The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-07-16
1T WAS A DARING CRUISE.
south Haven To south Bend I'm u Row
ioat.

rapid, rocky river, may not have been
"A trip of pronounced peril for band of
red buxom Indians; but when the voy-
age is made by six unattended and sup
posed TO be defenseless young ladies, IL
becomes not only unique undertake
ing, but correspondingly courageous
This is what six young ladies Of South
Haven have done, and now their names
are heralded over the country as girls
of the material which goes to make up
heroines. They travelled ten days in "A
single row boat, camped ten nights
wherever they happened To be, rowed
their craft the entire distance and went
from South Haven to st. Joseph, 20
miles on Lake Michigan, and from St.
Joseph To South Bend, Ind, up the St.
Joseph river, which is full of rapids,
rocks and dangerous spots
The young ladies planned their long
lake and river voyage rs pleasure trip
for the vacation season, and after an
endless amount of scheming and ar
ranging, they at last found themselves
embarking upon IA journey which no
body ever made save possibly aborigin-
al inhabitants. They thought little of
the tolls of the trip at first, but as the
time for their departure approached,
the reports of the swift currents and
dangerous rapids began to make them
feel alarmed. But the girls were in for
it; they had purchased Il boat, had Sc
cured II large tent, an oil stove, ham,
mOcks, plenty of blankets and bedding
and good literature, and they decided
that nothing should turn them back,
not even should they run across an I'M
discovered Niagara or mouse.
Well, they started, did these girls,
and about the first thing they did was
to name themselves the DO or Die"
club and to say their dictionary had no
such word as fail i'm it. Lulu Delamere
was chosen captain. and her eXper1-
ence in the school room came handy in
quelling threatened mutinOus out
breaks, and her intelligence and refine
ment were unanswerable arguments as
to the propriety of the trip. Her sister,
Miss Dora, was chosen commissary and
general directress of the culinary end
of the trip, position full of honor, but,
as she says, tremendous big under
taking-to act as custodian of the six
which were taken on the trip.
Miss Hattie Thompson, another leading
lady of the town, was first mate of the
u
chief Jester, Miss Ray Delamere was
simply private, with no official title,
and Miss Cherrie Cooper, well, she
lived at South Bend, Ind, and had
written that five fine young ladies were
about TO float into her town and want
ed the people 10 be ready to give them
a reception. They gave it, and the
ladies did not appear in full dress togs,
IL, h., Ia,
which they made the voyage.
The boat was so arranged that four
rowed at time and two were. relieved
each half hour. They had in tow fiat
boat containing their paraphernalia
which was called Our Vixen" and it
earned its title before the Journey was
completed. Their plan was
to row in the forenoon, pitch the tents
in the afternoon, swing hammocks and
read and enjoy themselves in rest and
recreation until the next morning.
The first tent was pitched seven
miles south of South Haven, along the
Lake Michigan shore, and two more
days of hard rowing brought them into
ST. Joseph river. Here their troubles
began. The first camp ON the river was
near the beautiful Royalton flights.
The supper bill of fare had been or
dained to be bread and milk for each
day, and Miss Cooper and Miss Thomp-
son started out 10 forage or purchase
milk. As they state il, they found two
dogs, vacant house and cemetery,
and it was then SO dark that they re-
turned disgusted and the I'D. or d."
club went supperless to bed that night
The trip was largely made through
heat almost insufferable, the rays of
the 9S-degrees in-the-shade sunlight
beating down upon the water, and
even penetrating the coating of corn
starch with which the young ladies'
faces and wrists were intended To be
protected. The mosquitoes were mas
sive and millions at nightfall, and at
one camping ground pigs ate the but
ter, dog broke into the provision box,
and cow stole into camp and tried to
chew up what was left.
The only storm encountered on the
trip poured down upon them when
near Berrien Springs. 1t seemed that
the very heavens had opened for
second deluge. This was the begin
ming of real hardships of the trip
The next day they found the shoals and
rapids so frequent that only seven miles
were made. AT one place half hours
hard work did not take them ten rods,
and at another time fifteen minutes of
hard rowing scarcely took them foot
There was more than the usual quota
of blistered hands that night, and some
of the party firmly believed that their
backs had been broken.
The next day they were shipwrecked,
the towboat having sprung leak; but
the discovery was not made until il was
half full of water. They attempted to
repair the boat, with the assistance of a
farmer, but were compelled to leave il
three miles below Buchanan, and with
their single boat and some of the abso-
Lutte necessities the young ladies started
out again.
The "Moccasin Rifle" was reached
last Thursday, and this swift and dan
gerous rapid, which others do not at
tempt to go over without tow-line
thrown to shore, was passed through
safely in the gallant boat. A number
of spectators were attracted to the spot,
none believing that the four ladies at
the oars could ever get through, but
they performed the task, much to the
wonder of those who saw them.
There were several equally perilous
experiences, but the girls, tired,
Drowned and jolly, reached South Bend