Evening star., 1923-07-08
Rapids of Potomac
BY JAMES A. BUCHANAN.


HERE is no sport in the world
that provides more thrills per
minute than that of white
water" for the name means
the shooting of rapids, sections of
water that are turbulent water that
seeks with the viciousness of a hun
cry wolf to catch and devour, water
that sends it's lashing spray in the
race of the man or men who are pad
cling the canoe. The bits of spray
are white, and, like the team at the
mouth of a hungry denizen Of the
Forest, they cut as they hit. assume
fantastic shapes. but always have as
their objective the undoing Of the
man who seeks to conquer the terri
tory in which they abound.
. The tanning of white water is not
"a sport for effeminate young men or
indolent lounge lizards 1t Is a game
that is played by real men and
courageous women. 1t takes on none
of the aspects of pink tea party.
You cannot bring your knitting along.
nor can you ruminate on the frailties
of life while shooting. You cannot
leisurely drop into a study of self,
nor can you sit idly by and moon
dream. You have to be up and stir
ring every minute-yes, every second
of the time that you are shooting
the rapids.
In many respects il is like flying
N fast airplane. You have to act in
stinctively. YOU do not have time to
recall what the instructor said to
irac hoy
to be on the job all the time-part
of the time will not do at all. If
You even hesitate. it will mean a
wrecked canoe, spill in the water
or perhaps a swim for your life, but
IT Is a sport that, once 1t grips you,
it never let's go. and. no matter what
part of the world you visit, you in
stinctively ask if there is any white
water near at hand. 1t becomes a
desire from the time you have con-
quered your first shooting, and no
matter how hard you try to get 1t
out of your system. you find that you
Will always yearn for one more
chance at rapid that you have heard
is particularly sporty one. You
may have reached the age of slippers
and f1reside, but when spring comes
and you happen to read or hear of
some nice new place, or how the old
course has changed. you cannot help
but look longingly at the old paddle
that has served you so we'll in the
past, and wonder if you can leave
business for a few days and have
one more fling at white water
x * x
THE grip of the sport not only
L holds you, but as soon as your
son and heir is old enough to sit
in the canoe with you, you commence
to tell him about the things that you
used to do. and when you have
beached the graceful craft that is
one of our heritages from the In
dians you start to teach him about
the paddle. You stop talking only
when you notice that the sandman
Is playing tricks with the boys eyes
and that the campfire has started to
die down. 1t is then that you put
the greener bits of wood on the fire
for the nights fudge" so that the
Posquitoes will not disturb your
plumbers, and as you lie on your bed
Of boughs or perhaps. if it is within
the confines of camp. your mattress.
YOU think of what a splendid thing
YOU are doing for the boy. and you
glance lovingly at the sturdy figure
of the youngster and note the breadth
of shoulders. Before you fall as.eep
YOU smile contentedly, as YOU are
quite certain that the boy will some
day wear the mantle that has for
manV wears beeD draned around your
own shoulders-the mantle that is
woven by other enthusiasts and in
their minds is the title. champion
white water man." for you have, upon
many occasions. earned the plaudits
or your fellows when you mastered
the swirling, seething, dangerous
waters that leaped at your frail craft.
There is one remarkable thing
about this form of sport and that is
that 1t Is particularly free from jeal-
ousy. There is nothing of the Small
man business about it, for all white
water men are really brothers, not
only on the surface, but also under
their skins. When you make a good
trip through turbulent waters they
rejoice with you. and they are wont
TO acclaim your prowess. which is
further evidence that it is sport
that belongs to real sportsmen. The
title fellow that would decry such
n achievement would receive the cold
Nshoulder and be made to feel that
he was of another world. You can
rot be sportfngly small and be a
Whitewater man. The two don't mix
and that is all there Is to it.
OF course, you have read of tho