Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-06-17

Il, six miles Of heavier rapids than any
met so far, and remarked, .There was
not one chance in a hundred for any
sort of boat to get through safely"
The roaring rapid Just ahead, probably
equal to the W. '!pool rapids below
Niagara. was Tut one of score or
more in the course. The high canyon
walls were perpendicular now as an
average, and quite rs often were pro-
iecting over us as they slanted back
wards. The canyons course was
tortuous one, with sharp turning an
giles, vet somewhat uniform in proper
lions, SO little experience taught us
how to manage them to the least dan
ger. Oftentilnes the swift glacial
water, a perfect sand-blast for centur-
les, had cut far under the rock wall,
against which it iInpinged sometimes
at right angles, until the cavern under
meath looked like death itself as we
shot towards it. The impinging points
were always flanked by danger
Gus whirlpoo,s, whose vortlces We're
were often two to four feet below the
rim. The highest waves were just OF
the sharp angles, and while seemingly
so to the novice, they were not the
IQOSU OdUgcTOuS, uOWCNCI. SuoO oAOuA>s
under the Ice of the points small gravel
bars were occasionally found, but they
were not frequent. They were our
life preservers in case OF upsetting'
ripping holes in the boat, or other &C
cident. No padding was needed to
get ahead in the lightning express
Current, but all energy was bent in
making from point to point, SO we
really ferried backward and forward,
while the current carried us along.
The boats bow was, therefore, al
ways pointing toward the canyon wall
which terminated in the point we
were trying to make. But in going
through tue high waves this perpen-
dicular position to the current was
perilous, as the curling breakers could
easily have upset o much better made
craft, SO here we swung around. At
11:2O we came to clean, sheer fall OF
FIVE to six feet on the outward, sweep
ing curve that faded to u rapid at the
salient point of the wall opposite. The
rapid on our left curled around to the
foot of the fall in whirlpool greater
than any yet seen; perfect cone OF
rushing water, fifty feet across, that,
grasping great log, spun it around
like straw and sucked it out OF sight
in the vortex. We were not over
twenty yards from it when seen and
we all expected to 60 over 1t, but un'
usual padding put us to the bar op
posite, where we dropped the boat
around by painters just below we
launched where the canyon seemed
opening. Undoubtedly the escape q
the whirlpool fall was our closest thai
day and narrow enough to satisfy ever
q dime hero. Notes could not b
taken in the rnpids owing to the boat
motions, 60 we jotted them down .
bars where we rested what we remem
bered from the last stopping place. A
this bar find recorded in my book
IA perfectly fearful forenoon, will
| enough danger to turn hair mat
| tress gray" From here, seven mile
from our morning camp, we could Sc
a wider and more open valley ahead
which we reached in few minutes.
was the Chittynn of the Indians, tn
river flowing less and clearer waite
! than the one we had just descended
1t was running high waves but YER
long ones. not at all dangerous. tn
current dropping to six or seven mile
an hour. We camped after maxim
thirty-tive miles, our original five mile
of rapids having drawn ont into nearl
fifty, which, could we have We've
them ahead, all concurred we woul
rather have tried packing around ther
than attempt what we had done.
was lucky, indeed, we could not thu
have viewed them. 1t was a gratefr
sight next day to see low wOOde
points projecting into the river, instea
of frowning canyon walls. At 9 W
came to the confluence of tn
Chittyna and Copper rivers an
at 10 sighted the Atna India
village of Taral, and to our satisfactio
found that it was well peoplet
Nicolai, the chief, gave us a heart
welcome and still heartier dinner {
tea, some graham bread and grea
slab of dried bacon each. 1t does NJ
seem SO wondrously palatable jul!
now, looking back at it, but if l coul
combine it's palatability at that tim
with its present price in the great citi.
l would not exchange the combinatio
for the richest mine in the world. II
sold us all the bacon he had, sma
piece, and some flour, while anOtht
Indian gave us q salmon; altogether "
, were faring unusually well. l W;
greatly surprised to find that Nicol,
spoke Chinook we'll enough to g,
along with him. This jargon had b
lieved from my former experience {
the Pacific coast did not extend ahoI
Southeastern Alaska. Nicolai told ,
he expected to assemble party ,
Indian fur traders in week to t.
days and descend the Copper river
the trading stations near it's mout
and that we could join the party. v
now saw that if we had packed out v
would have been too late to take a
: vantage of this, the last chance Of Il
year for native help to assist us to Il
coast. A little discussion disclosed /