iri
tweirty-five fathoms, stiff clay, n e a r them ; and on standing off, carried re g u la r somidings
to tlu rty -tw o fathoms, afte r which th ey deepened rapidly.
Coming from th e southward, or rvhen inside th e Farallones, the position of tire entrance
to San Francisco may be known by th e land re ced in g considerably between the table-hill
alre ady mentioned, and San B rnno Hill, wbich, a t a distance, .appears to terminate the ridge
ex te n d in g from S an ta C ru z to tb e nortliward. ï l i c land to tb e northwa rd or southward of
these two lulls lias notiiing remarkable ab o u t it to a s tra n g e r: it is, gen e rally speaking,
sufficiently liigh to be seen tl.irtecn to fifteen leagues, and inland is covered with wood
^ A b o u t eiglit miles and a q u a rte r from tile fort, a t tb e entrance o f San Francisco, there
IS a b a r of sand, ex ten d in g in a S. by E. direction across tlie mouth o f the harbour T h e
soundings, on approaching it, gradnally decrease to four and a q u arte r and six fathoms low
n-ater, sp rin g tide, depending upon the situation o f the ship, and as reg u la rly increase on the
opposite side lo no bottom with tb e hand-leads. i n crossing the bar, it is well to g iv e the
n o rth ern shore a good berth, and brin g the small white island, Alcatrasses, in one with th e fort
or south bluff, ,f It can be conveniently done, as th ey may then ensure six fathoms; but if
ships g e t to th e northward, so as to brin g the south bluff in one witl. tb e Island o f Y e rba
Buena, th e y will find b u t four an d a q u a r te r; wbich is little enough with th e l.cavy sea
th a t sometimes rolls over the b a r ; besides, the sea will sometimes bre ak heavily in tliat
depth, and endanger small vessels ; to the northward of this bea ring tl.e wa te r is more shal
low. Approaching th e entrance , th e Island o f Alcatrasses may be opened with th e fo rt;
and th e best directions are to keep mid-channel, or on th e wea tUr side. O n the south
shore th e dange rs are above wa te r, and it is only necessary to avoid b ein g set into tb e bay
between tb e fort and P o in t Lobos. I f necessary, ships may pass inside, or to the southward
o f th e One M i k R o c k ; b u t it is advisable to avoid doing so, if possible. On approachino- it
g u a rd aga inst the tide, which sets s trong from th e outer p o in t toward it, and in a line forAlie
fort. Off P u n ta Boneta th ere is a dangerous reef, on wliich th e sea breaks very heavy • it
lies S. M . from th e p oint, and no ship should approach it n e a re r than to b rin g tbe fort in
one with Y e rb a Buena Island.
In the entrance it is p a rticula rly necessary to a tten d to th e sails, in consequence o f the
eddy tides and th e flaws of wind th a t come off the land. T h e boats should also be re ady for
lowering down on the instant, as th e entrance is very narrow, and tb e tides ru n n in g strong
an d m edd.es, are ap t to sweep a ship over upon one side or the other, and the wa te r is in
g en e ra l too deep for anchorage ; besides, the wind may fail wl.en most required. T h e
s tro n g e st tides and the deepest water lie over on the north shore. Should a ship be swept
in to th e san d y bay w e st of the fort, she will find good anchorage on a sandy bottom iu ten
and fifteen fathoms out o f th e tid e ; or in th e event o f m ee tin g th e ebb a t tlie entrance she
m ig h t h au l in, and th e re await the change. T h e r e is no dange r o ff th e fort a t a g ria te r
distance than a h undred yards.
As soon as a siiip passes the fort, she enters a large sh ee t of water, in wl.icl. are several
islands, two rocks above water, and one under, exceedingly dangerous to slii,,pi.ig, of wliicl.
I sl.all speak hereafter. One brancli of tlie harbour ex ten d s in a S. E. by S direction
exactly th irty miles, between two ridges o f l.ills, one of wliieh extends along tl.e' coast towards
tbe B ay of M o n terey , and the other from San Pablo, close a t the back o f San J osé to San
Ju a n Baptista, whe re it unites with th e former. T h is arm term in ate s in several little
w inding creeks, leading up to the Missions o f S an ta Clara and San José. 7 'h e other
g re a t branch takes a no rth erly direction, passes the P u n ta s San Pablo an d San P edro, opens
o u t into a spacious basin te n miles in width, an d th en converging to a second s trait, again
expands, and is connected with th ree rivers, one o f wliich is said to take its rise in th e rocky
mountains near the source o f the Columbia.
As a g en e ral rule in San Francisco, th e deepest wa te r will be found whe re th e tide is
th e strongest ; and out o f th e cu rren t th ere is always a difficulty in landing a t low water. All
th e bays, except such as are swept b y the tide, have a muddy flat, ex ten d in g n ea rly from
p o in t to point, g re a t p art o f w hich is d ry a t low water, and occasions th e before-mentioned
difficulty of lan d in g ; an d th e n orth-e astern shore, from P u n ta San Pablo to th e Rio Ca-
lavaros beyond San José is so flat th a t lig h t boats only can approach it a t h ig h water.
In low tides it dries some liundred yards off shore, and has only one fathom wa te r a t an
ave rage distance o f one mile an d a half. T h e n orthern side of tlie g re a t basin beyond San
Pablo is o f the same nature .
After passing the fo rt a ship may work up for th e ancliorage without apprehension,
a tten d in g to the lead an d th e tides. T h e only hidden dange r is a rock with one fathom on
it a t low w ater, spring tides, which lies between Alcatrasses and Ye rba Buena islands. It
has seven fathoms alongside i t : th e lead therefore gives no wa rning. T h e marks when on
i t are, the north end of Ye rba B u en a Island in one with two tre e s (nearly th e last o f th e
s trag g lin g ones) south of P alo s Colorados, a wood o f pines situa ted on the top o f t h e hill,
over San Antonio, too conspicuous to be overlooked; the le ft hand or S. E . corner o f th e
Presidio ju s t open with the first cape to th e westward of it ; Sausalito P o in t open F point
with the north end of Alcatrasses ; aud the island of Molate in one with P u n ta de San P edro.
W h e n to th e eastward o f Alcatrasses, and working to the S. E ., or indeed to the westward, it
is be tte r not to stand toward this rock n ea rer than to brin g the Table-peak in one with the
no rth end of Alcatrasses Island, or to shut in Sausalito P o in t with th e south extreme of
it. T h e position o f th e rock may gene rally be known by a rip p le ; b u t tliis is n o t always
tlie case.
T h e re are no otlier directions necessary in working for Ye rb a B u en a Cove, which I
recommend as an anchorage to all vessels intending to remain a t San Erancisco.
In the navigation of the harbour much advantage may be derived from a knowledge of
the tides. I t must be remembered that th ere ave two separate extensive branches o f wa te r
ly in g n ea rly a t right angles with each otlier. T h e ebbs from these unite in the centre of
the bay, and occasion ripplings and eddies, and other irregularities of the stream, sometimes
dangerous to boats. Tiie anchorage a t Ye rba Buena Cove is free from these annoyances,
an d the passage up to it is nearly so afte r passing the Predisio. T h e ebb begins to make first
from tlie S anta Clara arm, and runs down th e south shore a full hour before tiie flood has
done about Yerba Buena aud Angel Island ; and the flood, in its re tu rn , makes also first along
the same shore, forcing the ebb over the A’erba Buena side, where it unites with the ebb
from tlie north arm.