The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-03
IN A LITTLE PAPER CANOE
An Intrepid Newspaper Man Makes
a Journey of Full Six
Thousand Miles.
Arrival Of Ebert Rappleye at AS
toria, Oregon, Eight Full
Months Out.
He Started from the Statue of Liberty,
April 1O-The Route He
Followed.

He Started from the Statue of Liberty
April 1O-The Route He
Followed.
Ebert Rappleye, the New York Mail and
Express reporter, mentioned from time te
time in tie Oregonian, who left New YORK
harbor April 10 last in paper canoe Tor q
trip across the continent, has at last reached
his destination. Astoria, says that paper
He made the 6,25O miles in just go days,
and is none the worse fol. the perilous I'M
dertakinp. although his tanoe is a sorry
looking object. With the exception of a
tvelye-mile portage across the main divide
of the Rocky mountains. Rappleye made
the entire distance from the Atlantic to the
Pacific by water. OF course, his experiences
have been varied, and the stories he tells
are very interesting. This is how he de-
scribed his trip to reporter on his arrival
at Astoria:
Starting from the statue of Liberty in
New York harbor April 10, he assembled the
Hudson to Troy, thence by Erie canal to
Buffalo, across Lake Erie to Westield,
where a two-mile portage was made to
reach the headwaters of the Allegheny
river. Down the Allegheny to Pittsburg,
then over the whole length of the Ohio to
Cairo, up the Mississippi to st. Louis. He
then assembled the Missouri to the noun
tains, crossing the divide to the Clarke's
fork, and descended through PEND d,Oreille
lake to the Columbia. From Pittebur9 to
the Rocky mountains the route lay over the
same waters traversed by the Lewis and
Clarke expedition. 1T was while reading
copy of their diary" said the canoeist, 1.-THE
idea suggested itself to me of canoe voy-
age ana a writeup of the country to-day in
contrast to what it was some eighty years
ago. In a week had started, taking only
Il rife, fish line, photograph outfit and
blankets.
1T was smooth sailing all the way to the
Rocky mountains. Through the Erie canal
the strange life and manners of the boat
men aud their families gave me many in
teresting experiences. The isolated towns
in western Pennsylvania, where oil is all
the people talk about, made the voyage
down the Allegheny much like trip
through a mining region out here. / saw
them shooting wells, and it was some time
before could make hill look natural
without imagining its surface covered with
a confusion of dilapidated oil derricks.
One day was cooking my dinner on shore,
and went to pick up some wood, when
found shanty few rods away stored full
of nitro-glycerine. There was sign on it
which convinced mo that safety lay some
distance between myself and the
cabin in short order without waiting
to finish my dinner. Along the Ohio
there are little villages, remote from any
railroad. People are always asleep, guess,
except when a steamboat whistles, and a
traveller can enjoy the romantic scenes to-
day which one reads of in the stories of life
before the war. There the negro Is born,
and grows and dies in peace. happy in spite
of an ignorance and wretchedness simply
astonishing. ! saw them working in the
tobacco fields, heard their quaint songs and
watched their dances on the levee at night.
At Louisville 1 ran the falls of the Ohio.
The shores were crowded with people. All
knew of it was a terrible rush and roar of
water, and large excursion steamer from
New Albany, which was waiting below,
"While ascending the Mississippi the
weather was SO intolerably hot I travelled
most of the time at night. At all the
towns where stopped the people wanted
souvenirs, and promised an old lady who
was more persistent than any one else /
ever met, that would send her my frypan,
which, with coffee pot and plate COM
pleted my list of cooking utensils, at the
end of the voyage. She immediately in
sisted on my accepting $40 for it. i'm
mediately had another offer SO much high
er that dare not tell it. WE'LL. down the
Ohio made sixty to ninety miles day,
but up the Mississippi seldom more than
twenty until reached st. Louis on July /,
and rested until after the 4th. It may
seem strange. but passed up by the mouth
of the Missouri without noticing it. and
never discovered my mistake until four
went. back. There are generous
people. in, the world, but in some
localities they are especially so. In ascend
ing the Missouri met with SO much kind
ness from everyone that it seems to me now
that the pleasantest part Of the whole voy-
canoe was exhibited, and donations Of
fruit, cake ana flowers came in constantly.
In lite while had rings, bracelets pins
and all sorts of queer notions which people |
wanted me to carry with me across the |
country, 50 that they could tell their
TRENDS, when they see the little boat at the
which had been carried in it to the Pacific.
! bought about ten yards of necktie week
for distribution.
when in South Dakota once got ont of
provisions, and had hard time. There
were some towns on nv map, but unfortun-
ately that was their only existence. For
two days had to get along on nothing bnt
coffee. and the last night dreamed Of GETTING
stuck in quicksand and drowning. woke
Up nearly frightened to death, and takinu
my rlne Went out TO wait for SUNRISE had
gotten away mile perhaps, when 7 dis
covered IRE back at my camp and re.
turned as quickly as I could, but too late to
save my tent and many valuable things in
shape of papers and extra clothing. Next
day reached a ranch-completelv plaved
out. There was treated royalty. They
could not think of enough to do for me
when left, and even offered me money.
There was lots Of fun when coming through
the Sioux country. I wrote some short
hand to interest Sitting Bull one day I
spent in his camp and after he had tested
my medicine writing to his satisfaction
gave me a name, Man With Big Memory.
Even then the Indians were talking of the
trouble they are having there now
"There was much country hard to pass
through, such as the Bad Lands and the
woodless tracts in Montana and North Da-
kota, but my chapter of accidents COM
menced after crossing the mountains. In
descending the Missoula river aud He'll
Gate river hadl to pass through 100 miles
Of river never before navigated. It was
terrible: canyons, rapids and falls, port-
ages and 'let-downs' all day long. The
boat was seriously injured twice. the latter
time narrowly escaped drowning, and lost
over hundred photograph plates of
scenery. But finally got through on the
Clarke river, followed that TO the Pend
d'Oreille. and there had to give the paper
boat rest. So l bought large Indian
canoe. and with that crossed the lake and
down the Pend d'Oreille river. When with