The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-12-20
"Driffing Down the Chip0Ia"
"Men70ries Sweet and Sad''

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Memory's the streamlet of the scene,
Which sweeps the aiKs OF life be-
tween;
AnE when our walking hour is past,
Upon it's shores We rest at last.
And love TO view the waters fair
And see lost joys depicted there.
Christmas is always associated in our
minds with merry-making, doing for
sshe,s, giving. and acts of unselfish-
pess; il is a time when all men should
be generous; 1t is a time of rest, too,
End our minds naturally revert to
things of the past and we think OF
pleasant incidents in our lives, pleas
ant places and precious faces. Yet,
with some of us who are older. some
times, like an electric fash, a sting of
pain penetrates the heart, If one
should be missing from our family
circle.
The beautiful Chipola river, for
miles north and south along it's path.
has furnished me some OIL the most
pleasant days i have spent. The
stream runs by Mariana and divides
jackson county almost equally. On
many of my pleasure trips she has
borne me safely on her crystal bosom.
furnishing thousands of fish from her
rocky pockets. as well as loads of
game from her dense swamp
love the dear old river, although
Il came near being my grave. It was
only last year. during the Christmas
holidays, that, with a gay party of
young people in my launch, speeding
down the current sof Chfpola's highest
swell, the river being unusually high
from recent rains, that, by some sud
L = -
overheard. as was at the time on the
bow, having gone there for some ar
ticle. The water was cold and deep.
and as I was clad in a heavy winter
suit and shoes, to swim seemed ut
fer1y impossible. My friends on board
the boat were powerless to help me,
as the rope which pulled OF the bow
by my falling feuied the propeller, and
they were at the mercy Of the stream
for some time. So with me it was
swim or drown. When, in my desper-
alton, I looked the water in the face.
the dear odd stream seemed to say
she could not take the life of such
friend. and I almost imagined I could
feel a friendly lift. With all my
strength I tried to swim some dis
lance across the current toward a
rlump of bushes whose heads protrud-
ed above the water. It was struggle
for life, and / finally succeeded in
reaching Though out OF breath) and
rlinging to them until rescued by the
boat
The waters OF this river are not
treacherous; they are very clear, and
81 is a very rare thing that any one Is
drowned 10 them. s = =
a Trip Down the chipoia.
= Several years ago, as 1 was making
preparations for a weeks trip with a
small marty down the river, a beauti-
fui, bright little girl OF eleven years
begged to let her be one of the party.
Though young, she had inheritedA
love Tor all the attractions of nature.
the woods, the stream, the ocean, and
she was a successful fisher,maiden
indeed So, with mother and child,
and a party of congenial friends, we
started out in our fleet of fiat bottom
boats, well laden with nice things to
eat, and all that was necessary TO
make the trip pleasant, our destina-
ton Ia view being the fishing grounds
OF Calhoun county, many miles south.
In the stern of each boat was sta
toned an old reliable engine of Afri-
cas- make. They are always ready 10
70. and are very useful on such trips
in many other ways than managing
the boats.
One can scarcely picture in imagin-
alton the beautiful scenery along this
stream and ii Is indeed treat to be
permitted to glide along the gentle
current, under arches of green, and en-
Joy the beautiful picture. ever chang
ing With each curve of its course.
Great walls of rock, almost perpen-
dicular in places, fringed and matted
with long fronds of lovely ferns of
all descriptions. quantity of 1t being
the graceful Maiden Hair, as well
as other kinds. interspersed with wild
vielets and other flowers, delight the
beholder. In other parts of its course
there are large palmetto trees, giving
Il Indeed picturesque appearance.s
BARRING for Trout.
Not caring to waste time upon our
home territory we ordered our "en-
gines. TO put on all possible speed for
several mikes: this was very enjoy
able feature of the trip and 1t was not
long before We began to enter trout