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WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY November 1998 FEATURE PRESENTATION REPORT AN ‘K>LD SALT” VISITS OUR MEETING James Delgado was our featured speaker for the September ’98 meeting. Jim wears many hats: he is the Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum: author of many books; a historian and underwater archaeologist. He is also a widely-travelled speaker, as well as a film and television documentarian. Mr. Delgado was unaccountably late for our meeting; however, the guest he was to introduce. Captain James A. Scarborough, was on time and he kindly began the meeting for us. A commanding, rather portly figure in full dress uniform, (wearing squeaky seaboots) British-bom James Scarborough (1803) told us of his early life. He went to sea as a Cabin Boy at 8 years of age and served his time in coastal ships around southern England and in the Mediterranean. He rapidly rose in the service and became an Able Seaman, serving before the mast at age 14, and eventually obtaining his Mate’s Ticket by the age of 24. In 1829, then aged 26, Scarborough was engaged as Bo’sun, or Second Mate, on the Hudson Bay Company ship Isabella and found himself in very different seas on his way to the North-West coast of America. Having been formed in 1670 the Company had many well established trading posts up and down the coast of California and all the way north to what was eventually to become British Columbia. The Isabella was on her way to unload her cargo at Fort Vancouver, situated 100 miles upriver fi'om the treacl^rous waters at the mouth of the great Columbia River. The crew were a bit on edge, as the year before the Company ship William & Mary had also made the same voyage, but was wrecked on rocks and sandbanks at the mouth of Columbia’s treacherous entrance. It was reported that the Captain and his entire crew had been killed and eaten by “savages” who lived at the mouth of the river and lured ships and their seamen into the fatal currents then massacered the crews! After a very tiring voyage, in which most of the sails and spars had to be replaced, the Isabella finally reached the in&mous Cape Horn, with its huge seas and gale-force winds. They weathered the Horn safely and spent some well-earned relaxation time on the beautiful island of Oahu in the Sandwich Island group. There they picked up several Kanakas to augment the crew. Kanakas* are wonderful sailors and many of them sailed on Company ships to adventure to the fer north \^iere they suffered greatly from the, to them, unbelievable cold. (*Ed. note: Kanaka descendants still live in B.C.) By: Anne Vernon Eventually the Isabella arrived at the mouth of the great Columbia River and fared no better than her predecessor the William & Mary. On the 30*^ of May they ran a ground and were smashed on the jagged rocks. In the darkness they saw several fires on the beach - surely the “savages” lying in wait for them! The captain and crew managed to scramble aboard their small boat and quickly row non-stop up the Columbia River for 100 miles (against the fierce current). Eventually they arrived safely at Fort Vancouver. Upon their arrival, they discovered that the fires set by the “savages” had actually been the Company’s own men attempting to guide them to safe harbour! The famous Dr. John McLaughlin, who ran the Company headquarters for the region at the Fort, was fiirious and commanded them to get back into the boat and row back down to their wrecked ship to salvage what they could from the fiasco - a fiirther two days journey. Fortunately for everyone concerned, this time the current was with them. Amazingly, although the Isabella was a total wreck, 75% of her cargo was recovered, including her spars and sails, which did help a little to make up for the fiasco. Also fortunately. Dr McLau^in required a crew for the small newly-built schooner Vancouver. It was ready to trade up the northern coast so most of the men were taken on, including James Scarborough - who began a new stage in his career trading up and down the northwest coast of the American continent, mapping territory as he went. ... if was reported that the Captain and is entire crew had been killed and eaten by “savages”... Of course being in the Conqjany’s service was not always easy. Apart from the normal hardships imposed by shipboard life, there was rivalry, often aggressive rivalry, between the Company and the many Americans who set themselves to “obtain” the fur supplies by fair means or foul. The Cwnpany traded fairly with the natives - never putting tar in the molasses or salt water in the rum - and this paid off in the long run, as the “King George goods ” were thought to be better. American trade declined and the Hudsons Bay Company did the majority of the trading - beaver pelts for Company blankets, muskets, shot, rum and men even traded ftieir old uniforms to the Chiefs who saw them as bestowing stature, but the red HBC blankets were the most highly prized goods. (Coni’d. on p. 8)