Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1914-01-15

Saturday, Jan. 3-We put the new
tiller rope in and after getting all the
things on board. we cut loose and left
Florence, Ala. Under the drawbridge
the swift water slowed us down, but
we steadily gained aud before long
we were through it but we had swift
water all the way mp. We stopped
above the bridge and went back way
and coiled up the cable which we
tried to use to line through on Nov.
81, but couldn't The guage showed
2.7 above low water mark, 80 we ex-
pected to get along over the Little
Mussel Shoals which start here. At
400 we started again and then we
soon passed Ashcraft Bar where the
water is swift, and the Sweetwater
bar, aud at the bead of Patton's Is
land we found some swift water. as
we ran at least fifteen minutes and
didn't go over six or seven feet. From
here mp the wing dams throw all the
water into mid channel and as there IS
one or two feet fall between every
dam, it is hard to get through. MIR.
Pryor and Wilford Scofeld had to take
the poles and push to get ahead as the
engine could only hold the boat at
standstill. without progressing any
This was at Forty Acre island and
then we had four or fve places where
we had to pole to help along. At the
Twin Towheads chute we had to go
between the twins and we stood still,
that is the engine could make no pro-
gress against the swift water We got
into an eddy, and got through after
so long There is pier here that
marks the chute and is used to line
through, but we didn't have to.
There il some shallow water here. but
it soon got deep and then we were not
far from Lock 8. We waited here for
the u. S. s Lookout to come through
and get out of the canal After lock-
ing through Lock Q we Went 300 yards
to Lock 8. aud all along our journey
here we had high waters and pretty
sceuery, with the turbulent waters OF
Mussal Shoals on The other SIDE
There are hundreds of towheads here
and large rocks over the river where
the aters tumble and roll, Locks 3
and 8 nave combined lift OF u feet
ana Lock 2 which is only three
fourths of mile from Lock s, has
unite lift. too At Lock 6 there is
quite good sized town, and there are
lots of nice houses and government
buildings. After locking through it
we stopped just above it for the night
and got few supplies from the store
there It is all government work here
and has large dry dock and steam
boat ways. This II headquarters for
the Mu4s9l Shoals canal and also the
narrow gauge railroad along the chain
of nine locks We made abont 8 miles
all told and locked through four locks
in about seven hours. We hal passed
through nearly all the bad water and
had several miles of canal to go thru
next day, and also five locks in the
Mussel Shoals and Locks A. and b in
the Elk river shoals next day. The
lock ten6er at Lock said that there
had not hesn any boat above his lock
since August. and only very few
~ ice une. He remembered our go
ing through in June.
Sunday, Jan. 4,-We ran the four
miles to Lock and was through 1t
inside of an hour. We started at Z. %
from the lock and ran to Lock 4,
which was also ready. There is
fine spring here so we got a supply
of drinking water, and we also bought
some butter and butteTmilk from the