for skins.
Now that the british with their richer trade goods were mostly out of the picture, Captain Grey and the lady Washington arrived back at Kendricks outpost, now dubbed Fort Washington, and the first week of May 17 89.
Between the two captains, they had amassed a huge cargo of furs, and they began planning to leave the coast.
Then a British ship commanded by a Captain Douglas, sailed into Nuka Sound, followed by a small Spanish fleet on May five.

[25:41] The Spanish had laid claim to the entire West Coast since the early 1600s, but they’d only recently tried to project real power north of their traditional base in Mexico,
In the 1770s, they founded a series of missions up the California coast, reaching the Yerba Buena Peninsula and founding the mission dolores that we now know as San Francisco in 1776.
In the meantime, the Russian empire colonized Alaska begun pressing south along the coast and the british Hudson Bay Company was coming west across Canada and landing at Nuka Babe.
I see while the americans were now building a fort in a strategic harbor right at the intersection of british spanish and Russian claims.

[26:25] The two ships under esteban Jose Martinez immediately moved against the british with the last entry and robert has wells account of the Columbia’s first voyage stating,
Don Martinez now demanded Captain Douglas’s papers and from what pretense I know not said they were false and made the vessels prize.
The officer and seamen were kept prisoners for several days. At that point has well notes, the spanish commander discharged the crew and sent the ship packing,
as spring turned into summer, Martinez seized further english vessels when they attempted to anchor and Nuka Sound, which almost sparked an open war between the two great european powers When word got back to their respective capitals.

[27:09] In the midst of the tensions Martinez also managed to alienate the local news channels.
Nation after here, one of his men killed an important sub chief in a misunderstanding somehow.
Throughout all this drama, the americans at Fort Washington managed to stay on Martinez good side, although his orders said that he was to make a prize of any foreign ships in Nukus Sound.
The Columbia and the Washington were quietly allowed to keep exploring the coasts and trading for furs.
This was partly because spain in the U. S. Were or at least had recently been formal allies, and in part it was because Captain Kendrick had back to spanish and capturing at least one british ship,
which both curried favor with the spanish and help to eliminate competition in the for business.

[27:56] Nevertheless, with the situation at Nuka seemingly deteriorating, the americans decided it was time to get.
While the getting was good Kendrick asked Martinez for permission to return to Nuka the following year, and the Spaniard granted it in return for the americans delivering some trade goods and english prisoners to Macau across the Pearl River from Hong kong.

[28:18] Martinez also agreed to forward letters from the Americans, and after they were received on the US East Coast.
The Gazette of the United States carried this brief notice on March 17.

[28:30] The concern and the ship Columbia and slope Washington have received letters from Captain Kendrick dated at Nuka in july last,
he informs them that he passed the winter proceeding on the northwest coast of America, that he was then bound on a voyage further northward, and from thence intended to proceed to Canton.
The letters were forwarded to Mexico by a spanish fleet that had been at Nuka, and from thence to the spanish charge D. Affairs at new york.
They were covered to the president of the United States of America.

[29:03] The American ships left Nuka sound on July 15, 1789, but not without a bit of a shakeup.

[29:11] The captains have decided that Gray should take command of the larger Colombia with its old stuff full of sea otter pelts and sail for china to sell them.
Meanwhile, Kendrick would take over the smaller Washington and use it to keep trading on the West Coast, eventually returning to Nuka and meeting back up with the Columbia on a future voyage.

[29:31] The crew was redistributed between the ships, ensuring a complete complement of experienced seamen on both vessels and moving has well whose hatred for Kendrick had hardly abated on to the Columbia along with Captain Grey,
following the pattern that had been established by Captain Cook and followed by several british expeditions.
In the ensuing decade, the Columbia would first stop in the island chain that was known then as the sandwich islands.
Unfortunately, I’m not aware of an officer’s log of this part of the journey, so we’ll have to go lighter on detail.
Whoever in a 1921 article about early Boston contact with Hawaii.
Historian Samuel Eliot Morison wrote probably the first american vessel to touch at Hawaii was the famous Columbia of boston, Captain robert Gray On August 24, 1789 in the course of her first voyage around the world,
she remained 24 days at the island salted down five punches of pork and sailed with 150 live hogs on deck, A young native called a two ship there as an ordinary seamen,
If you’re interested in learning more about the early influence of Bostonians on the Kingdom of Hawaii during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Check out episode 220.

