The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-09-16
The Yellowstone
AN OPEN LETTER TO RIVER MEN

AN OPEN LETTER TO RIVER MEN.
THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER, Mouth or
POWDER, Aug, 2U.-rhe fortunes OF war
have thrown an Old river-man away up
here a. special correspondent for the
Chicago Tribune: and, anticipating an
early day when the Yellowstone river
will become an additional inland thor
| Oughiare, he forwards the following
memoranda tor the benefit OF steamboat
| men with venturesome natures-steam-
boatsmen who are fond OF hunting and
fishing, and who are not afraid Of losing
! their scalps:
This river is, in every particular. the
MOST REMARKABLE STREAM
on the American continent. | speak
whereof know from many years ex-
perience on the Ohio and Mississippi and
their tributaries, and from actual obscr-
vatiOns on this stream. Except when
swollen by summer rains, it is as clear
as the Cumberland; it has as rapid
current as the upper Missouri; il has the
clear ly-deiined banks, gravel-beds, and
bars OF the Tennessee the steady. I'M
changing channel of the Red; and is as
handsome stream as ever flowed. Re
ceiving its supply from the winters
snowfall in the Big Horn, Wolf, Pow
tains, 1t attains its maximum depth
in June at time when 9TH
er western navigable streams are gener-
ally at their lowest stages; the regularity
and slowness which the snow dissolves
serves to keep steady flow until August
The June freshet usually brings a good
deal Of sand, decomposed vegetable mat
ter, and alkali-dust from the ravines
and bad lands, which slightly I'LL up the
channels; but, as the river recedes and
false channels close up, the rapidity of the
current soon cuts away all distractions,
and the channel becomes clearly defined
Consequently, the depth Of water in the
main channel is often
AS GREAT IN AUGUST As IN JUNE
being so this year, when three and four
feet are marked on the rapids. The cur
rents run regularly from foot of bend to
point-shadow-lha is, the crossings are
natural. and all pilot has to do is TO To-
cate middle bars, false points, and rocks.
There are no snags in the Yellowstone,
| and the only hazardous distractions are
reefs Of rocks which sometimes land
| slide has thrown out into bend. Mid
| die bars and islands occur at frequent in
| tervals ; but Il good pilot can ALWAYS tell
where the draught of water Is. OF
course there are no woOdyards on the
river, but wooding places are never out
OF reach. The points and islands are
generally skiried with fine timber, drift
deadened, and standing. A crew will
wood up In forty minutes out of twelve
hours. which about as well as some
woodyards on the Cumberland or Ten
| nessee cal offer.
From Buford to Eastern Montana, the
route via the Yellowstone is, and vii
continue to bs
THE SHORTEST AND MOST ACCESSIBLE
| ONE.
The Far West" has demonstrated thi,
season that the Yellowstone is navagabl,
later than the Upper Missouri. From
Pryor's Creek TO the mouth, there can
not be less than twenty -four inches. ant
the shoal places are only two or three il
a distance of 46l miles. There are
dozen different rapids on the Yellow
stone, but clear-cut channel of fifty fee
wide and tour and five feet deep is Away
found. To Fort Ellis. Bozeman and III,
ore and fur producing regions OF Mon
tana, the Yellowstone Is the hes
route. This season, the Far West
Carroll, Josephine, and +. II
Durfee have been running OF
the Yellowstone and, although eacl