Scientific American Supplement No. 822, October 3, 1891Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement No. 822, October 3, 1891
Various
Science -- Periodicals
From the first falls to Gull Island Lake, forty miles above, the river
is alternately quick and dead water. Part of it is very heavy rapids,
over which it was necessary to track, and in some places to double the
crews. Each boat had a tow line of fifty feet, and in tracking the end
was taken ashore by one of the crew of two, while the boat was kept
off the bank by the other man with an oar. At the Horseshoe Rapids,
ten miles above Gull Island Lake, an accident happened which
threatened to put a stop to further progress of the expedition. While
tracking around a steep point in crossing these rapids the boat which
Messrs. Cary and Smith were tracking was overturned, dumping
barometer, shotgun, and ax into the river, together with nearly
one-half the total amount of provisions. In the swift water of the
rapids all these things were irrevocably lost, a very serious loss at
this stage in the expedition. On this day so great was the force of
the water that only one mile was made, and that only with the greatest
difficulty.
Just above the mouth of the Nimpa River, which enters the Grand River
twenty-five miles above Gull Island Lake, a second cache of provisions
was made, holding enough to carry the party to their first cache at
the first falls. One of the boats was now found to be leaking badly,
and a stop was made to pitch the cracks and repair her, making
necessary the loss of a few hours. From Nimpa River to the Mouni
Rapids, at the entrance to Lake Waminikapon, the water was found to be
fairly smooth, and good progress was made. The change in the scenery,
too, is noticeable, becoming more magnificent and grand. The
mountains, which are bolder and more barren, approach much nearer to
each other on each side of the river, and at the base of these grim
sentinels the river flows silvery and silently. The Mouni Rapids,
through which the water passes from Lake Waminikapon, presented the
next obstacle to further progress, but the swift water here was soon
passed, and well repaid the traveler with the sight here presented
almost unexpectedly to his view.
The lake was entered about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and, as the
narrow entrance was passed, the sun poured its full rich light on
rocky mountains stretching as far away as the eye could reach, on each
side of the lake, and terminating in rocky cliffs from 600 to 800 feet
in perpendicular height, which formed the shores or confines of the
lake. Across Lake Waminikapon, which is, more properly speaking, not a
lake at all, but rather a widening of the river bed, the progress was
very good, the water having no motion to retard the boats, and forty
miles were made during the day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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