[30:49] Arriving in China. In early 1790, Robert Gray disposed of his cargo the best he could,
carrying out the orders he had gotten from joseph Barrell to get bohemian Hyson tea, blue and white china plates and dishes and tea and coffee cups and saucers, or any other article which you think will answer better in this country.
This he did, setting out for boston as soon as possible crossing the indian ocean, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa, And crossing his own path from 1787, somewhere north of Cape Verde.
Finally, on August 9, 1790, the Columbia sailed into Boston Harbor just six weeks short of three years after departing.

[31:32] In a letter to his mother dated August 14 future President John Quincy Adams, who was about to turn 23 years old, described the wonders the Columbia brought with it.
The principal topic of conversation this week has been the arrival of the Columbia from an expedition which is carried her around the world.
The people of this vessel have brought home a number of curiosities similar to those which you have seen it. Sir Ashton levers Museum.
They have likewise brought a native of the sandwich islands, who found himself as a servant to one of the passengers.
He was paraded up and down our streets yesterday in the dress of his country, and as he speaks, our language has been conversed with by many gentlemen in this town.
One of the passengers that said, has kept a very accurate journal of the voyage, and proposes to extract from it, a relation for publication.

[32:24] 1960 paper dean fails, relates how the investors in the expedition created costly keepsakes to commemorate the triumph of the expedition.
Boston papers hailed the voyage of the first two american ships that went completely around the world is a great triumph.
Medals of the expedition were made of silver and copper. A silver medal was sent by Barrell to jefferson on may 2nd 17 89.
The Goldsmith paul revere recorded in this ledger, the making of six silver medals and repairing the edges of 10 copper medals for joseph Barrell A silver medal at the Massachusetts. Historical Society is one that Barrell gave to the society in 1791.

[33:07] However, triumphant, the investors were publicly, they were not as happy behind closed doors,
sending two ships to an unknown coast, and then sailing all the way around the world wasn’t cheap, And the trade goods Captain Grey purchased in China fell short of expectations.
As Charles. Bulfinch revealed in 1838 statement read into the congressional record.
The result of the voyage disappointed the expectations of its projectors, and the proceeds of the tea is not being sufficient to cover the cost of outfit The unforeseen expenses in Canton and elsewhere.
Mr Derby and entered, would not pursue the enterprise further, but sold their shares in the vessels semesters.
Barrell and Brown, the remaining owners determined to send Captain Grey and commanded the Columbia to the coast for the firs which it was supposed Captain Kendrick had been collecting.
As Bulfinch was quick to point out the project had not been profitable, but it successfully in uncovering the potential for massive future profits.

[34:05] In his book about the maritime history of massachusetts. Samuel Eliot Morison notes The Columbia had logged 41,899 miles since her departure from Boston on September 30, 1787.
Her voyage was not remarkable as a feat of navigation. Magellan and drake had done the trick centuries before, under far more hazardous conditions.
It was the practical results that counted the Columbia’s first voyage, began the Northwest for trade, which enabled the merchant adventurers of boston to tap the vast reservoir of wealth in china.

[34:41] In his letter to abigail, john Quincy Adams focuses more on the immediate pecuniary rewards or the lack thereof.

[34:50] The adventurers, after having their expectations raised to the highest pitch, were utterly disappointed, and instead of the immense profits upon which they calculated, will scarcely have their out sets refunded to them.
This failure has given universal astonishment, and is wholly attributed to the captain, whose reputation now remains suspended between the qualifications of egregiousness, avery, and of unpardonable stupidity.
Mr. Barrell I am informed, is not discouraged, but intends to make the experiment once more, and if he should not meet with anybody disposed to second him, they say he will undertake it at his single risk and expense.
So it was to tap into this potential for future profits that the Columbia was quickly repaired, refitted and made ready for sea.
The certificate of Colombia’s cargo tells us how the ship was outfitted.

