We could not reach camp this way as we usually did, the water had rose [risen] until it had penetrated until the willow thicket, we never knew how far,or how deep, so we retraced our steps and reached camp the way we had gone out. The camp stood about 100 feet from the creek bank and our first act was to examine the river. We found it within a foot or two of the point of overflowing and if it should rise enough to run over, our camp was doomed. Here was a dilemma. In all probabilities the river would rise higher before morning and dark now approaching. There was no time to reach any ranch-house for help; the nearest house being 3 or 4 miles distance. A hurried up consultation was held, and on the advise of those who knew the situation best, it was decided to take the chance of the river breaking through into the sea before it reached our camp.

Coffee was made and a cold lunch eaten, and by the light of our lantern we piled everything that would be damaged by water upon our bunks, which stood about 2 feet above the ground. It was our idea, to stand guard all night and by morning if there was no change in our situation to go for help to move our stock of provisions until the storm was over.

Our last look at the river, was not encouraging, for it was still rising, and we could see a dark bank of clouds hanging low near the head of the river and our decision was, that it was raining heavily in the mountains, such being the case our camp was very much in danger.

I suppose it must have been near midnight, the rain pouring again where our Captain called our attention to what we were all most interested in. “The River,” and sure enough; from under the riverside of our tent, we saw the glistening oozing, silent approach of the river, slowly but surely creeping in upon us. It was midnight and the storm raging furiously and we seven boys many miles from any inhabitant, being gradually surrounded by a steady it rising river. While it was as yet not dangerous, it was a very uncomfortable position. Only an experience so far. But if something was not done soon, we knew that the jig was up, and we would have to abandon our camp before the water got to too deep.

Many suggestions was [were] made, but none that seemed practical.

Finally our captain exclaimed, “Say boys she ought to be almost ready to brake [break] over, I don’t see for the life of me, why it hasn’t done it before now. I noticed when we were last on the beach this evening that it only backed a few feet further to rise before it would break through. I wonder what is holding her this long.”

“Why l know,” said Ed. “since the river has overrun her banks here she has found double the room to spread in, so naturally she will rise slow at the mouth.” Ed’s conclusions we at once saw was logical, but not consoling, for it meant only one thing now to do, beat it while we could.

The idea of tramping head on into a storm for 5 miles the night as dark as Egypt was not a pleasant undertaking.

We were dressed for the start when someone, I suppose for something to say, proposed for all of us to run for the mouth on our way out and see how high the river actually was. His idea grew and in a few minutes we were all grouping our way over the sand dunes or bar towards the river’s mouth. Will spoke to me on our way out to know if I thought it would be of any use to bring the shovel for if the river was almost breaking we might yet save our supplies by helping the river through. I said I would go back and get it,which I did, he accompanying me. The shovel was found and we started again for the beach.


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On arriving at the beach we found the river would have to rise 3 feet or more before it could possible break over into the sea, and that 3 foot rise meant the loss of our intire [entire] outfit. If it only was light enough we could undertake to cut the river through, but in a blinding storm and dead of night, with the darkness so intense that it was impossible to see scarcely one’s hand before him, it looked like an almost useless undertaking, still it was a chance and we decided to try it. We knew that in ordinary weather that the river hugged the north bank and if we was [were] lucky enough to strike the main channel it would drain the river from the over flowed bottom where it was now fast covering.

So placing the men to the best advantage we began a task of digging a channel about 3 feet deep and 60 feet long, while it was easy digging, it was hard work to keep up the channel open as the sand would cave into our ditch almost fast as we would dig it out, but as we began to near the middle of the bar and success look certain we worked like [hounds?] one behind the another until all of us was wet with perspiration as well as soaked with rain. Two hours and fifteen minutes had now elasped [sic] and we had only a few feet more to go when we found we were too high with our channel by at least 18 inches.

This was on account of the inky blackness of the night which made it very uncertain to calculate with any accuracy. Our work had to be done over, or abandoned, and the latter we felt had cost us to dearly to let go now. So we turned back and began again, but our spirits soon caught the excitement of the night and we renewed our efforts and by so doing in ¾ of an hour we were at the lakes edge, ready to turn it into the channel.

The rain had ceased some, but the wind and clouds were scuddy [scudding] past at a lively rate and we were anxious to get our task over before it began raining again, so the Captain yelled, “all out boys and look well to your footing, for where the river gets under headway the sand will melt away into the flood with great rapidity and if one of you should be caught by the caving sand bank, its good night for you.”

