1871-1900 Yaquina Head Lighthouse Letter books

Journal of Light-house Station at Cape Foulweather Oregon

April 1891

10 part of 24 hours clearing weather - Sea rough. General duties for the day - 1st asst went to Newport after mail.

11 Light N.W. to S.E. wind & calm dry first part of 24 hours - Last part of 24 hours light variable winds fair weather - Sea quite smooth. General duties for the day - Keeper and Mr. Smith went trout fishing up North beach.

12 Light variable winds and calm these 24 hours first part of 24 hours damp - Last part of 24 hours light rain showers - Sea quite smooth - General duties for the day - The barometer is going down slowly - Light House Tender Manzanita arrived sometime during the morning and crossed the bar at 2:30 P.M.

13 Light E. to S. E. wind and little damp first part of 24 hours - Last part of 24 hours light variable winds cloudy but dry weather - Sea little rough - General duties for day - Keeper & Mr. Smith went fishing - 1st asst went to Newport.

14 Light N.W. wind and calm these 24 hours fair weather during 24 hours - Sea quite smooth. General duties for the day - Mr. Isaac L. Smith and 1st asst went fishing today - Keeper Mr. Frank M. Plummer went to Newport after supplies - Left the station at 8:30 A.M.

15 Light East wind to moderate breeze South these 24 hours with fair weather - Sea smooth. General duties for the day - Keeper returned to the station at 1.P.M.

16 Moderate breeze south to light variable wind & calm first part of 24 hours with rain - Last part of 24 hours Moderate breeze N.W. cloudy but dry - Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Keepers went fishing today - L.H. Tender Manzanita crossed Yaquina bar bound for Astoria this morning.

17 Fresh breeze N. West with frequent fog showers during these 24 hours - Sea little rough - 1st asst went to Newport and working in garden - Keeper making out requisition for the annual supplies for station the next year.

18 Fresh to moderate breeze N.W. these 24 hours first part of 24 hours damp fog - Last part of 24 hours heigh dry fog - Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Keepers cleaning out chicken house and making out requisition for supplies.

19 Light to moderate breeze N.W. to S.E. and South these 24 hours first part of 24 hours cloudy but dry - Last part of 24 hours rain - Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Keeper & Mr. Smith went trout fishing - Had three visitors today.

20 Light S.E. to variable winds these 24 hours first part of 24 hours cloudy but dry - Last part of 24 hours fair weather - Sea quite smooth - General duties for day - Keeper went to Newport.

21 Light variable winds cloudy but dry first part of 24 hours Last part of 24 hours moderate and fresh breeze to a gale S.E. to South cloudy and little damp. Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Steamer Chance sailed today - Mr. Smith went to Newport on important business left station at 8 A.M.

22 Gale to strong & fresh breeze south with hard rain during 24 hours. Sea little rough. General duties for the day. The barometer going up a little. Mr. Smith returned to the station at 4 P.M.

23 Moderate breeze S. to S. East and S. West these 24 hours with some showery weather. General duties for the day. Sea very rough. Steamer Willamette Valley arrived but to rough to cross bar.

24 Light wind to moderate & fresh breeze S. to S. East and S. West with rain and hail squalls during 24 hours. Sea rough. General duties for the day. The bar to rough for steamer to cross Today. Mr. I. L. Smith went to Newport to get some supplies. Left the station at 8 A.M.

Journal of Light-house Station at Cape Foulweather Oregon 1894

March

18: Gale South to fresh breeze S. W. & West these 24 hours with rain & hail squalls. Sea very rough. General duties for day. The barometer 29.70 today.

19: Strong & fresh breeze W. to S.W. with frequent rain & hail squalls first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours Gale to fresh & moderate breeze W. to N.W., light rain & hail squalls. Sea very rough. Keeper went to Newport. General duties for day.

20: Light N.W. & North wind to moderate breeze N.W. these 24 hours with clear, fine weather. Sea quite smooth. Had 4 visitors today. Steamer Homer arrived from San Francisco & crossed Yaquina bar. 1st ass't went fishing. Keeper & 2nd ass't hauling wood from beach.

21: Calm & light N. East to East wind these 24 hours with clear, fine weather. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 1st ass't went fishing. 1st ass't also putting brush in the road. Keeper & 2nd ass't hauling wood.

22: Fresh breeze East first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds with clear, fine and warm weather during 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 2nd ass't went to Newport. Steamer Homer sailed for San Francisco today. 1st ass't spading & planting garden.

23: Light N. East wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours moderate breeze N. West with clear, fine and warm weather. Sea smooth. Keepers spading and planting garden. 1st ass't also went fishing today.

24: Light [N has been deleted] East wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds with clear, fine weather first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours a little fog floating around. Sea very smooth. Keeper & 1st ass't planting garden today. 1st ass't also went fishing and to Newport. 2nd ass't went to Newport. Keeper went trout fishing.

25: Light South wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds with fair & warm weather during 24 hours. Sea very smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 1st ass't went fishing. 2nd ass't went over on S. beach hunting water agates.

26: Light S. wind first part of 24 hours with fair weather. Last part of 24 hours moderate & fresh breeze S.E. to S. with rain. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. 1st ass't spading & planting garden. 2nd ass't went trout fishing up on north beach.