[35:44] These certify all whom it may concern. That Robert Gray, master, and commander of the ship Columbia,
burden, 212 tons or thereabouts, navigated with 30 men, mounted with 10 guns, has permission to depart from this port with the following articles.
2000 bricks, six Children’s of C cole, 135 barrels, beef, 60 barrels, pork, three hogs heads, new England rum to hogs heads.
West Indies, rum, five hogs heads, molasses, five Barrell sugar, 10 boxes, Chocolate,
£228 coffee, £72 bo, he t six casks of rice, 20 barrels of flour, £27,000 of shit bread,
six Perkins butter, £500 cheese, 30 barrels of tar 13 barrels of pitch, 30 packages of merchandise, six tons bar, iron,
20 100 bar led £1500 gunpowder, £300 small shot.

[36:42] Their difficulty in trying to buy valuable sea otter skins from sophisticated traders of the tribes of the Northwest Coast with trinkets and taught the owners of the Columbia a valuable lesson.
Samuel Eliot Morison points out the changes in their trade goods.
Between 1787 and 1790, the indians,
evidently had more discrimination than generally acknowledged from her first voyage, the Columbia carried large numbers of snuff bottles, rat traps, jew’s harps and pocket mirrors, which, except for the last item, were a dead loss.
Her second cargo in 1790 is typical of the northwest for trade. As long as it lasted From Herman, Bremer were bought 143 sheets of copper, many pieces of blue, red and green duffels and scarlet coding.

[37:30] Solomon Cotton, sold the Columbia’s owners, £4,261 quarter pound chisels.
Asa Hammond, 150 pairs of shoes at 75 cents.
Benjamin green, junior blue duffle trousers, at 92 cents.
Pea jackets, flushing great coats, watch coats, and fear knots.
Samuel Parkman sold six gross of giblets and 12 gross buttons, baker and brewer stripe duffel blanketing.
Samuel fails, 14,020 penny nails, and the United States Government.
100 old muskets and blunderbuss is very few of these articles were manufactured in massachusetts, and sometimes the Northwest man would make up a cargo in England before starting for the coast.
New England rum that ancient medium for savage barter is curiously absent from the Northwest for trade molasses and shit biscuit were used instead of liquor to treat the natives.

[38:26] Barely six weeks after surviving a three year journey around the world, Captain robert Gray found himself at the helm of the Columbia,
as it again slipped past boston light through the outer harbor and out to sea on a voyage that would take him back to the northwest and around the world again.

[38:43] This time we have a partial log by robert has well, and a very detailed log recorded by john Boyd, The grandson of the 5th mate, Robert at Thorpe Boy described him in the 1916 profile.
At the age of 16. He started his first circumnavigating voyage as 5th officer aboard the ship Columbia found for the Northwest Coast in China.
His brother in law Crowl Hatch. Shipowner and merchant of boston was one of the chief owners of the ship. Columbia.

[39:15] John Boy kept complete journals of this voyage, and these discoveries are interesting, and Manu Tli described by him, points. Log begins as the ship sails out of boston harbor.
September 28, latitude of Boston Left Boston September 28, 1790, with the wind from the Western Board and the next day past Cape Cod.
Like in 1787. The initial departure was a bit anticlimactic as boys log continues On the 30th.
The wind having changed to the east and blowing heavy obliged us to bear away.
We anchored the same evening in herring cove on the west side of Cape Cod, and 15 fathoms of muddy bottom, But not liking our situation.
We got underway the following morning and anchored the same evening in Nan task at roads and seven fathoms like on the previous voyage.
They spent the night before their actual departure and the channel near Hull, known as Nan Task it roads, this time one day short of three years after the first.
On October two Voice Log describes how they finally got underway for real.

[40:28] When did the southwest waden came to sail, stood to see on the third past Cape Cod at three leagues distance, generally blowing hard with squalls of rain.

