The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1873-09-13

THE YELLOWSTONE.

~. SEPTEMBER Is, II
THE YELLOWSTONE.
Tho Trip q The KY West, "::asa Ssme L.
terestiag Facts Abont the River. -
correspoudencc New York Tribune.
on rHs YELLOWSTONE, July 9Th.
Sailing up the river, A. l now am, on the
very bos. that iirss made the trip. to all ap-
pcarsnces We arc navigating river ~ large
~ the Ohio, and greatly resembling that
stream IN ito dow snd aspect between Pits"
burg and Wheeling. Itis difficult to realize
tina, this IL only the second trip OF . steam
boa, ON this river Finding that the engin'
ee,s had two days work to do On the river
ab0ve our camp. in which Il would be nsc>
essary to take the Key West, l gladly avail
ed myself Ut the opportunity 10 zee twenty
I've miles Of the river above point $50
miles fr"n i,s mouth. The Key West,
which has made the trip 70 successfully, 10
ono of the largest boats Oh the Missouri,
measuring zoo feet in length and IS feet in
breadth. Like Ill Western river steamers,
she - Of light draft, drawing only two feet,
and has stern wheel. Captain Marsh, her
commander, is an experienced navigator,
and has turned this new venture into con.
siderable profit. Five hundred dollars =
day in government. employ for every day be
remains in the Yellowstone. whether active
or idle. 10 no mean compensation. Thirty
days on this river in the service Of this cx'
petition makes total of 81. OO0-s profit
which, considering the risk, 10 rather large,
nearly large enough 10 pay for his boat.
Compensation ai half this enormous rate
would not have been illiberal on one side,
" Improbable On the other. Who had the
honor Of making this liberal bargain do
not know. nor what exigency Of the service
or risk Of the steamer required it. The
boat had u sufficient guard 10 protect It
sgains, Indians. The pract,cabiliiy Of nav.
iga,ion was assured Ivy the previous trip.
The novelty If being the first boat to carry
freight up the river seems hardly 10 require
this immense insurance, since the actual
insurance on the boa. was not Cancelled Or
impaired by the bargain.
SCENES ALONG THE RIVER
From measurmcn,s made by Gen. Rosser,
it Is found that the average width Of the
Yellowstone 10 200 fcc,-its rate about six
miles Nh hour. 1t Is 700 feet above the
Missouri. II his = fall Of about two feet to
the mile, which gives 1t rapid current.
Imagine steamboat sailing On . river nine
times NJ high ~ Trinity steepIe, Snd you
have our height above New York Bay
about 1880 feet. The average depth at this
point 10 about three aud half feet.
Our boat proceeded up the river without
| much difficulty. though it 10 hard tug
against the current. Four miles an hour
against the stream ID the maximum speed.
| With the current We can make sixteen to
eighteen miles.
When ascending the river with heavy
cargo, the current Is ~ strong in some pla.
ces ,ha, il would he necessary 10 warp" n
Is frequently done ON the Upper Missouri.
'Wsrping" consists in taking line from q
pair Of steam windlasscs III the bow Of the
boat. and making it fast on shore. The
windlssses are then wound up, and The
power acquired In this way, in addition Ia
full steam on the paddles, usually carries
the boat up against nm obstinate set in the
current. With our light load, We met no
place that could not be steinmed with the
ordinary power Of our engines. though Ia
rUunding the numerous islands . little
hacking and vssring WAS s0metimes neces
sary. -... ..r
The scenery On the Yellowstone, or u
less, on the twenty five miles comprised in
our trip. does not differ materially from
that of the Upper Missouri, or along ths
Little Missouri. From the dull yellow
bluffs which line i,s banks. II gets ito name
and these are repeated often enough to just
~ the appella,ion. The averge height o|
the river bank ranges from six to twelve
feet. The yellow bluffs never come boldly
and squarely to the front like the Hudsou
River Pal,sa.les, but being composed Of sof
cIsys and esnds, have been scanned and
sloped TO the water, preventing the usua
phenomena Of the Mauvaises Terres. tn,
mooot0ny which would be occasi0ned By I
succession of tl,ese soft. yielding, trsacher
Gus clays. which, unlike the hard trap Of
the Hudson, suggest rather mobility thar
stability, 10 varied by frequent low, grecs
shelves and table lands, the bluffs kindl,
receding mile Or more from the river, o.
entirely disappearing for the time. Thu
change 70 green, grassy dat after sue
cession Of these hsrren, treeless hluffs, 4
very pleasing The qualification Of ,hes'
bluffs IL horizontal aud very regular. Darl
layers Ut Ignite are sometimes inter?osed
For two miles Of our trip there was . fn,
exposure Of coal slMut three feet in thick
ness. The thinker is confined mainly I,
the islanls. On these there IL usually I'm
growth Of cottonwood. Large numbers o
wild geese frequent the river. and on req
nisitiOn from some two ~. three of our bes
shots several were transferred to the steam
bOat table, which. considering our distance
from civilization. preserves remarkable
concord with our appetitc& .-...
4 00oWball Prem IL 8anes.
From the Virginia Entesprtee, Sept. "a.