The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1919-08-21
FINS, FURS AND FEATHERS

The recent sighting of seals off the
mouth Of Hood river has recalled to
AXel \. Rahm his experiences with a
baby seal in 1889, when Mr.. Rahm and
a Scotchman, Joe Rey, were fishing on
the Columbia.
I'VE were camped on lS-mile island
Just west Of M0sier, says Mr.. Rahm
lone dag while rowing from the main
land We heard something like a baby
crying. My partner SAID he thought it
was probably a baby seal. And sure
enough 1t was. We soon sighted him
up on the shore, and we drove the big
flat bottom skiff toward him high on
the bank
"But the little rascal showed fight,
and would no doubt in his fright have
bitten us. We finally penned him down
with several rails. We loaded him in
the boat, after rope was placed
around tluke and took him onto the
beach near camp | built a pen around
him and To make him comfortable sank
big tub, which | filled with water, in
the sand. After three or four days he
grew a great appetite and seenei It
Iellsn tHe HSn | gave MIN.
Then we noticed that the rope was
causing the tlipper to swell, and we
! thought it best to free him. When we
drove him to down the river and saw
the seal disappear in the water we
waved him goodbye, but this wasn't to
/ be. In less than two hours he was
| back crying for fish. After that She
became nuisance, and we couldn [
I keep him out of camp not even with
elaborate barricades of brush and
/ chunks of wood, arranged along the
steep trail, leading up to an eminence
from the waters edge. His nocturnal
annoyances rrtated my partner and
he would cut a switch and HEX that
seal all the way back to the river.
One night the Scotchman was angered
and beat the seal cruelty He disap-
peared and we never saw him again.
Il was sorry to see HIM go, for he
and | had become good friends. II
was warm weather and used to go in
/ swimming frequently. The seal would
accompany me and swim all around
me, playing with me as though | were
another seal. At times he would
crawl up on my shoulders. When We
We're out in the boat he would follow
like dog, and come near at times
and whine to be taken in.
81 notice that some Of the old tim.
ers declare that no seals have ever
been seen above Cascade Locks. My
personal experience is proof of the
error.
Oscar Vanderbilt puts thrift to prac
tice on his place. An accumulation Of
champagne bottles, relics of days when
beverage of the apple district was not
limited to cider, are being utilized by
Mr.. Vanderbilt for purposes their max
ers never dreamed of. MIR. Vanderbilt
has found the bottles, with their long.
graduated necks, excellent shoppers for
the holes bored in irrigation fumes to
control the water. And today, emp
tied Of their extra dry but their
outer surface washed by the life-givlng
and cool glacial waters that put zest
IN Hood River apples, scores Of these
reminders Of bygone days Of convivial-
ity may be seen sticking in the holes
of the Aumesde fir boards.
nave dlSO luullu llIe CUdlnUd d0HN
bottles excellent for stopping up rat
holes, for the rodents can't gnaW
through, " says Mr.. Vanderbilt "Anc
they cannot be beaten for preventing
the loss of water down gopher's bur
row. It's all right with me that tte}
will not be needed again for wine. /
can utilize all I've got to good advant
age.