Coast Station Dec 12th 1856
Dear Sir
On my arrival at the mouth of the Siletz I found the schooner lying on the beach –
her cargo had been taken above tide water and stacked where they supposed it would be safe and covered with the sails –
I put four men to work immediately to erect a log cabin for the cargo, but before they were ready to remove the flour, there came a heavy blow from the west and destroyed almost the entire cargo. There has not been, from appearance, such a surf for twenty years; Old Indian graves, with the canoes upon them which have remained until quite rotten, were swept off by the surf, and many of the Indian houses which were near the beach were swept away carrying whole families with them and destroying all of their clothing and supplies which they had put up for winter, but they fortunately escaped without loss of life though many were severely bruised and some had legs and arms broken –
The schooner was blown over the bar into the bay carrying away her masts –
all of her canvass was lost with the flour and nothing but the hull of the schooner remains –
how much it is injured I am not prepared to say –
the small boats together with my wagon were broken into splinters.
I regard it impracticable to get flour to this station this winter and await your order for the removal of these Indians–
The condition of the road is such as will render it impossible to move whose who have large families to the Grand Ronde and if you can send a schooner to the Yaquinah I will remove a portion of them to the Selitz Agency where they can be supplied from the Yaquinah –
Very Respectfully
Your Obt Servt
R B Metcalfe
Ind Agent