The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-04-29
SINKING OF AN OvERLoADxp
CANOE.
Sfx 4sn Drowned near shs Pors.~>
- skasis nfveyf

- 6Ro819 11veyg
Last Mond.y morning Goodelrs Land.
jug. on sksgit river. presented . lively
scene Ou fhe previous night fourteen
miners had arrived there from the
nines. and there were bat tvo small
GAUGES to convey them Gown the river
One OF these frail craft wss owned by
the famous river bostman, David Bali,
who has been very successful in carry.
ing passengers mp .nd down the river.
The owner Of the other canoe recentiy
mai The misfortune to get swamped, and
thst made his craft unpopular. All ths
ininers. Of course. wanted to take pas
, sage in the canoe Of the more skilIfuI
b Altman. bat that vas Impossible
After considerable talk and some delay.
ten miners with their baggage got into
Balls canoe. making with the boatmen
twelve heavy men in . craft hardly
large enough, With safety. for six per-
an.. Sose facetious remsrks we're
msds. on their starting. about their
chans~s Of getting through safe but
all had great faith 10 their captain,
who assured them that he could take
th.m through safe and sound. The
persons. in the Inflated cspoe were Ar
thur J Dempsey. james Scs0lon. WIN H
Gsacher. StSph Meaney, VIM Murray.
= Murray. Frank Sherman, H d Long,
James Wiley. Louis Whittiessy. Dave
Bali snd IN Indian named jim Jones.
They left 6oodell's 1t 10 O'Clock in the
mornipg. The river vas high aud stiil
rising. Tho wster was within four
incllss of th" guuwsle Of the canoe.
audi before going . hundred feet wave
bali filled Il with water. Men were
set tcgwork bailiDg. aud on they went.
Every ripple on the water swept into
thr' canoe, and men we're kept bsiling
@ Lstantly The portage ~ss reached
IL forty minutes. and the luggage war
landed aud carried over. Ball and the
Inii.n pcrfor med the wonderful feat of
goiag through the partsge canyon in
the esbse without the slig btsst accident
This Twelve men embarked again aud
left The portage about noon for down
the river They bad not proeseded
maf. than hundred yards when the
cauos. after taking ic water on both
wdes, gradually commenced 70 sink.
Not man stirred. nor Was : word spo-
ken; all sAt quiet. as though psrslyzsd.
till the canoe MAS about fifteen inches
under water aud coMm~ncsd twisting.
.as ii to turn over. simultaneously
every nan jumped elcsrof her iato the
swiftly running stream. The shore was
not li.ore than fifty feet distant. but
edd,.s shrough v hich it WAS impossihls
to swim ius-rvsned. WIN Murray Ar
thur Dempsey. Jas Scsnlon. 0sucher.
Ball and WhIttiesey. all being expert
swimmers. started for the shore When
Whittlesey reached the eddy be realized
the impossibility of reaching the shore.
90 he called to bis companions tn return
to the swift water again. He then
star ted for the canoe. about fifty feet
distsst; il WAS rrel,ng and turning in
the wntei like I,,g in sn eddy. When
Whittlssey reached the b at be found
Wiley, Murray aud the Indian banging
to IL; but Long and Sherman had each
got roll at blankets and were ahead.
going over rifles at rapid rate. On
reaching the canos Whittlessv looked
back for the companions whom be had
lsf. struggling in the eddy. but not one
was ,a b., seen One or two hats float
ing IN the water plainly told the fate
that befell them. , mo Ut theD were
known to have got within q lew feet Ut
the shore, but none of the Ave sue
ceede. in reaching it. Nothing was
seen OF Capt Mran,y after the Canoe first
sunk. ard II is thought he was drowned
ut uuca
TIL. fur survivors who chung to the
CAM. were now being carried rapidly
through the ice cold water over the
swift r files. They soon nv~rt bok Frank
Sherman on his roll IT blsnkeis. and b.
also Lot mold of ths upturned Calico
Finally the canoe struck . rock and the
Indian made lear for lifs. reaching
the boulder snfr'y. from which he got
to the shore Hail . mile from whore
the canoe aunk she came into compare
lively stiil water aud struck snag
projecting from the shore. By the aid
Of this snag the fou. men succeeded in
reaching the shore, almost dead from
exposure. The other canoe. which left
Goodell's soon after Ball and his party.
nov came to The rescus and picked up
Mr. Leng, Who was still sdoat aided by
his roll of blankets. but chilled through
aud nearly exhausted. On reaching the
shore they made ! big Ore. and two Of
those least fatieusd went hack 70 ind.
Il possible. semo traces Of their lost
comrades, but not . vestige OF them
could be seen. A bitter. weary hour
Vas spent beside the huge fire. no one
speaking above = whisper and aE bowed
/! down with grief
Righting the canoe and picking up
the few traps that had washed ashore.
| the six ssd hearted men continued their
liourpsy down the river. They reached
Portage City in the evening and were
hosl itabIy reosived By those genersua
and kind. hearted gentlemen. Hsssrs.
| Mcp and Rankin. Who took than
| in aud mipist6rsd TO their wants With
I bountiful hand. They also obtained
. deler1piion Of Ere drowned mss. 10
order 10 identity any bodies that may
| be pick ed up. The survivors then pro-
c<td.d Ia Bsll's camp and took the
! steamer Chehalis fer this city. arriving
yesterday 1t moon.
The drowned men we're Arthur
Dempsey and James ecanlan, of Piu'
mas county, California; VIM q Gaucher,
son at DR. Gaucker. Of Yamhill county,
| Orcr on Wm Murray. son OF Ars y
rsruns.,n. of this city: DAVID Ball. con