The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-05-16

out, looking fresher than before,
that Ia whom thoy- como through
safe, thanksto tho pilot---but Instant
ly the men spring to the oars for the
danger is not yet all passed, for there
are rocks to dodge aud brakers to
ride through, but soon all Is passed
saE ly, aud Little Bull is behind us.
There was good running then until
we came to Stevens Point, some
thirty five miles below Little Bull,
whore there was a very broad dam to
run. In the dams on this river they
have slides constructed at an angle of
irom l5o to 800 for running tho lum.
Der over, but this dam was very high
and tho lower part Of the slide was
taken away by high watcr aud ice; al
so there was break at Que end OF
the dam, aud the water drawed that
way very heavy, 50 it was hard work
to get the RAFT in the right place to
run the slide, but let us go over on
piece aud see for ourselves. Az
at Little Bull, all Of the men get on
one "piece" aud run il over, we had
no extra pilot here. Now we are all
on and "tied loose" We dri6 slowly
down towards the dam, and keep away
to tho left Of the slide and il seems as
though wo were going to jump the
dam, but when We get within few
rods Of the dam, the water took a
sudden shoot to the right and car
ried us into the slide, almost with the
quickuess Of lightning; down the
slide we rush swift as a train of cars,
aud come to the foot, where the flu.
gers we're taken away, under the wa.
ter about eighteen inches wo dive,
which sweeps tho raft aud we arc
through. We were successful here
and did not stave any of our fleet
A great many jumped The dam, end
some run through the break, many
stove their lumber aud had il to raft
over again.
On rock near the break saw
raft, the bow mounted high aud dry,
and the tail was sunk.
About u mile below tho Point dam
is the head Of Conant's Rapids; these
| think are three miles long, aud the
danger lies in striking the rocks, Of
which the river is iull.
We had an extra pilot here that
charged one dollar aud a half a trip,
In running these rapids, when the
men 60 through with one "piece, "
they have to walk back after another
which is termed giggiug back.
In all the rapids from hero to
Point Bass, sixty miles, there is only
a certain place to run, with rocks and
breakers on both sides. On the
route all through the rapids, can be
seen cribs of lumber, or sometimes
whole rapids pieces, mounted high
and dry on tho rocks, or often all
stove TO pieces, but let US go over the
rapids. We are tied loose. and away
we go. Now we dodge a rock on the
right, then a large breaker, which il
we run through would smash us to
pieces, then dodge a rock on the left,
then an eddy and so on through. The
pilots understand the river so we'll
they know just where to put in every
clip with the oar, and should
there happen To be one put in wrong
the lumber would be smashed on
some rock and perhaps sink. when
the men would be at the mercy of
the angry food.
From Conants there is good run
ming to the head of Grand Rapids,
with the exception Of two dams to
run. but both safe.
Now comes tho greatest rapids in
the river for breaking up lumber, aud
is an excellent place for weak nerves.
These we run on Sunday, the sixth of
May. l came very near having the
mex prcssible pleasure (O Of running
a rapids piece through these rapids
alone.
We tied mp in an eddy n short dis ..
tance above tho rapids, and as they
run them two Of the men would drop
the "piooes" down close to the head,
where u crew would be in waiting
and would take it through.
The owner waited TO know if /
would not help him drop down a
"piece," and | consented aud got on
aud helped him aud sucker" run it
down; the men were on a pier waiting
so when we camo along, We could get
of, aud they step on. just before
we came to the pier, we run close to
a boom, and l do not know why,
but the owner aud the other hand
got off there and left me on alone,
and ofcourse ! could do nothing TO
getting it to the pier, but shot past in
a hurry as the water was swift, but
as good luck would have it, there
to be man there with a
skiif, who set them on and took me
off, did not help drop any more.
II was a wonder TO all why the own
or aud "sucker" did not stay on until
the raft was TO its place, but they
were either excited or thoughtless.
To run these rapids we had two ex-
TIA pilots at one dollar aud half a
piece, per trip, one for the bow aud
the other for the siearsman. 1t was
a wild and exciting ride through
these rapids, which arc four miles
long The description OF Conaut's
Rapids, will answer for these, only
these are far moro dangerous, more
rocky, and in them one dam to run,
aud on the whole route, were far
more lumber mounted on rocks, and
md broken up; some all stove 10 pie
'es aud the lumber lost For any