The Alaska citizen., 1911-01-02
KUSKOKW|M RIVER
 DESCRIBED

An interesting description of the lower Kuskokwim is contained in letter written by Commissioner w. F Green. at TokOtna. 10 Robert w. Taylor. of this city. The letter Is dated October 2+. and the part of it referring to the navigation of the river follows:
 After many days and varied ex- periences we arrived here well, but rather dilapidated. This was to be expected of course. so We were not disappointed. The trip as a whole was thoroughly enjoyed from the start 10 finish, except the long wait of three weeks at St Michaels for the ocean boat Anvil, which brought us to Bethel on the KuskokWim. This trip was uneventful as we had fog all the wey, or rather time un- til We struck the Kuskokwin. The Kuskokwim bay or entrance to the river is a hard one for those who have not navigated it, as it is one big mud flat. devoid of rocks, or even gravel just soft mud, cut or traversed by several channels, some of which are blind ones That is they have no opening into the river. It is running from one of these to another across the mud flats that causes the trouble, and where they are liable to get hung up between tides. Now, if this happens on the ebb tide. or last qquarter of the moon they are hung up till the flood tides come and lifts them off, While hung up strong southwest wind may spring up and then the trouble begins. Ocean boats usual ly, l might say, take the east chan nel, then they have the coast line 10 guide them up to Figure " noun tain. from where they shoot across the interve ming flats 10 the main or deep channel. They must do this at high tide too, or get stuck. Our skipper had made numerous trips up 10 Bethel, so We experienced no difficulty, except the annoyance of waiting for a tide or two. This old skipper is my authority for what l say about this main or deep chan nel which he says ext nds from the mouth of the river al Exc Island clear out into Boring sea. That it has not less than five fathOms of water at low tide and with those two exceptions it runs from six to fourte en fathoms clear out to sea. Its mouth Is only one-quarter of mile wide and out of sight of land. so it Is only an accident if ship coming up out of the sea picks it up. If the government would buoy this entrance, any ship could enter any time, high or low tide, and k ep going on up to Bethel. This would end all trouble for ships and shippers. as they could then enter at any old time, fog or no fog. This you can plainly see would help some, if the government can be induced to do it. I have written 10 Judge Wick ersham at Washington giving the shippers observations and data with details, as the judge asked me to.
 From Exc Island to Bethel we eX perienced no trouble whatever for there is not a rock or bar of any kind to obstruct navigation. With this deep channel bOuyed properly all ocean boats can make Bethel. From Bethel up for three hundred miles it is the most beautiful river to navigate you ever saw, with slOp- ing gravel banks after getting above Bethel, say seventy miles. For this distance it is flat. No timber, noth- ing but small scrub From here the timber increases in volume, and size. You encounter nothing in the way of sweepers, snags, rocks or bars for two hundred miles furth- CT. Every one said what a beautiful river for steamboating" Boats draw ing five feet of water can make the mouth of the Tokotna at any stage during the open season, with possibly two places about one hundred and fifty miles down from the Tokotna. After passing these there is nothing but clear sailing. In fact I can not find language on or in this ma chine to express myself. It was great surprise to me especially after having heard so many reports of the dangerousness or foolhardiness of even attempting to navigate this river Why it is a millpond to navigate and it has no equal in Alas ka, and not many in the states.
 When we came up on the Lavelle Young we stuck hard and fast at 4 feet, if we did hit. We did not get stuck, nor even hung up for that matter, but it being his second trip he did little prospecting, looking around, ct cetra, how is that word? However we made the trip from Bethel to the N. c. post in six days and tied up at night at that.