The Cairo bulletin., 1905-01-31


altogether impracticable, if not al
most impossible, says the New Or
leans Picayune.
From the lofty Businesses of the
Colorado hills, taking difficult and
Islaborious course over the shallow and
uncertain Platte river, the young men
made their way in the light craft;
surmounting desperate obstacles they
gained the Missouri. and then after
days rowing and sailing entered the
great father of water to finally end
Their adventures in the far southland,
having accomplished their mission,
and proved themselves to be men re-
sourceful and courageous.
1.-THE Denver Bubble"-that is the
name of the Osborns' boat-dropped
down the Mississippi in front of the
city yesterday. and tied alongside
the steamboat. Charles Chambers, at
the head Of Clouet street. In the
boat were three young men. the Os-
born brothers and II. T. Scott, a drug
gist, of Portland, Ore, who had made
the trip with the former from ST.
Louis. ua4
THE Bubble''ds a boat of ordinary
appearance, and would not attract
special attention in a port like New
Orleans, where so many craft of all
descriptions are to be found. She
looks the usual fiat bottom skif, or
towboat, and in her forward seat has
a rest for sail pole or mast In the
bow and in the stern are placed lock
ers in which the yoyagers kept most
of their effects while on the journey.
w, G.. Osborn, one of the brothers,
was seen by a reporter, and gave an
interesting account of the trip from
Denver-Denver was the starting
point-to New Orleans.
We made the long journey" be-
gan Mr.. Osborn, purely in spirit of
adventure, and with desire to see
some of the great Mississippi valley.
we'd heard so much about. My faith
er is in business in Denver, and
worked as pressman, while my
brother was stenographer and score
tary to the state engineer of the Ida
no district.
My brother and / had been all
over the northern, eastern and west-
ern portions of the United States, but
we had never been south, and we
wanted to see that section of our
country We conceived the plan Of
making a trip to the Gulf of Mexico
in a boat from Denver, and the PEG
pie we spoke to laughed at us, say
ing that 1t would be impossible for
even a chip TO get through the shall
low Platte river.
Despite the scoffing and laughing
we went to work on our scheme and
my brother planned and constructed
the skiff himself. He made it fiat
bcttomed, so that it could get through
shallow places, and built it along the
lightest lines possible.
I'VE launched our boat on the
Platte river at Denver, and filled our
lockers with clothes and provisions
The Platte is little better than ditch
at Denver and there are places that
one can jump across it. The whole
town laughed at us, but we didn't
care, and on June l we started out,
taking with us Dan Barnum, young
high school boy. on his vacation.
"Our troubles began almost from
the start, and We found the Platte
river in places so shallow that our
boat couldn't float at ALL You know
in that country every bit of water is
used and reused for irrigation pur-
poses, and the result is that every
river and stream is shallow. For
three weeks we made the slowest
kind of time, and we had to do a lot
of polling and pulling to move at all.
Some times when we encountered
sand bars we'd have to get out in the
mud and drag our boat It took us
three weeks TO get out Of Colorado.
and in our course we came upon
forty or fifty dams. When we met up
with dams we'd have to drag our
boat out and carry it to point be-
low and launch it.
AT night we'd tie our boat up and
go ashore to sleep. We had very
small canvas tent to serve as protec-
ton when it rained. and would al
ways build big fire before turning
in to keep off wild beasts and snakes.
"One evening when we pitched our
tent on shore. the river was shallow
and still, but that same night We
were aroused by the roar of waters
and found that a mountain freshet
had broken loose and caused a small
food The river was leaping,
swirling torrent, and the water was
churned to white foam, which show
ed clearly in the faint moonlight.
Uprooted trees were being borne past
us and other debris, which told of the
freshet's force.
I'VE could not float our boat the
next morning for fear of being
wrecked. and were compelled TO re
main in camp for several days until
the waters had receded somewhat
When We did resume our trip. we
found the country on either side Of