[40:41] On november 1st, he noted that they passed Cape verde off the African coast.
A long passage from boston of 29 a half days from there they turned southward, crossing the Equator 54 a half days after leaving boston.

[40:57] In mid january, the crew got a break when they occurred in the Falkland Islands for 11 days, giving the ship a complete overhaul, taking on fresh water and spending time exploring and shooting hundreds of ducks and spanish hogs.
By mid february they had rounded Cape Horn and started north up the west coast of South America.
On april 23rd 17 91 Boys Journal recorded the demise of the captain’s mascot,
between the hours of three and four pm departed this life our dear friend, nancy, the goat, having been the captain’s companion on a former voyage around the globe,
but her spirited disposition for adventurer letter, to undertake a second voyage of circumnavigation, but the various changes of climate and sudden transition from the polar colds to the tropical heats of the torrid zone, proved too much for a constitution naturally delicate.
At five PM committed her body to the deep. She was lamented by those who got a share of her milk.

[41:57] On the second voyage, the Columbia anchored near Nukus sound by the end of May 1791.
Having made the journey four months faster than it had on the first expedition.

[42:08] With their improved trade goods, the crew of the Columbia soon began amassing a large cargo of furs, despite increased competition from a growing number of american ships along the coast.
On August 12, 2 officers in a sailor went on short of fish man. They didn’t return to the ship when it signaled its departure.
Their dead bodies were soon found robbed and stripped naked.
They were the first fatalities on the second voyage. Two weeks later, the Columbia caught up with Captain Kendrick and the lady Washington.
The reunion was less happy this time than it had been three years before, with point noting the sprig.
Lady Washington was a slope when she left boston, but Captain Kendrick had altered a rig in Canton the year before,
I was sorry to find that Kendrick had made no remittances to the owners, since he had parted with the Columbia on the first voyage, although since that period had made two successful trips from this coast to Canton,
as the vessels still belong to the same owners, he was under some mistrust that Captain Grey was empowered to seize the break and kept himself always ready against attack.

[43:17] In fact, Kendrick would never again remit any portion of his profits to Barrell Bulfinch of the rest of the owners of the lady Washington.
A month after reuniting with his former subordinates on the Columbia, Kendrick left again taking his own cargo of skins to hawaii, and then on to china,
Gray and the crew of the Columbia built a new fort in another bay, a few miles down the coast from Nukus Sound.
They called this one fort defiance. And they settled in for the winter.

[43:49] When the spring of 1792 came. Grey thought that the new channels was planning to attack his group.
So we decided to engage in a bit of preemptive retaliation, destroying a nearby village and permanently spoiling his relationship with local indigenous groups.
It was time to leave the Columbia headed south down the coast of what’s now Washington State, trading where they could and mapping the coastline as best they could.
On April 29, the Columbia spotted the British ship H.
M. S. discovery, and Captain Grace been a nice evening dining and trading stories with Captain George.
Vancouver Gray told the British Captain about a large river he had cited in 1788, without finding a navigable channel, but Vancouver dismissed the account is another global sucker falling for the myth of the great river of the west.
The two captains took their leave of one another and a week later, Captain Grey found himself staring the mythical river in the face.

[44:50] The dates immediately surrounding the discovery of the Great River are the only entries from Captain Gray’s own log of the voyage that still survive, having been transcribed in 1816 by Charles Bulfinch from the surviving log that have been left to graze widow’s brother,
On May seven graze log, recorded,
Being within six miles of the land, saw an entrance in the same, which had a very good appearance of a harbor,
lowered away the jolly boat and went in search of an anchoring place, the ship standing to and fro with a very strong weather current At one p.
M., the boat returned, having found no place where the ship could anchor with safety, made sail on, the ship stood in for the shore.
We soon saw from our masthead, a passage in between the sandbars at half past three bore away, and ran in northeast by east, having from 4 to 8 fathoms of sandy bottom,
And as we true in nearer between the bars had from 10 to 13 fathoms.
Having a very strong tide of ebb to the stem.
Many canoes came alongside At five PM came to in five fathoms water, sandy bottom, and a safe harbor, well sheltered from the sea by long sandbars and spits.

