Fort Vancouver Historic Structures Report

Furnishings

Nothing is known about the interior arrangement or the equipment of the Iron Store, but a good deal of information is available from both documentary and archeological sources concerning the types of materials that were housed there.

The annual indents, or requisitions, from the Columbia District to the Hudson's Bay Company headquarters in London contain long lists of the various types and sizes of iron and steel stock needed to meet the needs of operations on the West Coast. The inventories of "Sundry Goods, property of the Honble. Hudson's Bay Company, remaining on hand at Fort Vancouver Depot," prepared each spring, throw supplementary light upon the materials housed in the Iron Store. These lists, it should be noted, do not specifically state that the enumerated items of iron and steel were to be found in the Iron Store. It will be remembered that there were two blacksmith shops attached to the fort, and it is probable that some of the inventoried stock was kept at the smithy near the sawmill. But the lists are highly useful in indicating the types and general quantities of iron and steel stock maintained in the Iron Store.

The "Requisition Columbia District, Outfit 1838" was typical of those for other years In noting the quantities of iron and steel called for, it should be remembered that the requisition reflected the requirements not only of the Fort Vancouver blacksmith shops but also of the smithies throughout the entire district, including New Caledonia and the Northwest Coast. After being prepared at Fort Vancouver in March 1835, this requisition was sent by "express" across the continent to York Factory on Hudson Bay, from whence it was forwarded by sailing vessel to England. The requested items were to be shipped from London during 1836 for use starting about the middle of 1838. The amounts and kinds of iron requested were as follows:

56 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 3 x 7/8
40 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 3 x 5/8
40 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 2-1/2 x 7/8
30 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 2-1/2 x 1/2
 4 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 2-1/4 x 1/2
30 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 1-1/4 x 3/8
24 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 1 x 3/8
28 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 1 x 1/4
12 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 7/8 x 1/4
12 Cwt. best scrap Iron flat 3/4 x 3/8

14 Cwt. No. 3 Charcoal Scrap Iron 1 x 1/8
10 Cwt. No. 2 Charcoal Scrap Iron 5/8 x 1/8

 4 Cwt. Square Iron 4 ins.
 3 Cwt. Square Iron 3 ins.
16 Cwt. Square Iron 2-1/2 ins.
20 Cwt. Square Iron 2 ins.
20 Cwt. Square Iron 1-1/2 ins.
 6 Cwt. Square Iron 1-1/4 ins.
 6 Cwt. Square Iron 1 ins.
 4 Cwt. Square Iron 7/8 ins.
20 Cwt. Square Iron 3/4 ins.
20 Cwt. Square Iron 5/8 ins.
40 Cwt. Square Iron 1/2 ins.
14 Cwt. Square Iron 3/8 ins.
 4 Cwt. Square Iron 1/4 ins.

16 Cwt. bolt round Iron 1-1/2 ins.
 4 Cwt. bolt round Iron 1-1/4 ins.
16 Cwt. bolt round Iron 1-1/8 ins.
26 Cwt. bolt round Iron 1 ins.
22 Cwt. bolt round Iron 7/8 ins.
24 Cwt. bolt round Iron 3/4 ins.
20 Cwt. bolt round Iron 5/8 ins.
20 Cwt. bolt round Iron 1/2 ins.
20 Cwt. bolt round Iron 3/8 ins.
20 Cwt. bolt round Iron 1/4 ins.
18 Cwt. Hoop Iron No. 10 1-1/2 ins.
10 Cwt. Hoop Iron No. 11 1-1/2 ins.
 2 Cwt. Hoop Iron No. 11 3/4 ins.

The indent called for the following items of steel:

4 Cwt. Crowley steel 1-5/8 x 1/2
4 Cwt. Crowley stell 1-1/2 x 3/8 [7]

A somewhat different picture is given by the annual inventories of goods remaining on hand at the Fort Vancouver depot toward the end of the active trading season of each Outfit. The inventory made in the spring of 1844 may be considered typical. The items that might have been found in the iron store were as follows:

47-16/ 112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 3 x 7/8
 1-8/112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 3 x 5/8
45-17/112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 2-1/2 x 7/8
16 Cwt. flat bar Iron 2-1/2 x 1/2
 9-72/112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 2-1/2 x 3/8
25-80/ 112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 1-3/4 x 3/8
21-56/112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 1-3/8 x 3/8
13 Cwt. flat bar Iron 1 x 1/4
77-6/112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 7/8 x 1/4
29 Cwt. flat bar Iron 1/2 x 1/4
 3-102/112 Cwt. flat bar Iron 1 x 3/8

 8-24/112 Cwt. Charcoal scrape [sic] Iron 1 x 1/8
 3 Cwt. Charcoal scrape [sic] Iron 3/4 x 1/8

101/112 Cwt. best hoop Iron 1-3/10 x 1/2
58-14/112 Cwt. best hoop Iron 1-1/4 x 1/8
 5 Cwt. best hoop Iron 3/5 x 1/20
 3-24/112 Cwt. best hoop Iron 1-1/8 x 1/4
58-4/112 Cwt. best hoop Iron 1 x 1/16
29 Cwt. best hoop Iron 3/4 x 1/10
 5-40/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 1-1/2 in.
 3-84/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 1-1/4 in.
12 Cwt. round bolt Iron 1-1/8 in.
21-7/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 1 in.
33 Cwt. round bolt Iron 7/8 in.
45-16/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 3/4 in.
29 Cwt. round bolt Iron 5/8 in.
34-32/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 1/2 in.
24-72/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 3/8 in.
24-67/112 Cwt. round bolt Iron 1/4 in.

