Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-04-21

rapids Ly Russell and the Doctor gave
no reason for changing the usual chan
mel or method, and at 4:20 we went
through, Russell's boat slightly leading.
The right channel is after all quite .
narrow chute, and the greatest danger
is in not keeping well to the center to
avoid collision with the rough
Jagged rocks Of the sides. At the
entrance the first wave is about four
feet high and they increase to the third
or fourth, some two feet higher, with
we'll defined ''combings' that are fully
equal to the heaviest surf one usually
sees on the Atlantic shore, and whose
kissing roar makes it hard to hear any
thing else in the narrow canon. The
Importance of little Roadway for
stet rage power in such places can not
be everest. mated and the doctor and
dug in our paddles to secure it, the con-
sequence being we collidcd with the
other boat in . sharp rap that might
have sunk it had it been a wooden one.
This was Just as Russell's boat mountA d
the wave ahead and the next second he
disappeared out of sight in the trough
beyond. As we rushed into the white
cap aloft we could see our prov pro-
jecting beyond the comb was directly
over his boat and it seemed certain that
it would come down on top of.it as he
arose and we sunk. A couple OF
quick back strokes with our paddle
aud no further collision occurred.
Russell. entering alone, had to rely
upon his oars, which are poor enough
in heavy rolling seas, and came near
being thrown sidewise on breakers
crest and swamped, an accident which
think not unlikely the collision
helped to avert. In any dangerous
chute boat Of our size should have at
least two persons aboard and paddles
relied upon wholly. When we shot
these in 1883 the waves were not quito
80 high and the waters seemed more
broken up and frothy, the whole length
of the short cancn being a mass Of
milk-like foam, while at this stage of
water the huge waves, or better speak
ing great uninterrupted breakers, were
we'll defined, reaching from rock to
rock and did not break into a boiling
mass until the canon was cleared and
there was a chance to spread. One
of the singular sensations Of shoot
ing an exciting rapid is the apparent
slowness with which one moves, while
directly in what one would infer to be
the swiftest parts from the very name
rapids" It always seemed to me that
the boat was very deliberate and rs Their
liked dallying in the dangerous ways;
and then again it may be true that the
foaming, dancing, roaring water is not
going as fast as the senses credit. I
know this is true of similar people.
The waves we had to ride after pass
ing we'll through were quite high but
long and not breaking, so outside Of
possible sea-sickness if they continued
too far, there was no great danger and
we really enjoyed them by compare
son with tho much more dangerous
Rink Rapids.
Singularly enough Russell did not
know the collision took place in these
latter rapids although it was n severe
one, as he was busily engaged in right
ing his swinging boat to escape swamp
ing. 1t was more like the collision of
two foot-b balls than two cannon balls,
the shock being almost wanting. A
most furious wind had made the steer
ing difficult and OF course at the worst
places. 1t had amounted to gale just
before shooting the Rink and ut one
time we discussed the advi: ability Of
postponing the run until it should die
UOWn. just a1Lcc we were treated
to the homogeneous combination Of a
prolonged heavy rain storm with the
sun shining the whole time.
The next day, the 27th, we made our
way to old Fort Selkirk q long aban-
doned and utterly ruined Hudson Ba y
post, being the point wher, my ex-
ploratiOns of 1888 terminated. The
cutting capacity of the swift Yukon
was we'll seen that day when we passed
the site of the old Indian Wills ge Of
Kitt-ah-gcn. Here large well-con-
structed building stood in 1883 with a
number of brush houses around it on q
level wooded bank reaching far back
to the hills. Now the river had swept
away every vestige of the native town
and cut deep into the poplar grove,
leaving only a frowsy fringe of it