[46:07] Captain Grey would name this harbor after Charles Bulfinch but upon visiting it later George Vancouver named it Grays harbor.
Over the next few days the Columbia interacted with indigenous nations that spoke languages they hadn’t yet encountered.
They traded with some groups and clashed with others, killing as many as several dozen with grape shot when their canoes approached in the middle of the night.

[46:32] After they spent four days taking soundings and looking for a passage across the dangerous sandbar into the river graze log recorded how they hoisted the sails. On May 11.
At half past seven we were out clear the bars, and directed our course to the southward along the shore, set up the main top gallant yard, and set all sail.
At four a.m. saw the entrance of our desired port, bearing east southeast, at a distance of six leagues in steering sales, and haul our wind onshore at eight a.m.
Being a little to windward of the entrance of the harbor, bore away, and run in east northeast between the breakers, Having from 5 to 7 fathoms of water.
When we were over the bar we found this to be a large river of freshwater, up which we steered, john boy. It gives us a sense of the vast scope of the river they had sailed into truly myth worthy.

[47:28] The river extended to the northeast as far as the Eye could reach, and water fit to drink as far down as the bars at the entrance we directed our course up this noble river in search of a village.
The beach was lined with natives who ran along the shore. Following the show.
Soon after above 20 canoes came off and brought a good lot of furs and salmon, which last they sold to for a board nail the first. We likewise bought cheap for copper and cloth.
We lay in this place till 20 May, during which time we put the ship in good order and filled up all the water casks alongside it. Being very good.
These natives talk the same language as those further south, we could not learn it.

[48:15] Captain Grey named the river Columbia after the ship.
Later exploration by the Lewis and clark expedition and others would reveal that this mighty river drained a vast portion of the western continent, including parts of today’s Alberta and british Columbia, most of Washington and Oregon, basically all of Idaho,
and parts of Nevada, Utah, Montana and Wyoming, including some of Yellowstone.
In the coming decades, Russian and spanish claims to the territory were relinquished in separate treaties And in another 1818 Treaty Britain and the us agreed that the region would be occupied by citizens of both nations, but governed by neither.
It was the 10 day exploration of the River Columbia by the ship Columbia that gave the U.
S. A strong enough claim to the region to eventually claim everything south of the 49th parallel as the Oregon territory.
In 18 43 as Samuel Eliot Morison wrote on her first voyage, the Columbia had solved the riddle of the china trade On her 2nd empire followed in the wake.

[49:20] After a summer spent meddling in international politics in new Kobe turning the spanish and english against one another.
Again, it was time to once more sail around the world, luckily we have john boy to give us the details on this portion of the journey, which was missing from his wells log in the first voyage.
On October 3, 1792 boy, it reflected weight anchor for the last time on the northwest coast and left poverty cove bound for kenton and china via the sandwich islands.
Our feelings on this occasion are easier felt than described. Our friends at home, and every endearing idea rushed so full upon us and made us so happy that it was impossible for a while to get the ship in readiness for bad weather,
and full allowance of grog being served on the occasion made are worthy tars, joint in general mirth,
and so we go.

[50:14] Before the month was over. They cited the Hawaiian Islands on October 29, and landed on the big island, on the 31st, with boite writing thus many canoes sailing in company with us.
The shore made a delightful appearance and appeared in the highest state of cultivation.
Many canoes alongside containing beautiful women, plenty of hugs and fouls together with most of the tropical fruits in abundance.
Great quantities of water and musk melons, sugar cane, breadfruit and salt was brought for sale.
The price of a large hog was from 5 to 10 spikes, smaller ones in proportion six Dunghill fouls for an iron chisel and fruit cheaper.
Still On November two, the Diary Records A two who had enlisted as a cabin boy on the Columbia’s first voyage and paraded through the streets of Boston, became the first native Hawaiian to circumnavigate the globe.
Coming into the harbor at the outlying island of ni hao bites, log records that the ship was greeted by fast many canoes off in one of which was the father and other relations of our sandwich island lad.
They came on board, and the meeting was very affectionate, but still our lad refused to go on shore, and Captain Gray did not think it proper to force him boy.
It was apparently quite taken with Hawaii, and who wouldn’t be.

