Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-17
)orng Party Survives Hurricane and Jagged River Rocks

Repetition and re-repetition with the
same cool sureness brought no com.
forting feeling Of security. At each
furious turn I said to myself: "This
time we have overdone it. This water
is faster than the last. Here we
smash"
But each time those tough muscles
and springy poles sheered us clear.
Sometimes only just with no more
than a few inches to spare.
Once the poles proved to be less
tough than the muscles. They bent
almost to a semi-circle. and our nose
bumped. But it was only bump, not
smash. 4 wetting from the SPRAY
that spurted high up the cliff was our
worst mishap.
So we swooped and careensd and
bucketed down that mountain river.
Fast and furious work enough TO
thrill the most blase canoeist.
y
RUT this was only the preparatory
course. In the early afternoon
came the first of the rapids. A long
hslfmile Of white water that swirled
and spouted between jagged upstand-
ing rocks, and out of the spray Of
which submerged powders bobbed
their smooth black heads every now
and then.
wondered whether we should let
down with ropes along the shore edge.
or whether the Indians could hold
back with their poles, hugginx the
bank, as our trappers and expert
guides do with their canoes.
had some 80 seconds for specu-
lation before knew. With a whoop
and a yell those super canoeists took
1t in full middle channel standing up
on their precarious raft that thew
might the better see to steer between
the crowded protruding teeth of the
channel and to fend off from those
more dangerous semi submerged
ones.
Nothing other than a balsa could
have survived that water. A non
fillable craft was essential. Right at
the head of the rapids a smooth de-
clivity swooped between two jagged
lower down in the line lesser teeth
barred the way.
In a flash the hawk eyes Of the
captain took in all the possibilities.
He needed to give no order. The
others saw and understood. With one
accord they plunged their paddles
and almost dragged their clumsy
craft to the right, barely clear Of the
great fang, and nosed into an ap-
parently impossibly narrow channel
between it and the next. Here the
rush of pent-up waters made four
foot fall on the lower side.
The balsa, like a fast automobile
going over broken culvert, 1eaped
half its length clear and then dipped
and plunged into the rising wave be-
low. The nose buried itself deep,
and then came up like a racing diver
In a second 1t was through; but the
wave swept back In solid water,
drenching everybody and everything
on the platform.
Something doomed hazily black di-
rectly ahead, through the foam. The
captain rniraculously held a pole in
his hands instead of a paddle. With
1t he stabbed at the blur, like fish
errnan with a harpoon. The balsa
nose swerved in its course.
Something bumped and grated
along under the side as the raft
careened horribly over. Then we
were level again. safe, and looking
for the next. Somehow we survived
that and / found time to let my
breath go in a gasp before / was
tensing it again as we rushed at the
next.
And then, just as at Coney Island,
a quiet pool with a sandy beach
waited NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. as though
designed by a park engineer. With
just a pull OF the steering paddle our
momentum was sufficient to carry
us on and ground us softly upon the
beach.
All six balsas, manned by three
times six super rivermen, came
through in safety and grounded
gently on the beach.
copyright, 1927