Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-07-07
DROWNED IN THE COLORADO

--
a long and PeriIous swim Through
Eddtes and Over Rapids.
A correspondent of the Phoebe Record
writes to that paper the following thrilling
letter from Ell Dorado Canyon, on the
Colorado Rivers Another Of Cur oid-timers
has been swallowed up by the tfeaoherous
Colorado. Barney Coleman and Benjamin
Gooch, accompanied by two Indians, start
ed up the river last Friday morning in q
skiff for the purpose of catching d%rift-wood,
and to-day about noon, Coleman came
back into camp stark naked, bringing back
the sad news Of the death OF poor Gooch
and his own narrow escape.
After reaching a point between twelve
and fifteen miles up the river, the boat,
becoming manageable, was drawn into
an eddy and disappeared in an instant.
The skitf at the time was near q steep cliff
of rocks, whose walls were two hundred
feet in hight, and the Indians observing
that the eddy was about swallowing the
boat and crew, jumped out and chung to
the rocks, and Gooch endeavored to do the
same thing after them. He secured a
slight hold to the perpendicular side of tie
cliff, chung to it for only a moment, then
fell into the water and was seen no more.
Coleman sprang from the stern OF the skill
out into the river and got beyond the eddy,
whore he watched for thea appearance OF the
boat. He had not long to wait, but it
seemed to him ages, when he caught sight
Of it, bottom upwards, a few yards down
the river, when he swan after it, overtak-
ing and clinging to it. In this condition,
for three miles, he went shooting past rocks,
blowing through breakers and whlrllng
about in eddies, when he came face to face
with one of those roaring rapids and
treacherous eddies, 80 numerous and so
| dreadful in Colorado. There was no time
| to lose. Another chance between life and
death, and that chance perhaps was the
only one in a thousand. The resolution
was formed one moment and executed the
next. The skiff was in the midst of the
| rapids, standing on end; another breaker
and over it went. This was an indiscrib-
able moment to Coleman, whose sole re-
lance had deserted him, as he felt a pris-
oner in the hands Of Death, and though
he had scarcely known his strength before,
here was a desperate opportunity for its
test, and he says that he felt that he was
q mere straw at the mercy OF u wave one
second and an eddy the next. Here was
waged A fierce and protrscted struggle for
| life between y powerful man aud skilful
swimmer, Weighing 225 pounds. and frs
q whirlpool and then a rapid, whose iorce
and size and danger can never lie realized
except by the man whose life was trembl'
| ing in the balance; but courage and human
strength at last prevailed, and the brave
man swan ON over rapids and through
whirl pools for the distance of three a:
perilous miles as was probably ever wor
by man. Who can imagine his feelings
as he reached in safety and crawled upon
the river bank where he lay for some time
completely exhausted. AS soon as he had
regained sufficient strength Coleman Sc
out for the Canyon, and, shoeless and
naked, after q tramp OF six miles over thu
barren, rocky mountains, and through
deep CANYONS and burning sands in thu
heat Of q broiling sun, he arrived, his fee
bleeding and fsarfully laeerated by Thu
sharp rocks. None but those who have
visited these pittiless waste OF ofea
ton and boated the swift and treaoheyoas
Colorado, the river that never gives up III
dead, can but draw a faint idea of Cole
mans wild and perilous swim~-clinging
to a capsized skitf for over three miles,
and three moro miles which he is compel
led to depend On his powerful arms-oi
six miles.
BENJAMIN Gooch, the drowned man, was
a native of England, and l believe he ha:
relatives residing at Lee Center, Illinois
also an uncle at Los Angeles, California
The two Indians managed to crawl VI
the cliff and escape.