The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-24
DUKE RIDES A RAFT
THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES OF
YORK AND CORNWALL AS
RIVER DRIVERS
OUTING ON OTTAWA RIVER
Canada's Royal Guests Treated to Il
Complete Exposition Of the
Life and Work of the
Lumber Jack.

OTTAWA, Ont, Sept. 23.-The Duke and
Duchess of Cornwall and York spent to-
day on the Ottawa river, and in the forest
lining it's banks, and were given COM
plete exposition of a lumberman's life
with all it's native pictureSqueness. They
shot the timber slides on RATS, lunched in
a lumbermans shanty and enjoyed a
days outing amid novelties.
The royal party was brought in from
Rideau hall on a specially built electric
car, and boarded six RATS at Oregan
street The RATS were manned by half
a dozen rivermen in red shirts and blue
jeans. and from the one assigned the
duke and duchess t1oated the royal stand
ard. Beside the members of the royal
party, the governor general and the
Countess of Mimic, Premier Laurier and
Lady Laurier, representatives of the lum-
bermen, and the newspaper correspond
ent travelling with the ducal party, were
the only ones to make the trip.
The RATS were f1oated down the stream,
and then in succession, sent whirling
through the slides, and dropping forty
four feet in a quarter OF mile. Every
bridge spanning the river was crowded,
and the banks were lined with people
who cheered wildly as the royal couple
floated quickly past on their eXhllarat1ng
ride Scores of river craft of every kind
repetition of the cheering. The cribs
were quickly collected and the passen-
gers taken off in birch bark canoes The
whole flotilla then proceeded down the
river to Rockliffe point. landing was
made at the club house of the Ottawa
Canoe club, from the Yeranda of which
the duke and duchess witnessed the
aquatic sports.
The lumbermen first gave an exhibition
of their skill in handling logs in the
water, and a series of
LOG-ROLLING CONTESTS.
in which the losing man was invariably
ducked The river sports closed with an
exciting race of war canoes. Seven crews
competed, fifteen men in each canoe. The
pace was very fast, with desperate
squirt at the finish The Grand Trunk
boating club, of Montreal, won, the Brit
aims of Ottawa, finished second and the
Ottawas were third. The duke and OUCH
ess were then escorted to Rocklifte park,
where in the midst of a heavy growth of
hemlock and spruce model lumberman's
shanty had been thrown. Fifty red
shirted woodsmen lined up to receive
them, and they were shown at once to
the Shanty.
A great open fire burned in the middle
of the log-walled house, and the smil-
ing cook announced in patois that dinner
was ready He offered steaming pork
and beans and other staples of bush life.
and the duchess sampled each. A large
tent that stood next to the shanty was
stocked with the fare of civilization and
the entire party lunched.
After lunch the lumbermen gave an eX-
hibition of their wood craft. They at
tackled a great tree with their axes, felled
it, sawed it into lengths and piled it on
sleigh. After that they danced on a
rough platform to the
SCRAPING- OF A VIOLIN
in the hands of one of their number, and
sang the songs of the old voyageurs.
When they finished they were gathered to-
gether and the duke and duchess thanked
them. He said:
'.The duchess and I thank you very
much. We have seen many interesting
things on our way around the world, but
none more interesting than this
William Whistle, the French Canadian
foreman of the camp, replied to the duke.
and his speech strongly marked by the
dialect of his race was highly amusing.
1t dealt with his own woes and debts and
the duke and duchess who faced him
could not restrain their laughter.
The duke and duchess returned to Ri
deau hall on the special car.
Late in the afternoon a committee rep
resenting the ladies of ottawa called at
Rideau Hall and presented the duchess
with a mink cape. Lady Laurier made
the presentation, and the duchess in re-
ply expressed her appreciation and
thanks.