The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1915-05-20
READS A STORY IN
EVERY FLOATING LOG
Invalid who has Spent Life along
Banks of Columbia Rej0ices
in Opening of River

Lester Coffin, brother to Arthur and
Stanley Coffin of this city, for years
an invalid seeking return to health
and activity at the big stock ranch the
brothers maintain on the Columbia,
above Beverly, finds the mighty river
source of daily interest, and in a
letter to his brother Stanley this week
expressed this sentiment, says the
Yakima Republic. The Coffin boys
were born at The Dalles, and during
all their active lives as business men
they have been in touch with the
changes of the great river that is now
to become an artery of commerce. 1t
has remained fer Lester to see the
sentimental side of the picture. He
says: =
81 am sorry that you did not take
the trip down the Columbia and on to
Astoria. The old Columbia has always
held great fascination for me, both
as great artery of commerce-as it
will be when opened from Canada to
the sea, and as delight and disap-
pointment which alternately it Of
fered me in its conveniences and in
conveniences, as the case might be.
1--WE have lived on the banks of the
Columbia all our lives, and for me for
the past three years on the ranch, it
has been a source of great interest
daily to watch its many changes from
high to low-water mark. 1t has
brought all our fence posts and fur
nished fire wood at our very door, and
often, as ax-scarred logs were placed
on the fire, l would long for their his
tory and wonder from what source or
tributary they had come; who had
camped meath their protection, or
who had cut them out of his way?
The white birch bark, the cedar and fir
each had its story, and / would pic
ture it out in the smoke and light Of
the fire, according to my mood or
fancy.
Flotsam and Jetsam of River
81 have had Nelse (my old nurse)
go into the water to her waist in or
der to land an extra good log that was
floating by, and in the excitement Of
the capture, she would need no urg-
ing. The flotsam and jetsam it has
brought to our beach has indeed been
strange. Once remember, we had
been without olive oil Ito rub my legs)
for day or more, and on driving
along the shore saw strange look
ing yellow can just floating out Of
reach. My nurse got long pole and
hooked it in, and on examining it we
found the reading which was all Ital-
ian, proclaiming it the best Of olive
oil. It was sealed tight and had new
er been opened; strange, wasn't it?
"On the other hand, have laid on
the opposite bank for days at time
with hungry band of sheep and no
feed, waiting for its majesty to sub
side after a furious windstorm. It
was only last night that in crossing
with the launch the engine stopped;
we had no oar, and drifted around the
horn, yelling Justify for help. The
boys overhauled US in the Evinrude.
"The opening of the locks at the
Cello and the celebration Of the event
has all been very interesting to me,
and I have greedily read every word
published concerning the ceremonies.
Nothing would have pleased me more
than to have been at Lewiston, my old
camping ground, and gone down the
Snake and Columbia to the sea. am
G ,.,sxy vyo,, v,o;cood ~ -