Pacific Coast Steamship Co.'s Queen of the Pacific Grounds on Clatsop Spit, No Injuries Reported
On September 5, 1883, the Pacific Coast Steamship Co.'s iron-hulled steamer, the Queen of the Pacific, ran aground on Clatsop Spit. The vessel was en route to Portland, carrying 232 passengers, many of whom were traveling to witness the driving of the last spike on the Northern Pacific Railroad, along with a crew of 90. Fortunately, the ship sustained no damage upon impact with the sandbar, and there were no injuries reported among the passengers or crew. The following day, four tugboats were deployed to remove all passengers, thereby lightening the ship sufficiently for it to be refloated. The salvage operation, which was led in part by tug captain John Henry Dix Gray, incurred costs estimated at around $60,000 at the time, equivalent to nearly $2 million in present-day value. Captain Gray, noted as the 'first white male child born west of the Rocky Mountains,' had a notable career, including service in the Civil War, a move to Astoria in 1868, and later political roles as a joint state senator and judge ... 
