The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-03-28
STRANGE TALES TOLD
IN THE CIGAR STORE

na oA sVeamoostman retired miner
and an old hunter happened in a
Hood River cigar store,che other night
There wasn't much doing and after
the conversation had drifted from
one topic to another with varying in.
tsrest it finslly bit on beals The
mining man got the first word on the
subject, and sqIaring himself in his
chair to make his remarks more forci-
ble by pounding on table, re
marked.
"Bears, eh; say, saw mure bears
up in the Okonogan country In one
day than was ever in any circus or
menagerie. | WAS up there prospect
inc and the hills was full OF these
wild berry bushes. You couldn't
hardly stir without soaring up bear
We had a camp in the center cf
clump of young saplings very close to
which was an old dead tree. One day
while we we're out ranging over the
hills we shot deer We brought it
to camp that night and pulling down
one of them saplings tied it to limb
and left it spring back to keep it out
of the reach of them bears. The next
night when we returned to camp so
help me John Rodgers if there wasn't
q colony of bears in that camp big
enough to carry town election.
There was seven of them in the dead
tree and two on the ground all trying
to reach that venison. And that amt
all, they was all kinds and sizes. We
both had guns and decided to take
Il - Eo hA
ting bead, we let go and say, when
them guns went OFT every one OF them
bears In that dead tree made for the
ground like creased lightning and
started in all directions. For ten
minutes we was kept so busy lodging
bears that we didn't have no time to
shoot and before we could pull our
selves together they all got away but
one big cinnemon He was on the
ground and, bein' wounded, showed
fipbt You can believe me or not, but
We put nine 40 Cos into his hide be-
fore he bit the dust. Yes, sir, that
Okunogan country is the greatest
place for beals ever seen. "
"Well they must have been thick
up there" rejoined the old riverman,
fitting back and spitti on the stove,
"but | think | saw one OF the most
peculiar incidents in regard to bears
that ever took place in this neck OF
the woods. A good many years ago
when | was on the liver We we're com
ing 10 this side of Cascade Locks,
when we sighted something swim.
ming a"ross the liver. We couldn't
make out what it was at first, but
when we got nearer we saw that IL
was bear. Judging from the size OF
bis head he was wbooPer The cap
tsin ordered the engines stopped and
all hands went forward with ropes TO
Iasso him. But gentlemen that bear
knew his business; at the hrst crack
that was made to land him lie ooVe
under the boat. We waited te"
minutes expecting him to come up on
the other side and while we was wait
in the boat commenced to move up
stream. The captain WAS IN the bow
with the rest of US, and yelled TO the
man in the pilot house to stop the
boat and next time wait till he got
orders. Tne pilot yelled back that ne
hadn't given no sigma to start tne
boat. This made the captain hot ana
he made run for the engine room'
He was all framed up to give the ell,
aineer seven bells an near fell dead
when he got thjre and found the en-
gines wasn't workin'. The boat was
one of them old sidewbeelers that
used to be on the Columbia and ne
next mad. a rush for the paddle poS.
There was nothin' doin' with the one
on the port side, he skidooed over 10
the other. Climbing up the ladder ne
opened the door that's in the top ahu
dsrn me If that bear wasn't maxim
that wheel q round about t"rty
knots an hour. He was trying 70
climb to the top and the wheel lus'
kept goin' round and round: wen,
air. to make lon story short before
we got that bear out of that paddle
box we was clean to The Dalies, ne
lust sailed her right along all the
way This may seem pretty eo"u
one but | can back it up If you IL
come down to the house I've got tne
skin of that sar there to show for u,
and old Jim Saunders, If he was mere
would tell you the same thing,
"Well, sir" calculated the old NUM-
"HoId on there" interrupted tne
cigar store man, 81 guess that IL uo
tonight, I'm going to close up