Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-04

Big John. who lives down the RIVER from
LAcaiae. came up ~ ths village To - Il
any sns bad come up from Nonsssal 20
seconpsny htm- he found two young
men. utter strangers 10 him and TO each
other. One. George Wait, was frcn
Montreal. while the Other, Frederick
Goyer. came from back eountrse.-
The mSn walked Down 10 hs Johns
house. distance Of three miles. Here
skey ssaaehed thsir boal. ana the party
was increased by ore more. Big johns
son Murray. II took only half an hour
10 work out throash the Ice and heavy
water 10 reach the top Of the rapids- As
the boat approached them Big John
stood mp IA tAe stern with his long psd-
die In his hand ready for the shoot.
Rocks glastened on ali sides with their
icy coats; hinge waves dashed high.
ieaped over the trail boat and threatened
10 swamp her. Goycr was kept busy
hAiling out with Wait, while Murray
obeyed the commands Of his father.
Goyer describes the passage as follows:
From the time we struck the rapids
until we reached the lower end Of them.
John seemed being inspired. His eyes
were fairly giistening and shooting dre.
| thought they would leap from their
sockets with the tremendous excite
msnt His long. thin paddle would
sweep the air like fash and DO buried
in the foaming water, swinging the boat
hither and thither, avoiding this jutting
~-.k cu1 thar, thai one A c<reSuvoua
stream Of commands in Freuch flowed
from his lips to his SON Murray, who
was nearly the equal of his father In
dsxterity. Now and then no directed
me in broken English to do something.
He was . picture that no artist would
ever forget, and that would haunt him
until he had reproduced it on canvas"
The trip was one Of excitement and
peril from beginning to end. the boat
passing from one rapid to another in
Succession. Il filed continually with
water and kept Wait and Goyer busy
bailing. When they reached tho whirl-
pool. the last and most dangerous spot,
Big John gave his final command, and
it came near also being his last on earth.
He shouted to Murray, the boy, to p,d-
die hard, and as the lad shifted his posi-
ton to take = longer and stronger stroke
he lost his balance and fell over on lis
back in tho bottom Of the boat. Tho
mighty Indian, quick as q wink, threw
himself down fat in the boat, and thus
saved it from being capsized. the heavy
waves throwing twenty buckets Of
water all over the party. Big John was
up again in a second, and with two or
three powerful strokes he spun the boat
around and sent her nose straight into
tho waves again.
Tho whole incident did not occupy
more than six seconds. and then the
boat shot down into the home channel
in few seconds more. Big John threw
his paddle into the bottom Of the boat,
and, almost exhausted from tho violent
excrtion and excitement, sank down
into the sierra sheets. All danger was
passed. but he fully realized what .
close shave the party had had a. no
pointed back ut the whirlpool and said,
"Je croyais qu'on allait au ciel tout
rond." Which was translated, IL thought
we were going to heaven, boat and all. !"
Tho boat was pulled out at Jacques Car
tiers landing by willing hands. Big
John gave Goyer his paddle as . re-.
hinder of the trip, and announced that
that was the last time no would ever
shoot the Lachine rapids in winter
Cor. Chicago Tribune.