Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-06-25
PERILOUS BOAT RIDE.
AN EXCITING RUN DOWN THE UPPER
SNAKE RIVER.

Ahc AtEEOTS vi box canyon
A steamboat trip which for excitement,
peril and display of skill has seldom ii
ever been equaled In the history of river
navigation in the United States has just
been concluded on tho upper Snake river.
The Norma, a small stern wheel boat, has
made the run from Huntington, Or, 70
Lewiston, Ida, over about the worst stretch
of inland water to be found in the west
Early on tho morning of May Is the
Norma cast off her lines from the Hunt
ingtOn landing, and in command of Cap.
tain W. p. Gray, with Captain A. W. Gray
as pilot and Charles jennings ms engineer,
started on a trip the like of which will in
all probability never be undertaken again.
For the first few miles the river was
smooth, but small rapids soon began to
appear, and before the steamer had gone
six miles she ran on submerged rock and
tore her ruddcr off. 1t was necessary to
beach her, and two days were consumed
In making repairs. With fresh supply
of cord wood the voyage was resumed
through barren country and cranky
current. At Brownie ferry a stop had to
BIO made, as the wire which holds tho ferry.
boat had to be lowered in order to lot the
steamer pass over 1t.
At duybrcak the start was made A run
of throo miles brought tho vessel to the
mouth Of Wild Horse creek, and as she
rounded a bend Wild Horse rapids came
In sight. The river at this point narrows
to about two-ffths of its former width, the
fall is very rapid and to make matters
much worse the stream has three abrupt
curves, it's contour forming letter u. The
Norma shot into the rapids, and the surg
ing, twisting, foaming water washed over
her deck. She missed the rocks with which
the stream abounds and was soon In clear
water.
The next rough place was Lookout rap
ids. The river was narrow, but It's course
was tolcrably straight, ind tho little craft
shot through without trouble. Immediate
ly below was Horseshoe bend, and the
peninsula itself within /, 200 feet and tho
peninsula thus formed stands 300 feet
above the level of the water Rounding
tho bend, the vOyagcrS passed Eagle island,
where tho government survey ends, and
he who would navigate Snake river far
thor must depend entirely ON his knowl-
edge of swift waters.
A few miles into the unknown region
and Back point was passed, where the riv-
er takes drop of 6 feet in 100. A mile or
two farther, and the frail boat entered the
famous Box canyon.
The river from its entrance In the can
yon for distance of 20 miles is u success
sion of rapids and sharp bends, jutting
rocks and protruding bowlders, where for
miles ut II stretch even n small boat could
not effect landing, and where the current
Is so rapid that a steamer backing hard"
still makes good Roadway. A landing was
finally made at Steamboat bar. Captain
Gray went around the hills and, with the
aid of powerful glasses made u thorough
inspection of Copper Creek falls, the most
terrible part of the whole wicked stretch
of rapids, whirlpools and cataracts. On
his return he set the crew ut work, and the
fore and aft bullihcad was run in the hilge
of the Normn's bow. The hold forward Of
the flrcrnom was filled with cord wood to
resist the shock when the steamer struck,
and all matches were nailed down. Then
the crew turned in on what, for all they
knew, was their last night in this world
Captain Gray was thoroughly satisfied
after an examination of the falls that a
boat of the Norma's Dimensions could not
be taken over without striking the bluff
somewhere The river runs through
channel about 1870 feet wide Large bowl
ders line the Oregon shore, and on the
Idaho side rises u steep cliff 30 feet high.
An ugly reef 20 feet across and 3 feet I'M
der water stands at the brink of the fall or
run, about One-third of the why across
from the Oregon side It makes "a broken
drop and throws the current against the
cliffs on the Idaho side. When the captain
A,1I . L..
strike this wall of rock, some unriSincsS
was manifested, but from what they had
already passed their confidence in him was
unlimited.
A few minutes later the Norma dropped
into midstrcam, shot through swift rapid
that anywhere else would he regarded as
impassablc, came out into comparatively
clear water, and in another moment en-
tered the draw of the falls, about Is feet
from the Idaho cliff. 1t was moment of
intense excitement. AS she broke over tho
fills her timbers crcnled and groaned
When she took the final plunge the cap
tain cried "Starboard" and with the
weight of himself and assistants mt the
wheel the spokes fairly flew around. The
engines were backed aud the cliff was
frownng over the boat. She struck it with
her starboard guard and seemed to hang
for moment, while the waves broke over
her deck The surf flying back from the
cliff drenchGd the men in the pilOthOuse
Then the little boat bounded away to mid
channel like handball. The engines were
stopped, and the Norma driftcd down the
river, with the crew yelling like demons
tho happicst men in two states who had
an experience that will last them life
time.
The steamers nOsing was smashed for
about two feet, and three deck beams were
raised few inches Otherwise she did
not suffer from her battering.
Just below the falls the boat steamed
through He'll canyon, place about 200
feet in length, where the overhanging
cliffs seem to como within few inches of
meeting directly over the river and hun
dreds of feet above. During the next ten
miles she shot over four different rapids,
where the water ran like IA race horse
Then tho channel narrowed to 80 feet, and
the current sped along 90 miles an hour.
Ono place was encountered where the river
ran strnighter and swifter than u mill race
for something like two miles, and in COW
ering the distance the engines were not
moved, nor was the pilot wheel touched.
So the Great Box canyon Of the Snake
was passed, and the Norma came into com
paratively still water at what is known as
the head of uayipntiOn IN Snake river AT