27: Light S. to S. East & East wind these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours rain. Last part of 24 hours cloudy & threatening weather. Sea smooth. Keeper & 1st ass't went fishing today. 2nd returfing his back yard today. The barometer is 29.90 today.

28: Light wind to fresh breeze S.E. to S. & S. West these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours light rain. Last part of 24 hours hard rain. General duties for day. Sea quite smooth. Keeper and 2nd ass't went to Newport on business. The barometer 29.85 today.

29: Light S.W. to West wind these 24 hours with frequent rain showers during 24 hours. Sea quite smooth. Keeper went fishing and writing on the Quarterly & monthly reports. 1st and 2nd ass't also went fishing today.

30: Light S. East wind with frequent rain showers first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light wind to moderate breeze N. West, fair weather. Sea smooth. 1st ass't spading garden and went fishing. Keeper working on the Quarterly returns. 2nd ass't went up on the north beach prospecting for Coal on the Indian Reservation. The barometer 29.95 Light House tender Manzanita passed by this Light at 5.20 P.M. from Astoria. She passed by Yaquina going South to Cape Blanco.

31: Light N.W. to South wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours moderate breeze South with fair weather during 24 hours. Sea smooth. Keeper making out Quarterly and monthly returns and spading garden & fishing. Steamer Homer sailed for San Francisco today. 1st ass't spading garden, went fishing, and to Newport after the mail.

April

1: Fresh breeze to gale South first part of 24 hours with rain. Last part of 24 hours Fresh to moderate breeze S. West, fair weather. Sea moderately smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper went to Newport to mail the Quarterly and monthly returns.

2: Moderate and fresh breeze S.W. with hail & rain squalls first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light West wind [continued on next page]

Journal of Light-house Station at Cape Foulweather Oregon 1894

June

[special note: appearing in the page column for "Month" between dates 21 and 22: notation/signature "[unintelligible, S?] B.Blish, Lt. USN., ass't Inspr, 21 June 94"]

13: Light variable winds and calm these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours cloudy and very little damp. Last part of 24 hours clear, fine and warm weather. Sea smooth. General duties for day. Keeper & 1st asst went fishing. 2nd asst painting in his Quarters. Had 2 visitors.

14: Light East wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds and calm with fair & warm weather. Sea very smooth. General duties for day. 1st asst making hay & went fishing. 2nd asst painting in his Quarters. Steamer Homerarrived from San Francisco today.

15: Light variable winds and calm these 24 hours with fair and warm weather. Sea very smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper and 2nd asst went to newport after mail and to take mail. Had one visitor today.

16: Light variable winds, light rain showers during these 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper and 2nd asst putting down carpet in Keepers kitchen and working in garden. Had 8 visitors. 1st asst went fishing. Steamer Homer sailed today.

17: Light variable winds first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light wind to moderate breeze S.W. to South with the rain during 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for day. 2nd asst setting out Cabbage plants in garden.

18: Light variable winds first part of 24 hours. Last part of twenty-four 24 hours light N.West wind with a damp weather during 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 2nd asst went to Newport. 1st asst went fishing.

19: Light to moderate breeze N.West these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours light fog showers. Last part of 24 hours fair weather. Sea quite smooth. Keeper went to Newport to take mail. 1st asst went fhishing and raking up the hay around Keeper's dwelling.

20: Moderate to fresh breeze N.West these 24 hours with fair weather. Sea smooth. General duties for the day.Capt. Winant of the steamer Bandorville landing two men at this station at 6.30 A.M. having picked them up off Columbia bar at 4 P.M. the 19th, clinging to their sunken boat nearly exhausted - could not have survived much longer. They were capsized at 8 A.M. the 19th near the bar. This was the nearest point he could have landed them as he had the steamer Eva in tow, bound for Gardenier. The names of the men are Mr Fred Jackson and Mr Elias Michelson of Astoria. Keeper gave them breakfast and took them to Newport and put them in charge of Mr Bensell the Customer House Officer. Keeper and 2nd asst went to Newport to take the two men that were landed at cape. U.S. Light-House Tender Manzanita crossed Yaquina bar to Newport at 1 P.M. and landed 2,200 Gallons of Oil for this station.

21: Fresh breeze N.West these 24 hours with clear fine weather during 24 hours. Sea smooth. 1st asst went fishing. Had four visitors. The asst Inspector Lieut. Blish arrived at the station at 8 A.M., inspected station and left at 8:45 for Newport. U.S. Steamer Manzanita sailed for the south to visit and leave oil & etc to the stations. Mr Stimpson hauling oil from Newport to the station. 2nd asst went to Newport on important business.

22: Fresh to moderate breeze N. West with clear fine weather during these 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Mr Stimpson hauling oil from Newport to the station. Keeper packing wood from the beach today.

23: Moderate breeze to light N.West wind these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours clear fine weather. Last part of 24 hours high dry fog. Sea very smooth. Mr Stimpson hauled the last of the oil today from Newport. Keeper and 2nd asst went to Newport after supplies. Had two visitors. Light House Tender Manzanita came up from the South, crossed Yaquina bar to Newport at 7. P.M.

24: Light variable winds with light fog showers during these 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 1st asst went fishing. Had fourteen visitors. U.S. Steamer Manzanita crossed out over Yaquina bar & passed this light for Astoria at 5. A.M.

25: Light variable winds first part of 24 hours with fog showers. Last part of 24 hours clear, fine and warm weather. [continued on next page]