Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1855-02-22
Crossing the River.

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A correspondent of the Toronto Patriot
gives the following interesting description Of
the method of crossing the St. Lawrence riv-
er in the winter season -
The mode of crossing the St. Lawrence at
this point during winter, ia of the most primi
tive character. The ebb and flow of the tide
over the surface, while the freezing is so in
tense that the agitation of the waters does not
prevent the formation of drifted ice, which is
doated up and down by the tide. The masses
of ice vary In size, up 10 several acres. Be-
tween the floating masses, vacancies of water
of irregular size occur here and there some
times larger and sometimes less. The ordi-
dary rate at which the drift ice moves is six
miles an hour. The river is about mile
wide, and there is no means of crossing but in
frail canoes. The passengers get into the
canoe, and the boatmen drag them over ice
and row them through the intervening spaces
of water the passenger keeping in the canoe
all the time, as well while it is being dragged
over three, six or ten acre fragment, as the
case may be, of moving ice, as while they are
being rowed in The water spaces from one
field of ice to another. The operation to
stranger has the appearance of extreme peril,
especially when he sees the canoe carried three
or four miles out of its course by the current !;
but practically the danger is very small, ac-
cidents being extremely rare. Occasionally a
canoe is carried off great distance; one
having been drifted to St. Thomas, distance
of forty miles, last winter. The Canadians
are cautious people, and generally decline to
take persons across when there is danger.
Let the reader imagine himself on Durham
! Terrace, 700 feet above the confused river
surface of snow-covered ice, and restless, chat
fng water. The tide is running down.
Down the river, towards the islands of Or
leans, is a canoe with a party of six or seven,
buffeting with fields of ice that are scattered
in wild confusion over the river. The canoe
now upon field of ice, now in the river
like space of water, between two fields--gets
perceptibly further down. The boatmen have
dragged her across the mass of ice. She ap-
proaches the edge; and, just as she is going
10 plunge down into the water, the boatmen
get aboard with the passengers. The water
channel into which she has plunged runs OBJ
liquely across the river, and if she keeps ii
any considerable distance, she must be carried
much further down. For few minutes the
spectator is left in doubt whether she will
keep the channel till she passes the field of ice
that separates her from the open water near
the north shore, or whether she will cross it.
Mo- she is making directly for it; she ap-
proaches and draws up to it; in an instan,
the boatmen get upon the ice, and drag the
boat, with the passengers, after them. Finally
she makes the shore or open water, if there
happens to be any open water near it; and
as the case may be. the passengers are either
landed distant from the point they wish to
make, or the canoe has to struggle up against
tide, amid the same difficulties of ice and
water, till the desired point be reached. In
no other way can person in Quebec reach
the Richmond railroad in no other way can
passengers and goods, to and from that rail-
road, get across from Point Levi to Quebec.
sAt high or low tide the crossing is compare
lively easy, for then the boatmen can make
their way directly across the river without
disturbance