Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-08-06
Lost In Canon.

Louis CohD, who is connected with post tra-
derships in the Northwest has just arrived at
Chicago, and tells stcry of almost unexampled
suffering. He came direc from Fort Keogh,
which is situated on the Yellowstone river. Mr..
Cohn descended the Yellowstone and Missouri
rivers to B snarck on o sm ,ll steam sr that had
delivered cargo Of military supplies at Ksogh.
The June ireshe.." as it is termed. was on at
the time, snd the Y Yellowstone was swollen to
bursting. In the gorges, whsre. on ao,ount of
the perpendicular wslls Of rock-iu PLACES a
thousand feet high-the torrent could not
spend its enormous force 10 overthrow, the cur.
rent had apparently force of thirty miles an
hour.
Oae evening" as the boat was emerging from
one of the narrowost canons in the river. man
named Richie, Frenchman, who was working
as roustabout to pay for his passage to the
post, caught his foot in rope, and. stumbling.
pitcoed over the guard into the water. Il,
wasn't much of N ,riner, nor was he swim nsr
enough TO cope With current as tumultuous
as the Y Yellowstone; so, while as swimmer be
didn't make apy peroeptible hesdway, as q
hoater ho mado wonderful time. Ofoourse the
crew made show Of trying 10 resc1e the poor
Freedman, but tho pilot had too fresh sense
of the difficulties Of navigation in that region to
think OF dropping back down the oauon after
having nearly worn out boiler and engine 10
getting through it. So. 10 ten seconds, more
or less. the man overheard had been swept
down into the neck of the gorge, and soon dis
appeared altogether from view.
Thirteen days from that time, at about the
same hour 10 toe evening, the steamer, on lis
return trip, With large cargo OF peIts. shot
down through that same canon at fearful rate
of speed, the current alone without the help of
steam carrying the light craft with lightning-
like velocity. ln the deepest part of the gorge,
upon patch of beach that seemed to have
been formed of the debris perpetuslly drop.
ping from the stup ,ndous walls Of granite, Q
| man wss espied in the attitude of signaling the
boat to stop. For signal he used bis flannel
| shirt. As soon as possible the boat vas brought
| to landing near by where the man was stand.
ing.
10 the meantime the s'rauger-no. not the
stranger, for, despite his changed appearance.
| be was Instantly recognized by every man of
| the crew-had fallen into 'limpsy heap upon
the strip of beach. This man WAS Riohe, the
''roustabout," who, to the amaz ,ment of bis
rescuers, had survived the dive and dash
through the Derllous canon, and, by no particu.
| lar effort Of his own, had stranded on the beg
carly patch of rocky beach, With terrible river
on two sides of him and granite walls on the
other two sides. He remembered falling ovsr.
board, aud, more Vividly sill, be remembered
| rolling Up safely on the rocks, somewhat bruised
| and With throat and nostrlls gorged with water,
but he could give 20 idea of the time spent in
| the water, nor the uumber of days that had
elapsed sine, the crew had cruelty abandoned
| hun to bis fate. .. .......
| NJ. Conn says that Riches condition was
wre!cbed to the last extreme When found and
taken aboard the boat ne could not srticulate his
words in:slligblv. He had taken nothing but
river water into his stomach during the thirtsen
days of his isolation. When, under the Judi
cious application of stimulating food. he was re-.
stored suthlently to be able to converse, he told
them that his only hope had been that steamer
would come along and that he would be able to
make himself discovered. As the ninchipg
panga of stsrv vation increased, he would lie for
hours with ear close to the water, momentsrily
imagining ths, he could hear the pulsstons of q
steamer bresati,g and Drawing the rapids. +. .!.t
After q few days his stomach rejected wstsr.
and as that was the best and only offering he had
to give it WAS forced to feed upon itself and it was
doing this at ruinously rapid rate when suocor
| came. Rlche, who apparently has been man
of 1G0 pounds weight was q skeleton when res.
cued, snd had not strength enough to life both
hands to his face at once. he said thst several
time fine. large trout disportsd themselves
in the shadows ct his feet aud once be threw
himself sprawling into the water and thrust bis
hand along the graVeled bottom in the hope oi
clutching one of the fish, but they eludad hi
grasp, and he was left to the spslrng ref ,ctior
tnat there were millions of fish within reach and
8 not even q minnow to eat 500.
a YRES HERNIA TRUSS-Doctor Hunte
| "A Mcclure, of Richmond, says of this cele
1 kaS pY1u Hho Truc 10 fha hat