The Cairo bulletin., 1911-02-13
RIVERS NEAR CAIRO IN 1896
BY EARLY FRENCH TRAVELLER


is to be preferred, ieaying the Is.
land on the left
We rowed by Elk island, a mi!e
and mile and hair higher Beech
RIDGE we reached on the right Po.n-l
a la Perche, so called ON acco ne
of the great quantity of willows with
which it Is bordered; these willows
are still loftier than those we have
Just mentioned, some of them being
SIXTY feet in height
Between Elk Island and Pointa
la Perche the current Is more gen :e
than from this island to the mouta
Of The Ohio, where it is 50 strong
that we proceeded scarcely more
than a mile in two hours; and thas
with such difficulty, that the best
Canadian rover could not handle his
oar more htan quarter of an hodr
without resting. i
Dog Tooth Bend.
Half a mile higher than Pointe
la Perche we reached on the right
Charpon Islands; these are three in
number, and they follow each other
in succession, each is about a nile
long, including the canals by whicn
they are separated. The lands con
tinue low and swampy to ve"v
great distance on both sides, but they
are Of fine quality, having froln
.4,t,. 4 +nt ate fa1 1P 4nh
earth.
Three miles above these islan1s
we reached Courcy Islands; these
are four in number and occupy al
space of two miles. The towing lineI
IA used for these three miles.
Before we reached Courcy Islands,
we passed between two great banks
in order to gain the right side leav
ing the islands on the right. This
is the only side practicable for the
towing line, the other peing perpea'
dicular and encumbered with trees
which renders this passage extremely
difficult. With a line of fifty faith.
oms, though the waters are low, we
found no bottom.
Irisfh hediately after passing the last
of Courcy Islands, we steered to the
left, IN order to avoid a very dam
gerous sandlbanh; there Is a passage
on the right but the current is so
strong that it is practicable only in
descending the river.
disaef2eable accident; our boatmon
exhausted in striving to master the
current stopped on sudden, wh4n
the boat drove with such violence
+ and with so much force on a stump,
which broke in its ribs, that we hal
only time to throw ourselves on the
| nearest of one Of the Islands, where
We passed the rest or the day to Ie-
1.at+ sac damage.
We learned with certainey, on leaY.
irs the Ohio, that thence to the
Missouri, we could never proceed fas.
tag nan three leagues in a day, and
sometimes only two Although our
boat had twenty oars, the rapidity OF
the current, the immense quantity OF
ot trees heaped together on both
sides the river, and which sometimes
filled half its bed; the transversal po-
,sition of these trees, which changes
the current of the river and increas-
es its rapldity render this navigation
I very difficult and dangerous; we
we're continually in rae alternative
of breaking on the trees, or striking
( On the sandbanks.
Commercial Point to Atherton's
I We estimated the current of The
river in this place at six or seven
les an hour and often nine in
channels formed by the islands. The
country continues to be low ana
! @wampy.
{ We proceeded nine miles ant
| reached the English Islands, calad
| by The Canadians Great Courcy Is.
/ lands, and by the indians Taiouwa-
peti. These islands occupy a space
I'll six miles, and are twelve in mum.
boz, ranged in groups of different
| sizes, and each affording passage; (;
it is, however, safest to leave them
all on the right; not only because
| the current is less strong, but that
nearly six miles are gained by taking
/ the channel on the left The naya-
eaticn from Little Courcy Islands
hither is good, the banks which are
| formed between them, and which ara
| dry, make ii very easy for towing
We saw a great quantity of game
of every kind on these islands, roe
| bucks, bear and buffaloes; we ki.'ed
one of the latter From the mouth OF
the Ohio to this spot We found neith-
or creek nor river, nor saw any
any source whatever.
| Afte, passing the English Islands
We preceived that the lands began
TO rise, and cease to be swampy; the
I soil, nevertheless, is poor, being eth.
( er rocky or grayelly mixed with re |.
! ish earth. At distance we 3er-
I ceivad a chain of heights, called
! paiouwapeti Mountain, which rms
north and south, parallel to the rtv-
4 er.