Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-15
RIVER BOATS ON THE SEA
Other Vessels on Waters Where
They Were Not Intended TO Sail
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

BY GEORGE NOX Mccain
| IMAGINE thrilling trip on ferry boat?
1t is like discussing n storm tossed canal
barge. This episode, however. is not a
dream of fiction 1t is a cold reality of the
last two weeks
Captain Frank c. Edwards. who repre-
sentcd Bucks county in the Legislature for
| three sessions, was. until he retired some
| years ago, the best known river captain on
| the Delaware. In the intervening years he
was interested in the development Of Cape
May property with cx Senator William
Finn. Of Pittsburgh. lie still loves boats
and the fresh smell Of the water.
Within the past month n big industrial
concern of this city engaged him to inspect
some ferry boats with the purpose Of pur
chasing one or two. The captain knows
! all about river and ferry craft. At Grand
| Isle. New York. there was Champlain
boat which the captain inspected and bought.
| He also suporintcndcd the work of bringing
it safely to Philadelphia.
| This is where the thrilling part Of the
voyage on a ferry boat begins.
The heavy rains of last month raised the
waters of the Champlain canal to an un
| precedented height. On the way to New
| York he tells mo he was compelled to run
| the boat under thirty seven bridges and ne
| gotiate fourteen locks. To get through safely
the captain removed the smokestack and
tore down the pilot houses and king posts.
He removed everything upon and above thu
upper deck.
But even this was not sufficient to settle
the boat deep enough in the water to get
through. He had ten tons of coal stored
in her bunkcrs, and 15.00O gallons of water
put into her fresh water tanks, In addi
tion he had eighteen and n half inches of
water pumped into the hold above the fire
room floor.
This sunk the boat low enough that
he was enabled to get her through But it
mighty close shave Many time
the deck was only few scant inches from
the girders of the bridges beneath which
they passed.
WHEN New York was reached the craft
w was restored to its original condition.
Then came wait Of n week. The lake
and river ferry boat had TO bo put into
shape to meet the swolls Of tho Atlantic.
There was no way Of getting her to
Philadelphia except to run ont to sea and
down the Jersey coast from Now York to
Cape May. After nine days waiting the
meteorological bureau gave the word and
tn" captain and his crew steamed out of New
York harbOr.
Fortunately the weather was fine. The
trip at sea was uneventful and right as a
trvet the boat, with Captain Edwards at
the wheel. steamed up the Delaware and is
now doing duty between the city and Petty's
Island.
A IL THE romance of navigation is not
"A confined to the blue sea. There have
been trips through Niagara RAPIDS below
the falls widely heraldcd because of the
danger But they were only small boats.
The pilot of an Alaskan boat which
| made trip from White Horse to Dawson
City gave me the details of thrilling trip
through White Horse rapids. 1t was a
somewhat more fervid experience than that
of Captain Edwards.
The rapids lie beyond the White Pass.
between the foot of Lake Bennett and TIE
town of White Horse. The waters racing
like mad horses, arc confined between high
canyon walls.
In the early days of the gold rush to the
Klondike a small steamer operated between
the foot of Lake Bennett and the head of the
rapids. The completion of the White Pass
Railroad put it out of commission. 1t was
then decided to dismantle the boat, remove
the machinery to White Horse and place it
in another hull for the river trade between
that town and Dawson. At this point the
pilot. II cool bOOded chap of about thirty.
suggested that he run the boat through the
White Horse rapids The owners first
laughed at him. then adopted his plan.
Like Captain Edwards he removed the
smokestacks and transshipped all movables.
This was to tighten the draft. He fastened
bales of hay along the deck rails and hull
protection from the rocky walls of the
canyon.
With only one companion as daring as
himself to attend the fires they started.
They came through all right, though badly
shaken up by the pounding of the waves.
The boat was practically uninjured. In
spite of all he could do at the wheel he could
not keep it from occasionally rasping the
walls of the canyon.
He received $500 for the job.