Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1914-02-05
IRONTONi MO. THURSDAY FEBRUARY S 35I

twenty to forty miles VIDE, and wnen
near the middle we could see neither
shore. So we had to run by the chart
which we had and the compass. The
river is shallow in some places and
numerous sandbars intervene, and a
boat has to be very careful not to get
aground.
| About here we began to see the
great gangs of wild ducks, geese,
brants and swans, that had come
north to nest and raise their young.
No doubt some of these were from
Missouri, but they did did not make
it known. The Indians would shoot
out from shore in their little kayaks
and run along side of the steamer
with great baskets of wild fowl, eggs
and salmon fish for sale. We could
buy basket of eggsfor six hard-tacks
and salmon fish for two hard-tacks.
We could shoot all the ducks and
geese that we could make use of from
the boat. We took coal enough from
st. Michaels to run about seven hum
dred miles. Thereafter we used wood,
which was plentiful, but hard to get
and harder yet to split About here
we began to encounter the Alaska
mosquitoes and black gnats. When
we would go ashore to get wood we
would put on veil and wear buck
skin gloves. The only rest that we
could get from them at night was to
cast anchor in the middle Of the river,
put on our wells and gloves, and roll
up in blanket and get out on the
hurricane deck.
Commencing on the 18th day OF
May, and for twelve days, the sun
never goes out of sight, and each
succeeding day it dips a little farther
behind the mountains. This is one OF
the grand sights seen on this trip.
Now the river begins to enter the
mountains and leaves the fiat coun-
try. Now we encounter Hall's Rapids
which is about twelve miles long, and
the river runs about nine miles an
hour, and it takes the very best
steamers to get over. Hundreds oi
boats that started to the Klondike
never got any further, for the lack Of
power. We stayed at this place foul
days helping other boats over. Be-
fore we left, the rapids had changed
names, and it was now called "Hells''
Rapids. We got $100 trip for help
| ing other boats over. A hundred
miles from this place the Yukor
branches--the main prong goes tt
Dawson City, and the branch going
northis called the Kovukuk. Here
our boat laid up for about four hours
! undecided which way to go. The com
pany finally took boat and decided
to go up the Koyukuk where ther'
had never been an ounce of gole
mined up to that time. Near her
the Russians have another mission
with fine steamboat called the st
Joseph. There were two priests AM
four nuns. They had about one hun
, dred dogs and two cows. Their prin
cipal business seems to be educating
the Indians. We took an India
J aboard when we started up tn
t Koyukuk to show us the channe
These Indians come down the rive
, in their small kayaks about a hun
, dred miles and make soundings unit
they meet the first steamer, and the
! pilot it back, and then another take
his place for the next hundred miles
+ The Indian showed me the channe
which ran diagonally up and acros
the river, and I started following h1
+ directions, when Donaho, the er
a gineer, came up and interfered. II
a was standing on the upper deck b
a the pilot house when the boat benin
4 behind us that we were helping
v which drew two feet more water tina
/ we did, strnck her nose in sand ba
!; which brought our boat to very SUI
g den stop. This threw the Indian an
Donaho. off. Donaho's head struC
d the lower rail and the Indain went I'M
It the river. This laid Donaho up in be
q for two weeks, and threw the work I
# plotting and running the engine bot
II on me, with the assistance of tt
n cook. We would run as long as
n could stand the work and then v
D, would lay up three or four hours f
}; rest.