Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1909-09-01
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We pitched our first camp on Febru.
airy Is, 1909, and from then until we
struck the Montreal river on March
10 we pitched camp IL times. We
started on February IA and the first
night found an old tent that had been
up all winter. Being rather tired after
our first days journey, we decided to
camp there rather than go to the
bother of pitching our own tent. The
tent was rather small and we were
somewhat crowded in our close quar-
ters. In turned bitter cold that night,
and we had difficulty in keeping
warm. The next morning, after break
last, we packed our toboggans and
moved about half a mile farther
south and pitched the camp.
We had no dogs, and as our load
was rather large and heavy, we were
forced to split it and take part ahead
and cache it and then take the re.
mainder when we broke camp. The
trails were vary bad in places and
then again there were no trails at all
and we were forced to cut our own.
This made pretty slow travelling. and
from February IA to until March Is
we Travelled about % miles. or about
mile a day
During the winter it is a very com.
mon slght TO see a prospector along
the trails in Canada. The packs vary
in weight from 20 to 100 pounds and
the toboggans carry between so and
l5O pounds, So between the two. a
man has pretty good load. If the
trails are good, the pack can be mt
on the sled, but If the trail is at all
uneven the load is very apt to tin over
and cause more inconvenience than if
me pack were carried. The packs are
usually carried well up on the Shout
ders and then supported by a tump
line. going over the forehead and
sometimes balanced by two shoulder
straps. In this way the man has free
use Of his arms.
On May we were at Smoothwater
lake Although that late in the sea.
son, the river froze at night and left
about a quarter Of an inch of ice We
were there about a week after tho
spring breakup started and at this
time the ice was all out of the river.
but in the lakes the ice had not started
10 go. Furthermore, IL had not disap-
peared until about two weeks later
several times in May we took orr "a.
noe on the river and then had TO use
snow-shoes in the woods I'm order TO
get around
The rapids in the Montreal river at
Latchford were not frozen over on
February 8, yet the temperature was
y degrees below zero. The ranide
never freeze during the coolest weatb.
err The railroad bridge crosses tho
river at this point.
There was bad fire I'm Gowganda
on May &c. The fire was started nv
sparks from campfire used for ont
side cooking. First Il took tent and
al it's contents and then iumped IN
'og cabin and I'm half an hour there
was nothing left but a pile of charred
logs strong north wind was blow
ing away from the town: had IL been
IN the other direction there would
have been no city to tell tho tale
a greater sight which we saw wac
a forest fire on Lake KawakanfLo
Forest fires arc started, sometimes nv
carelessnecs and sometimes ON pur.
pose This particular fire burned al,
around this lake and finally burned
itself out 10 a swamp. There were q
number Of pad fires on Lake Obps.
| kong there being five in one dav
number Of men have lost all their b..
longings in these fires. The flames
travel SO quickly they are very dan.
gerous
a favorite way of travel between
Latchfctd and Elk lake during the
summeg months Is by steamee. The