Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-10-16
RARE FOREST SCENES
WllDS OF OREGON

on camping expedition will enjoy
the following Curtis letter. as 1t deals
with trials and hardsnips in other
lands when penetrating mountain
wilds:
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.-Mrs Nc
MILAN, the hospitable landlady at the
Klamath Falls hotel. gave us bouu
tiful supper of fried chicken fritters
and hot biscuits. and we started out
in wagons about s o'clock the other
night to find a sawmill on the shore
of Upper Klamath lake. wherc boa,
was said to be in waiting for us. BE
tween the dust and the darkness we
had desperate drive, but one of the
drivers found the road b. walking
ahead Of the first team. and we roacn.
ed our destination in safety. The boat
was recently built in anticipation OF
la larger business on the lake when
the irrigation project is completed,
and is not entirely finished It had
never been slept in before and was
lying around in all sorts of disnabille
In its cabins and on its decks But IL
behaved very well and carried us
safely, perhaps because II is named
after Winema, the good Indian WON
an who served as General Canby's 10
terpeter al the time of the Moduc
massacre and saved the lives OF Mr
Meacham and MIR. Dyer. the other
commissioners. We were expected to
reach the landing OF the Klamath In,
dion agency. but there are no lights
on the lake-not even moon thai
night. so the captain hit the shore
couple of miles before reaching that
point, and the language that was use,i
when we went aground indicated tho
unregenerate condition of Oregon boat
men. Everybody aboard was awak.
ened, and | understand that several
pioneers who have long been lying in
the little cemetery at the agency aai
up in their graves and inquired what
had happened.
1t was not yet daylight but every
body got up. and an eminent member
of the Oregon judiciary, who had been
keeping the gentlemen that shared the
cabin floor with him awake all night
sional experiences and other subjects
pointed out very clearly the ndvant-
ages of landing at the wrong places
He kicked his bedmate on the blank
cts and rolled them up In a piece OF
canvas. Then he did what he could
10 bother the men who were trying
to get breakfast by offering advice and
suggestions as to how bacon and po-
tatoes should be fried and coffee boil.
ed He wanted two eggs-one fried on
one side and the other on the other
side: and the second mate OF the
steamboat, whose turn 1t was to cook
that morning, Is still contemplating
the possibility of obliging him.
The real cook was missing. Ac-
cording to the assurances of the EN-
inent Oregon turist, we were to have
had the best cook that ever flung n
fiapjack in the Cascade mountains -
and the paragon had begged the priv
ilege of coming with MS on the expe-
dition. He had made all the prepara
tions. had provided everything for OH
comfort and convenience, but at the
last moment was compelled to change
his plans in order to hold down des-
ert land claim somewhere in the val
ley which he suspected some of his
neighbors were trying TO jump. Ey-
erythng that went wrong during the
entire trip was blamed on that COOK.
Three spring wagons and one lum
her wagon were driven through the
underbrush to the edge Of the LAX
and planks were thrown out from the
main deck so that we could reach
the shore Almost everything the
boat contained was carried over and
dumped into that lumber wagon, with
out regard to faith, hope or charity
mattresses, tents, comfortables. suit
cases and satchels, pillows, "A side OF
beef, a couple OF hams, a sack of iiour
two or three slabs Of bacon and the
usual quantity Of timed goods, with
| frying pans, coffee pots and other
kitchen utensils, until 1t became a
| conglomerate of equipment, commits
sary and quartermaster's stores. Tho
ladies' were assigned to the most com
Portable vehicle and the men folks
| piled into the others. A recent Hai
ward athlete with the muscles OF 4
| Samson sat beside the Judge, and oc
casionally. by gripping his arm or 'li-
leg, kept him reminded that sins are
sometimes punished before death.
We drove to the Indian agency tt
b prov what the judge had forgottef
\ to provide. Mr. Fee bought d1zei
towels. which. among several othei
necessities had been overlooked. j
was Impossible. however, to borrow
Q wash basin. The Judge said we die
not need one, He declared that no
body but dudes used them In Oregon
and that any one who wanted to wasi
could 20 down To the lake. But II u
a recognized principle Of politica
economy that a day passed without
wash basin can never be recalled
There were fifteen people In the part.
and not wash basin within twent
miles.
Nevertheless. we cneerfully entere
a wonderful forest, and the road 10
lowed the rim Of a still more wonder
.N..l