The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-04-12

tIVlU .NiSSlUH OH tNc fOTl DCTLUOLu
Indian Reservation, E,bowoods, North
Dakota.
Means Of Travel
The magnificent inland Waterways
Of the United States are source Of
been used, as they arc to be in the
future. The upper Missouri will
| surely he used again as il was before
|, the days of the railroads; and it
will be used to greater extent
Before the Northern Pacific trans
continental railroad went through. a
corporation CHE Power Line) had a
fleet Of boats operating on the Mis-
souri,. At first they came from Pitts
burgh down the Ohio to st. Louis,
and from there up the Missouri
Later they started from the terminus
Of the Northern Pacific line at Bis
marck, and went mp to Great Falls
! and down to the military and trad
ing posts in Dakota. During the open
season from early April to late Octo-
Der three or four boats day passed
up river. They took up supplies and
passengers to the trading and mill
tary posts. Goods were freigthtcd over.
land from Great Falls to Helena and
other points in long lines Of wagons
linked together like n train and draws,
by number Of teams managed by
u single driver.
Aboard The Durfcc
The writer boarded one Of these
steamers. the "Durfce". at Yankton
Agency. now South Dakota. II had
been loaded with kerosene in five
gallon cans at Pittsburgh. Penn. l,
had made its way down the Ohio
and up the Missouri with passengers
and freight to be delivered along
the way. till oil was CARED to Great
Falls, and then overland TO Helena.
Helena.
1t was in April. 1876. Affairs were
unsettled and exciting. Custer, had
just reported his discoveries in the
Black Hills. He wrote Of dark pines
and flowers and STREAMS in the de-
sert." and gold. The first bands of
restless frontiers-men were on the
move. The wild bands Of the Tcuton
Sioux were out to resist the inroads
of civilization upon their old time
sacred haunts. Among others an in
Mission to the Indians had been shot
the evening. General Crook was com
ing from the south toward the Black
Hills. and Terry and Custer were at
the new post, Fort Lincoln. opposite
Bismarck. waiting for spring when
, they would march upon the Sioux
bands. With Sitting Bull and the
: rest they were roaming the valleys
south Of the Yellowstone river.
While we were waiting for the boat
to come along, large numbers OF ad-
venturers who had gone across the
wilderness to the hills. came flocking
back in detected travel-worn condi-
ton. They reported that some Of
them had been killed by Indians.
Soon our boat came laboring up
stream and we were on our way. We
had for companions on our voyage
40 rough "Black Killers" They re-
minded us Of Alladin's forty thieves.
Most of them were gamblers or worse;
some few were respectable men. de
luded by the hope Of gain. without
too much hardship or danger. We
,, had a Sunday service with them and
some were homesick enough to be
glad Of an "eldcr" to preach to them.
: One of these was glad of the gift of
our only hymn book, to carry with
him to the gold digging when he left
the boat 20 take, the trail from Old
fOfL llerre.
Sunday At Bismarck
On Sunday spent at the Bismarck
landing we preached to the "roosters"
as the negro deck hands were called.
They perched upon whiskey barrels
and sacks on the lower deck. Some
Of them asked for service. and like
day evening we had worship in the
r. n hin Nlyif,hn hnnk 'rhnra
were officers of the boat and passcn-
gers and servants. There were two
army surgeons. one from Virginia, and
one from Boston. There was a young
lieutenant from New York harbor.
There ware immigrants bound for
Montana, and a boy from great city
slums.
Day after day we went ON up the
muddy current. Six miles an hour
was the most that we could make
net gain against the flood, which was
coming down at about the same rate
There were about 800 miles of wind
ing river course to travel from Yank
ton to the old trading post at Fort
Berthold. At Fl. Thompson was the
biggest bend--40 mile sround and only
three across the neck. 1t was just after
the ice had gone out of the river
and left sandbars and water spread
out in places a mile wide with very
little depth anywhere. Sometimes
We lay to all day against bank. held
there by the force Of the wind. Some.
times we went on quite swiftly, and
sounding the depth at every rod.
The man at the bow would call out
to the pilot mo bottom no bottom
then 6 IT,. s it.. it.. then 3 IL #.
and then heavy Jar, and we were
aground, perhaps Tor hours. Ihen
the captain and his hands went out
in the yawl to "look for the river"
+ The spars were let down into the
mud and the captain called out:
"Come ahead on the Niger"
he capstan was set at work,
and tho hawsers lifted the
boats bow so that she could be
pushed forward foot or two in the
shallow water. This operation would
be repeated till the boat had walked
over to the deeper water beyond.
Stopped Often For Wood
Sometimes we stopped to take on
wood. The ROSTERS ran ashore up
the gang plank, and returned in line,
each with three or four sticks of cord
wood on their shoulders. till the boat
was supplied. Some OF these WOOD.
yards along the river were looked
after by Indians. The man wrapped
in his buffalo robe would come on
aboard to get his pay in sugar or
pork or coffee or tobacco or other
supplies. The woman who accompan-
fed him carried off the goods in her
blanket.
The next woodward would pro-s
badly he the home of a solitary ranch
man, living in log hut in the timber.
He might be alone, or more often
had a half-hfAad nrnnAnx about him