[51:40] When the Columbia left on November 30 wrote more often made all sail for the coast of china and soon lost sight of these beautiful islands, the inhabitants of which appeared to me to be the happiest people in the world.
Indeed, there was something in them so frank and cheerful that you could not help feeling pre possessed in their favor.

[52:01] On December six, they spotted mainland China and anchored Macau two days later there they stayed for about two months while Captain Grey found buyers for their sea otter furs and loaded the hold full of valuable t.
When the time came to start the voyage home john boy, it noted that the Columbia had a steady leak that required constant pumping, but nobody on board was too worried with the prospect of home on the horizon,
for some in the original crew would have been over five years since they had spent more than a few weeks in boston.
On February eight, he wrote in his journal, ran through Macau roads and stood to see.
The ship’s crew are all well and hardy, and looking forward with anxious solicitude to a happy meeting of sweethearts and wives.
How can we be other ways than happy when anticipating the joys that await us? There.

[52:54] They sailed south down the coast, then turn northwest through the strait dividing Malaysia and Sumatra, steering clear of pirates from many nations.
From there it was across the open indian ocean to Mauritius, south of Muscle Bay, in today’s South Africa, And around the Cape of Good Hope.
On May five they spent a few days restocking on ST Helena island in the middle of the south Atlantic then ran for home under full sail.

[53:22] They finally got there on July 28, 1793 with boys log stating At Daylight, Boston Light Bore West by Northwest three Leagues Distant.
At eight a.m., a pilot came on board and took charge to take the ship to Boston at meridian, past the lighthouse with a light air from the eastward.
At six we passed castle William and gave a federal salute, which was returned a fine breeze at southeast,
at seven, anchored off the long war from the stream, and saluted the town with 11 guns, which was returned from the wharfs with three welcome huzzahs,
At making Boston light.
From which place we took our departure we have just made 360° of longitude west, which is the circumference of our globe.
Of course we have lost one complete day. It was friday at boston and thursday with us.

[54:20] After serving his 5th made on the Columbia, John Boy almost immediately got the opportunity to captain his own vessel With the Union sailing from Newport for the Northwest Coast in August 1794.
His Grandson Robert Mapplethorpe Boy wrote in 1916. After returning from this voyage, john Boyd circumnavigated the globe and commanded the slope union.
The many adventures of this voyage are fully told in his journals and log books.
Besides these are the logs and journals of various other voyages of our protagonists.
Boy, it was the only one who didn’t die at sea After the Union became the first slope to sail around the world, he served briefly as captain on a handful of other vessels, but by age 40, he retired from the sea,
and worked as a merchant in Boston until his death in 1829.
Gray’s original first mate robert has well shipped on the second voyage as well.
And when the time came to leave the Northwest Coast, the conclusion of their second expedition, he was put in charge of a slope called the adventure that the crew had built during the long winter of 1791.
After spending a season trading on the coast, the adventure was sold, he rejoined the Columbia for the journey home.

[55:37] After his adventures with Gray, he commanded a series of merchant vessels before enlisting as a lieutenant in the U.
S. Navy during the quasi war with France, where he served on the USs boston after the war, a mass.
Historical society profile says When newly elected President Thomas Jefferson reduced the US Navy in 1801 has well went back to merchant services. The captain of the Louisa, a ship bound for the northwest coast in China.
The Louisa sailed from Boston on August 10, 1801 and disappeared, Robert has well was 32, Less than a year after his second return to Boston, Captain Robert Gray got married.
As described in a 1929 essay by Edmond Meany, It’s known that in February 1794, Captain Grey married Martha, daughter of Silas Atkins, one of Boston’s wealthiest merchants.
At the time when Captain Grey, on one of his trading voyages, died and was buried in charleston south Carolina in 18 oh six, he left in boston a widow and four small daughters.
She and her Children evidently remained with her father’s people.