4-72/112 Cwt. single & double sheet Iron

16 Cwt. square Iron 4-1/2 in.
32 Cwt. square Iron 2-1/2 in.
30 Cwt. square Iron 2 in.
16 Cwt. square Iron 1-3/8 in.
18-84/112 Cwt. square Iron 1-1/4 in.
 8-64/112 Cwt. square Iron 1 in.
13-44/112 Cwt. square Iron 7/8 in.
39-72/112 Cwt. square Iron 3/4 in.
22-96/112 Cwt. square Iron 5/8 in.
58-110/112 Cwt. square Iron 1/2 in.
19-32/112 Cwt. square Iron 3/8 in.
 2-16/112 Cwt. square Iron 1/4 in.

The stock of steel was as follows:

 2-42/112 Cwt. Cast Steel

 8-64/112 Cwt. best German Steel 3-1/2 x 1/4
 5-40/112 Cwt. best German Steel 2-1/4 x 1/2
27/112 Cwt. best German Steel 2 x 1/2
 4-32/112 Cwt. best German Steel 1-5/8 x 1/2
10-80/112 Cwt. best German Steel 1-1/2 x 3/8
30/112 Cwt. best German Steel 1-1/2 x 1/2
21-48/112 Cwt. best German Steel 1-1/8 x 3/16
19-32/112 Cwt. best German Steel 1-3/8 x 1/4
21-48/112 Cwt. best German Steel 1-1/8 x 3/8 [8]

The archival evidence is supplemented by the results of archeological excavations. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the items recovered on the site are supplemented by the inventories and requisitions, because the pieces of scrap actually found seem to represent a greater range of sizes and shapes than is found on any one Company list, at least any one examined during this study.

In the words of Mr. Caywood, "the amount of iron which was un earthed during the excavations from 1947 to 1952 is almost inconceivable ," and additional large amounts remain undiscovered or have been hauled away as scrap or with the earth during various ground-leveling operations. Much of the recovered iron was found in Well No. 1 and in the Root House cellar where it must have been dumped about the time the post was abandoned by the Company. "But," wrote Mr. Caywood, "several thousand pieces were found in the southeast section of the fort," scattered near and on the sites of the Blacksmith's Shop and the Iron Store. [9]

Among the recovered items of scrap were many end pieces of standard-sized strap, bar, and rod iron that obviously had been cut off as waste. An analysis of these revealed that there were at least forty-nine different sizes of strap iron and seven sizes of bar iron. "There were also," said Mr Caywood, "7 thicknesses of sheet iron or plate iron ranging from 1/32 inch to 1/2 inch in thickness. Rods were found to have come in ten different diameters ranging from 1/4 inch to 1-1/2 inches." [10]

The sizes of strap iron recovered were as follows:

3 x 1 inches
3 x 5/8 inches
3 x 1/2 inches
2-1/2 x 7/8 inches
2-1/2 x 3/4 inches
2-1/2 x 1/2 inches
2-1/2 x 3/8 inches
2-1/2 x 1/8 inches
2-1/2 x 3/32 inches
2 x 3/8 inches
1-3/4 x 1/2 inches
1-3/4 x 3/8 inches
1-3/4 x 1/4 inches
1-5/8 x 1/2 inches
1-5/8 x 1/16 inches
1-1/2 x 1/2 inches
1-1/2 x 3/8 inches
1-1/2 x 1/4 inches
1-1/2 x 3/32 inches
1-1/2 x 1/16 inches
1-3/8 x 3/8 inches
1-3/8 x 1/14 inches
1-3/8 x 3/16 inches
1-3/8 x 1/16 inches
1-1/4 x 3/8 inches
1-1/4 x 1/4 inches
1-1/4 x 1/18 inches
1-1/4 x 1/16 inches
1-1/8 x 3/8 inches
1-1/8 x 1/4 inches
1-1/8 x 1/8 inches
1-1/8 x 1/16 inches
1 x 3/8 inches
1 x 1/4 inches
1 x 1/8 inches
1 x 3/32 inches
1 x 1/16 inches
7/8 x 3/8 inches
7/8 x 1/4 inches
7/8 x 1/8 inches
3/4 x 3/8 inches
5/8 x 1/16 inches
1/2 x 3/8 inches
1/2 x 1/4 inches
1/2 x 1/16 inches
3/8 x 1/16 inches
1/4 x 1/8 inches
1/4 x 1/16 inches

The seven sizes of bar iron were:

1 x 1 inch
7/8 x 7/8 inch
3/4 x 3/4 inch
5/8 x 5/8 inch
1/2 x 1/2 inch
3/8 x 3/8 inch
1/4 x 1/4 inch [11]