Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-07
DOWN THE Rly Err.
RALPH ROGERS HAS INTEREST.
ING AND EXCITING TRIP ON
THE MISSISSIPPI.
Trip From Burlington to New Orleans
In Canoe An Eventfu one-Lose
Tent by Fire-Rescue Canoe by
Swimming Through Ice Cold Water.

An interesting account of the canoe
trip made by Ralph Rogers of this city
down the Mississippi from Burlington
to New Orleans is given in the New
Orleans Picayune published January
20. Mr.. Rogers is in Chicago attend
! ing the automobile show and expects
to be home in a few days.
That he had an eventful trip is
clear from the following story in the
Picayune:
Twelve hundred miles down the
freezing Mississippi in a three-month
trip in a 16 foot canoe Is the trip from
which Ralph Rogers and Wesley Err
rickson of Iowa have just arrived in
the city. Their canoe the Seraph, lies
alongside the Stranger off Audubon
Park The voyagers started from Bur-
lington, Iowa on November 1. They
have been lounging down the ice COW
cred shores ever since, shooting bear,
tramping across country, visiting the
riverside cities and enjoying them
selves and all things generally.
The Seraph is Spanish cedar
canoe 16 feet long by 80 inches wide.
She has two masts, and has sail
spread of IS feet On this frail convey
ance the trip has been made In the
/ flercest of winter weather. They slept
ashore in many sided muslin tent.
pitching it on the highest bank,
wherever they happened to be at sun
set, each day.
Both of the gentlemen are automo-
bile agents Mr.. Rogers of Ottumwa
and Mr.. Erickson Of Fairfield. Iowa is
frozen over now and there is nothing
doing in the automobile line at this
stage of the game. Both belong to the
American Canoe club and both take
regular winter vacations of this kind.
Mr.. Erickson started out from Fair
field with Beauford Murray in gaso-
line, launch which they built them
selves. At Cairo. ILL.,, Murray got sick
and went back home. Erickson broke
his engine, sold the hull and shipped
the engine back to Ottumwa and got
in with Rogers to make the trip down.
They start back Monday or Tuesday.
Mississippi, but will ship the Seraph
back by freight and take the more ex-
peditous rail route to their native
Iowa.
MANY time we had our tent frozen
over with half an inch Of ice." said
Mr.. Rogers yesterday. THE sail has
also been so stiff with ice that it stood
up like board fence.
i THAT tent was great invention.
When l started out by myself from
Burlington. I had a canoe-tent, which
/ 1 stretched over the boat at night.
When Erickson joined me we could
not keep to that arrangement any
longer, Sc we got what was called a
Protean tent which has nondescript
shape, something like four-square
pyramid cut in half through the apex
Only one pole is needed, and there
are two perpendicular faces to the
tent
zone Of these tents I burned up.
had been doing some work and got
gasoline all over my hands. and
without thinking. l went to the fire
where cooking was going on. My
hands caught, and in a minute were
ablaze. l made for the river and
on the way dropped the burning gaso
line on the tent, which was lying
folded up on the bank. A gallon and
!, half bucket of gasoline was lying
in the boat. It caught. My partner
threw it in the river, and it foatet
downstream, still blazing, passing
close by our canoe. The woodwork
! commenced to blister and burn
/. swan out through the ice cold water
: avoiding the blazing patch, cut The
canoe loose and its stake, and towee
! 1t out of the way of danger.
ut took us week or SO to make
new tent. scrape the blistered pain
off the canoe and repair things gener
!, ally. We made the new tent out o
: drilling, coating it to make it water
proof.
1--WE went into the Arkansas bayou
hunting deer. but did not get any
: Most of the time we spent on shore
: hunting or fishing or rambling
: around 1t was very pleasant trip
t WALNUT GROVE.
;, Walnut Grove. Feb. 6. L. Drum
= mond. T. G. Williams, l.. w. Shoe
maker attended lodge at Highland Ger
T. ter Thursday evening.
e The Shoemaker boys entertaine
Burl Drummond Thursday evening.
Charles Harter was in Kirkville O.
Friday on business.
John W. Glass sold his team to F.
Funk Thursday.
d Mrs. w. H. Citizens returned to he
: home on Sunday after weeks visi