The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-11-18

IN TACT. u ItaA 90 fuiu ttat We
debated upon the sdvisability Of
turning in the canoe on . couple
pairs Of ice skates in ORDER 20 fin
ish the trip on the river. This
southern cold Is the most unrom-
fortabiy penetrating cold in the
world. No amount of clothing or
covers AZ night are sufficient 20
withstand II. II goes right through
everything. And the actual tenn
perature Is sometimes lower than
that OF Tacoma at this time OF
year. Even though the cold IA damp
out there. It isn't IN a class with
this southern fall weather. Out
there clothes win keep one warm.
while here nothing but = red hot
stove will do the job.
ALMOST DISCARDED MOTOR
Below Greenville the river mar
rowed just enough to encourage
what small current there Was. Too,
there were several eut-offs that
speeded up the river. though not
much. At the present stage Of
water, parts OF the Mississippi are
almost in pool, particularly the
long wide reaches where just
enough current eases along the
high banks to keep the channel
comparatively free Of driftwood.
During rises and after terrific
rains the surface of the river must
be literally carpeted with drift Of
all kinds. but not since some OF
those severe storms on the upper
Missouri have we been bothered
much with floating debris.
Instead Of the cold abating with
the rising sun. IL seemed 10 be-
come even more penetrating and
more than once We debated whether
to unship the motor and use the
paddles in an effort to get warm.
We would have. but IL would have
entailed an entirely different load
ing scheme and that would have
slowed us up an hour or 10.
WIND DELAYS JOURNEY
Around two o'clock the wind
began TO pick up and TO blow off
the tops of the waves. That wasn't
only bad for the canoe. 1t was bad
for us. The spray got US almost
as wet as a fine rain would have
done. There was nothing to do but
put in and walt for the wind TO
blow itself out. Consulting the
charts we found we were nearing
Lake Providence, La, on the right
bank, but II was on a chute some
distance off the main river. Watch
ing the various chutes carefully,
Bob picked the most promising
one and luckily hit II right.
However, no water tower--the
usual sign OF town along the
river-could be seen. Some dis
lance down the chute a govern
ment fleet was working and, as
We drifted down on them, we kept
asking where the town was Of
every boat we met. The men must
have misunderstood US for they all
kept pointing downstream. Right
in the middle OF the chute the
government Is engaged In dredge
work designed 10 FIJI the chute and
push its waters back into the river
proper in order 10 deepen the chan
mel. This chute. almost az wide as
the main river, Is taking one-third
Of the water from the river, with
the result that the river st that
point Is becoming dangerously
shallow for big tows.
TOWN IL PASSED
II Ia being filled in with sand
dredges and the amount Of water
these various dredges are pouring
into the lower end Of the chute In
stupendous. As We shot by the
work boats our little motor was
almost stalled by the heavy suction
Of the huge sandboils and II was
next 10 impossible TO keep the
canoe straight. We ran through
whirlpool after whirlpool that all
but sucked the canoe over and.
deauffe fha ..esnger 81 gHa ltffA.