[56:46] In 1846, Martha petitioned Congress for some sort of monetary support since their late husbands claim over the Columbia River had resulted in such a windfall for the United States,
and due to a month’s delay in her marriage, she wasn’t eligible for any other federal pension. She wrote.
Your petitioner was left a widow nearly 40 years ago with four young daughters and without adequate means for their education and support,
that her late husband, Captain Grey was in the naval service of his country during a part of the war of revolution, but that your petitioner is unable under the existing laws to entitle herself to be placed upon the list of the United States pensioners.
The act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows, and for other purposes, providing only for widows whose marriage took place before one January 1794, And her marriage having taken place in the month of February 1794.

[57:41] As far as I can tell, she received no pension.

[57:46] Of the original officers from the Columbia expedition. Captain john Kendrick suffered, perhaps the most embarrassing fade, having basically stolen the Washington from the investors who entrusted it to Kendrick and his crew struck out on their own.
And the roughly five years following the final split between the Columbia and the Washington, Kendrick visited the Hawaiian Islands.

[58:10] Kendrick visited the whole Kendrick visited the Hawaiian islands several times on one of these voyages, he learned that Hawaii produced a commodity that could fetch a higher price in china than even sea otter scans.
As we discussed an episode to 20 Sandalwood could be sort of a high premium in China and it crew at high elevations in Hawaii at least for a while.

[58:36] Once the word got out about Kendrick’s discovery, and especially when the young king Kamehameha the second, loosened restrictions on logging to help keep his nobles in line.
The sandalwood trade became an ecological catastrophe in hawaii.
However, Kendrick himself wouldn’t live long enough to see the consequences of his discovery.
In his essay about early boston traders in the Hawaiian islands Morrison describes how the captain’s deep involvement in the sandalwood trade led to his demise.
Captain Kendrick was killed as an accidental result of his intimate interest in Hawaiian affairs.
He and his crew helped the chief of Oahu defeat the Chief of Co. I in December 1794, lying in Honolulu harbor with him was the english trading vessel jackal.
Captain Brown, the crew of which had also taken part in the battle to celebrate their victory.
Captain Kendrick hoisted his inside on the lady Washington and fired a federal salute to which the jackal replied,
Captain Brown ordered several of his guns unshaded for the purpose, but by mistake, the gunner fired one of those that was still charged with round and grape.
A ball penetrated the lady Washington’s cabin and killed her commander. One of the ablest of our pioneer ship Masters in the pacific.

[59:55] A replica of Kendricks Loop was built in Aberdeen Washington in 1989.
It’s usually used for education, but it’s also appeared in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, as well as several tv episodes and music videos, 1958.
A replica of the Columbia has been part of the frontier land attraction at Disneyland in California.
The command module during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing was named in honor of the original Colombia’s Voyage of Discovery, As was the Space Shuttle Columbia, which flew 28 space missions over 22 years before breaking up on Reentry in 2003.
To learn more about the voyages of the Columbia. Check out this week’s show notes at hub history dot com slash 233.
I’ll have links to all the primary sources I quoted from this week, including logbooks kept by john Boynton robert has Well, the surviving log entries from Captain Grey Charles, Bulfinch his statement to Congress and the letter from john Quincy Adams to Abigail,
I’ll also include a copy of the incredibly detailed map of the northwest coast that was created on the voyage and several engravings showing the Columbia at sea.
Plus I’ll have links to the books and papers by Samuel Eliot Morison William Dennison Lyman, hubert Howe Bancroft Ellen. Susan Bulfinch and others that I quoted from are used in research this week.

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Music

Jake:
[1:01:53] That’s all for now. Stay safe out there listeners.

[1:02:05] One final note, listeners, I know my voice is a little different than normal this week just getting over a cold and whenever my throat scratchy, my voice goes down about a half an octave.
So if you’re wondering why I’m suddenly talking like this, that’s just because I got a sore throat, See you next time.