Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-01-04
From Rock Island to Gulf in Row Boat

Greenville, Miss, Dec 29, 191o.--Af-
ter having loafed around in Memphis.
Tenn, for about two weeks we are
again off on our journey to the gulf.
We left Memphis Sunday morning Dec.
IL. Below Memphis is the Eads
bridge. the last bridge on the Missis-
sippi going south. Farther down are
number of bridgefike structures
which look as though a bridge had
been started but deserted after the
first span out from the shore had been
built. These are coal leaders for the
steam boats. They extend out over
the water edge at the high banks and
the steamers draw up under them and
the coal slides down into the bunkers.
On Monday we passed the steamer,
James Lee, which like it's mate the
Stacker Lee, is high and dry on sand
bar. Five tugs had been hitched to it
in an effectual attempt to haul it
off. We tied up for the night in the
middle of the river. p.
| Wednesday morning We were hailed
| by some professional goose hunters
who were stranded with a balky en-
CINE in their launch. We found the
seat Of the trouble for them and made
the engine run and in return we're in
vited to spend the night with them and
go hunting in the evening and the
morning, which invitation we accepted
We got none in the evening but the
next morning We bagged five. The
hunters used the following method for
following the shy wild geese. A large
fat sandbar was selected and hole
about two feet wide, five long and
four deep was dug, for the hunters
to hide in. The decoys made Of
either steel or tin. were then set out
about 80 or 40 feet on the windward
side of the bar. The geese which
they attracted few past the bar and
brought up facing the wind on the lee
ward side OF the bar and within 10 or
Is feet OF the pit. Then the sport be-
gins. The hunters invariably get two
with the first shot as they select two
which are in a line and kill both at
once. We enjoyed the hunting i'm
mensely.
In the morning after gathering bas-
ket full Of persimmons from a tree
along the river, We started off towards
the south again. We landed about Is
miles above Helena, Ark, where the
government is preparing the high
banks for riprapping. The leveling
and sloping of the banks is done by
II,
through large hose. This topples the
dirt into the river at great rate. II
the banks are allowed to remain
straight up from the rivers edge, they
are soon undermined by the water and
then they fall over with a splash and
lots of noise. They are very danger
Gus 60 tie to and we never do this, pre-
fering to remain out in the middle Of
the river II no suitable place along
shore can be found. We reached Hell
ena Thursday noon and saw more than
the usual number of shanties and
boats bound for the south. There are
also many of them whose occupants
are planning on spending the winter
hunting and fishing at the White and
the Arkansas rivers which open into
the Mississippi near here.
After leaving Helena, which Incl
IDENTIFY was a nice little town OF $4,000, |
we passed Friar's Point and landed at
Rosedale. 200 miles from Memphis. /
Near US was a hunters cabin boat |
He had several hundred coon. mink, |
and different hides and he also told us
that "a deer had been killed during |
the last two weeks. We saw one |
through the woods but could not get
shot at IL because of the heavy under |
hgush. Wednesday. Dec. 81 we reach !
ed Arkansas City where we saw the
ferry boat bring load after load of peo-
pie to the Arkansas side so that they
could get whisky. Tennessee being a
prohibition state although Memphis
and vicksburg are wide open. We
reached Greenville. Miss, Dec. %.
Here we spent Christmas and saw the
southern way of celebrating that
holiday. One might easily imagine
that Il was the Fourth Of July In the
north as FIRE works are sold and used
exclusively. the noise continuing until
Tuesday morning. Greenvtlle is a very