Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-12-05
Running Rat River Fails.


in Oshkosh. he took Job getting OUT
some logs uD on the headwatsrs Of Rat
River, al rafting them down 10 Wolf
River lie got some boys around Osh-
kosh. who were familiar with Rat River
10 90 ant help them, and they tramped
hom shkosh up through the woods to
the timber. Fat River Is q little stream
abO1t thirty feet wide. that runs
through the woods and marshes, and
has hardly current enough to float a
feather down stream. except in the
spring. when the snow melts. and then
II runs about three miles an hour, buE
1t is a. quiet aud mod st stream as
ever was. without ri lie ON 10. While
the boys were getting cut the timber
and rafting It they kept talking about
the n Is. and wondering If any of the
party would be drowned running the
raft over. until Sawiogs became ,nter-
ested. an the boys told him Rat River
Falls were the most dangerous falls on
any OF the logging streams of the state.
except the Dells of the Wisconsin. and
IL stood man in hand to make his
peace with his Maker before the raft
struck the ru hing, foaming water, rs
the raft was liable to 60 twenty feet
un!er water, and then take a shoot uD
into the tree tops. Sawlugs became
much intere ted. and his jollyways for
sock hum. The last night before the raft
started the boys would not play cards,
as was their usual custom, but seemed
serious, and two of them hunted testa-
ments out OF their camp outfit. and
read passages from them, until Saw
logs got nervous and w,nt out into
the W. ods and thought over his past
life. and wished the danger was past.
II he then had any ambitions 10 a
nited states ScnatOrship in the future,
that sleepless night of a o1y, thinking
Of the penis OF the morrow in running
the falls, Knocked the ambition out of
him. He arose in the morning pale
and nervous, and when the raft was
turned loose aud the start was made,
h acted as though he would give all
lie exp Iected TO be worth IL he Rad not
taken the Oh. He could have returned
To Oshkosh by land. and let the BOYS
run the RAFT, but he would not finch
from any danger. Though new to log
ging and rafting he wa willing to
l-arn, aud he wanted to stand by AMI
90 all that any honorable man could
do. but bo told the boys that he
would 10 thankful for any sugges-
tions they would make as to SAFETY in
running the Falls. He SAID life was
perhaps as dear 10 him as anybody,
and while he was always prepared for
anythinT that night happen, and
hoped hc had led such a life as to
BE- ready at any time to meet the
Great Iudge, and he was not
coward. he felt thai it was the duty of
any man 10 take all the precautions
tEat were possible TO save life. The
boys had all they con d do to keep
from laughing, but they keep straight
face, and told him that the only thing
10 do was to lash themselves TO tn, rat
lefOre entering the falls, and trust in
Providence. II the raft was DESTROYED
and they were lost, their friends could
hnd body easier ii il was lashel to
saw log than thew could by dragging
for 1t in fifty feet of rushing wat r.
They said they would tell hlm long
enough before reaching the 'alls Sd he
could get himself fixed, and he thanked
them, and looked up NJ the b'ue sky as
though it mi hit be his last look at il.
About four O'Clock that afternoon, as
the ra wa nearing the mouth, where
The itat River empt.es into the Wcl.
the boys put n lite flour on tl,.ir
fa .es, 10 n axe them look pale, and te-
gan TO prepare to run the fails. ach
had some re Uet TO make OF the 9th
ers, in case he should be lost,
such as giving some trnket,
pipe. or some thing. To some friend,
and messages were given Co be de-
livered to friends in Oshkosh. 1t was
irving time. d when the raft pilot
said they were only a half m IT, from
the fails, and that It waS time TO lash
themselves to the raft. Sawlogs felt a.
though il was the last act of his life.
The boys helped him to lash him elf
to To-, told h m to stay there, what
ever happened. and then they retired
to the rear OF the raft to lash them
selves. they said. but really to have a
good laugh. All was still for half an
hour, and the raft moved along Ike
snail. but every m.nut, the man who
was lashed to a log. felt that the next
moment the falls would be reached.
But the Fails were never reached. be-
cause there were none. Ealf an hour
more passed, when the man began to
look around from his position, Hat on
the log. He was locking for the falls.
Then he looked at the boys who were
jumping up and laughing. and then
1t dawned upon him that he had been
sold. One of the boys came
along 10 unlash him, and he
asked what all this meant, and he was
told that the falls had been passed in
safety. and not n man had been lost
He was united, and probably madder
man never lived. He legan TO talk
sassy, but the bows told him he must
have fallen asleep and passed the falls
IN that condition, bit he knew bette.
Well. the boys made il all right with
the old man, who was boy then. and
he did not kill any Of them, but it was
q long tine before he could think of
Pat Niver without pain. Sin thon he
has got rich, and the BOYS who D ayed
1t on him a'e now some OF the most
successful on the WOLF" and the story
teller Knocked The ashes out OF his pc
and prepared To turn in, while the rest
prepared TO explore Rat River for ducks
the next day. and perhaps go over the
very falls where Sawlogs was lashed to
the raft-pcC.'S ,S,fu