Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-07-11


They passed the mouth OF the Mid
ole Fork and worked northward into
the narrowing and quiekening current
OF North Fork. They were now shut in
on all sides by wilderness. To their
right lay the wild and frequently per-
pendicular jungle which would one day
be Glacier National park. On the left
lay the rugged foothills Of the White
fish mountains
Good Game Country
It was good game country and fire.
quently deer and moose appeared on
the river banks and once seven deer
were seen swimming across the river
upstream
just below the mouth OF Canyon
creek the cakes was swept out Of the
main channel and caught In a broad
whirling pool where she milled round
and round along with a mass of logs
and brush in situation which bid fair
to be the end of her. After much haz-
ardous maneuvering the two lines
were rugged and the boat was again
worked into the stream. When she fin
ally swung into the channel and start
ed forward Slemmers hold on the
Spanish wtndlaSs slipped and 1t spun
like a deadly pin wheel over his
head as he ducked and the line and
windlass were dragged away into the
river
Many days had passed and they were
| less than IS miles from their starting
point. The current was growing more
turbulent and the channel more dan
gerous every mile.
Two or three miles above Canyon
aaf- L.
Shannon and Hunter snubbed 1t to
the only tree strategically located and
the winch began to haul. The Cakes
rolled from side to side and rocked
dangerously as the water struck 1t from
different angles. From the rigorous
/ strains Of the voyage the Cakes was
taking some water in the hold, and
this set in motion added TO the insta-
bility of the craft. Now on a particular
/ ly violent yaw she finally capsized near
the east bank. The added pull was too
much for the tree. It was pulled out
by the roots and both boat and tree
drifted away down stream.
Most of the crew scrambled ashore
on the east shore in this final catas-
trophe, Christian Prestbye climbing
through the window Of the pilot house
as the water rushed in at the door
Talbot and two other men were not
SO fortunate. They, however, had been
able to scramble up the side as she
turned over and we're still on top when
she foated into midstream and finally
grounded nearly bottom up on a gravel
bar some distance below. !
The situation Of these three men was
now critical The boat might roll at
any moment. No man could swim that
icy flood. Those on shore were with
out tools. They had q length Of rope
but 1t was too short to reach the |
wreck. In this emergency they seized |
a dead, haf-rotten fir tree and broke /
it in pieces. They stranded the rope |
and constructed q crude raft which |
they let float down towards the wreck |
at the end Of the spliced strands After
many unsuccessful efforts they man
euvered this raft near enough TO the
cakes for one Of the men to get aboard
and he was hauled ashore. Three times
the operation was repeated and all
were finally on firm land.
The Steamer Cakes had made her
first and last voyage, and in this ef-
fort it became the only steam-driven
boat ever operated on the F7athead or
It's branches above Ralispell.
Crew In Sorry Plight
But the crew of the Cakes was In
a sorry plight; not a single ak, not an
ounce Of food, not a single match in
all the company. Talbot alone had been
able TO salvage a single wet blanket.
ALI were soaked to the skin. The SHOWS
Of winter still fingered in the deep
woods and the temperature at night
dropped well below the freezing point.
From the other bank blazed trail was
known to Columbia Falls while many
miles Of unmarked and well nigh i'm
passable wilderness interviewed on any
other avenue Of escape.
In this dilemma Claude Slemmer
suggested crossing the river on crude
-afts such as they had used to rescue
he three men from the wreck. Only
Slim would agree to such a venture.
30 Slemmer and Slim on the raft Of ,
often fir with only a rough pole and
piece OF broken board from the wreck
% work with, set out to cross the swift
ray flood while the rest of the shiv-
ring crew stood on the shore and
watched them drift out Of sight.
To traverse the difficult terrain
fAk4~AA AhJ DEtWCCAA biAC AdA BNA HAOhR ain
heir nearest contact with civilization.
he railroad station at Bolton would
rave been sufficiently strenuous in
heir condition II the hills had been
ARE and the visibility good. but with
hose tumbled hills and ravines deep
lad in a tangled jungle Of primeval
crest the task was formidable indeed.
One man of the party professed TO
now Of a short cut across country and
most Of the men, including Talbot,
hose to follow his lead. Tom Mac
)onald, who had injured an ankle In
he mad scramble ashore, and the old
entleman from Butte preferred to
eep the river IN sight, work down the
Torth Fork TO its confluence with the
fiddle Fork and then up that stream
owards Bolton. Mike Shannon accom-
anied them on their longer but more
sliable course.
The two groups separated. A few
ours later and couple Of miles down
-reaEu Shannon heard voices After