The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-13
AN INTERESTING TALE
William Dench Comes From
Portland in a Whitehall.
HIS ADVENTURES DESCRIBED
Sights and Scenes at the Metropolis
and on the River Described in
Graphic Manner.

Mr. william Dench, an Astoria pio.
neer of 1865, and an old Grand Army
man of some prominence in this city,
has his peculiarities. One of them, and
probably the most pronounced, is his
passion for boating, and the other day
he evolved a novel idea that gave him,
elderly as he is, sight that he not
only never saw before, but never even
imagined in his widest dreams that he
could see. Last Wednesday evening he
boarded the Telephone with his new
whitehall boat and took a trip to Port
land. When the landing was effected at
Jefferson street in that calamity strick-
en- city, William was the observed of all
into the river, took the oars, and pulled
away quietly into the stream, while his
fellow passengers floundered to the side
walks and splashed their way through
Heights. He turned his craft into WASH
ington street, a very pitiful looking
grand canal, and having heard that
work was plentiful kept his eyes open
for lucrative job. He looked in vain,
however, and after giving up the pros
pect of employment contented himself
with a journey through the town, noting
down several interesting matters which
the "hushing-up" policy of the Asso-
ciated Press and the no less deceptive
and untruthful course of the Portland
papers have left severely alone. He was
appalled, from the beginning of his jour
ney by the destructive work of the flood,
and many are the narrowing tales of
it's ravages that he tells Splendid office
furniture gone to rack; frescoed walls
of the big real estate centres discolored,
cracked and ruined; the miscellaneous
assortment of fancy toilet articles and
delicate bureau ware In the windows of
the leading drug stores, hundreds of
tons Of produce and perishable eatables,
elaborate signboards and innumerable
articles of every variety floating about
promisciously-al this going to make up
a scene unparalleled and indescribable.
Dench pulled round for several hours
lodging small steamers and boatloads
of Chinese Coolies, steering clear of the
big No. Astoria barge anchored in the
middle of Alder street, and full of pro-
visions OF all descriptions, and finally
came to the head of navigation above
Ninth street, In which vicinity he re-
mained for some hours disgusted with |
tho appearance Of so much vandalism |
and pining for a few inches Of the dry
ground he had left at home. At about |
noon on Thursday he had seen enough
of Portland to last him for the remains
der of his natural life, and decided to
make the trip down the river alone in
his boat and to note the results Of the
at various points on the way
down.
Among the variety of three dollar
wash tubs and six bit RATS that abound |
at the metropolis his well built and ex-
pensive Whitehall attracted, Of course,
a good deal of attention from the indi-
viduals propelling the baser craft, and |
much humorous badlnage resulted
One weather worn veteran, padding
about sort of cross between whale
back and an axe handle, accosted Dench
as follows:
Say, Gully. where dyer come from?"
From Astoria"
when yer goln' home?"
I'm goin' home p d. O., and don't
you forget It," replied Dench.
Say, do me a favor?"
what is it?"
Take me wild yer. It's a toss up be-
.ween bein' water logged clam up here
an clam eater down there, an l guess
I've been clam all wanter"
Dench wasn't running a private lmml-
grafton Office. however, and declined
he offer WhIstling dreariIy the old
melody Home. Sweet Home" that
-rilled over the wide waters Of Morrison
street like a dismal serenade, he backed
,ut into the channel Of the Willamette
Ind turned the nose Of his boat towards
he ocean.
Il got out into the stream" he said to