At this he hope it was through at first, and barely would run, but with a little coaxing here and there, he finally got it through and gradually the river began to eat her way into the sand, minutes passed and the river grew, small blocks of sand and would slip and fall into the channel at first, to be quickly eaten up by the water, then larger chunks, would slip in until probably 20 minutes had passed we were wondering why our channel did not grow wider, but it seems the river was boring out the ditch at the bottom and at the same time undermining the banks, for suddenly with a great roar and splash the bank broke nearly under our feet and almost caught two of us in it’s downward plunge. It was possibly 5 minutes until the channel was 50 feet wide and roaring by with a roar that could be heard above the noise of the surf which was only 50 yards away.


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We stood watching in a state of awe caused by such sudden change that was constantly taking place until our attention was drawn to a peculiar light streak that would occasionally be seen in the water, these streaks grew more frequent until they became almost continuous we wondered for sometime what could cause this unusual phosphoric phenomenal. It appeared to be coming from the sea but what it was we was unable to figure out, and was about to turn back to camp where Ed declared that it was salmon which proved to be what it was. They had smelt the fresh water while protrolling [patrolling] the coast for an inlet to fresh water and they had smelt this break and were pouring into the river by the thousands.

On returning to our camp we found that the water in our absence had nearly reach to bed line on which our provisions were stacked and our supplies were safe, but such a mess that was being left by the receding river. The silt and muck left was all of 2 to 3 inches thick and every slight depression was full of standing water through which we in the darkness splashed this mire with the slime and mud almost disheartened us – our clothing was soaked and now after the excitement was over we began to grow chilly and cold with no fire in sight for an hour at least, our prospects was anything but lovely.

Nevertheless, we all took it in very good spirits considering, and began making preparations to get a fire going. Fortunately we had a little dry wood we had thrown up on our beds and with this to start with aided by a cup of kerosene we by an art learned by our experience as hunters and country-life living finally had a fire well under-way as it began to break-day in the east and the stars faintly shown through the break in the storm clouds which was breaking up and the shifting of the wind to the northwest-herald the coming of fair weather.


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Chapter II.

Ten days later saw us ready to pull out everything having been prepared the day before, as dragging the boats over the sand bar and partially loading them with all our outfit, except that which would be used by us overnight and as we slept on the sand near our boats it was only a few minutes work to load them in the morning.

The stars and a moon just set, found us eating a hearty breakfast. It was a bit chilly, but not cold for some of our most beautiful weather during the year in California is in the month of February. The late storm had entirely disappeared and glorious weather had followed. The sea was not just as our captain would have had it – for a start the swells was running as I thought rather high, but the captain said that once outside we would find it not as bad as it looked from shore and the weather was so grand that it look tempting, not withstanding the swells.

Dawn found us waist deep in the surf lurching the large boat which was successfully run out beyond the line of breakers. The next boat got away in fine shape, but three attempts was made with the last boat and it looked for awhile like it would never make it, as only two men were left to launch it while the first two had the help of those who were waiting outside to assist. These two boys wrestled with this boat all of an 30 minutes before getting her out, but at last they succeeded without shipping much water – if the boat had been heavier and longer, especially in a heavy surf they no doubt would have had less trouble, altho, in a light surf the little boat was always preferred.

At last we were assembled and got our instructions – if a paddle was swung to and fro, highly over the head it meant wait until we over-haul you; if held upright without the waging motion, it signaled “look out”, or be on your guard.

Another order was to try and keep as close together as possible. Also in traveling from one camp to another, which generally would be from 30 to 40 minutes, a plan was suggested to us which we followed and found by following it that we was much benefited. In starting, say, on a run of 30 miles we were to head our boats in the direction that we were going and by getting an object astern of us and keeping it in line with the center of the stern of our boat, we did not have the neck breaking operation of turning our heads every few minutes to see where we were headed for.

After a little practice we became so expert in this that we would row for hours and find at the expiration of that time we were still inline with our landing place.

Before we became fully accustomed to this plan I have known more to row without looking over their shoulders for guidance many hours and found at last that they had been pulling at an angle of 20% from the point they were intending to make.

We found the sea, with the exception of a large ground swell, quite smooth until about nine o’clock when the wind gently at first, began to spring up, in fact we had seen it coming for sometime. It continued to grow strong, when about eleven o’clock the white-caps were running quite frequently and it began to lap over the sides of our boats, which caused us to consider the idea of putting in towards shore.

We were now out about 5 miles, and abreast of a place known as Chinese Gulch, when we noticed the signal from the Captain’s boat calling for us to “heave to”. On pulling up to us, the captain remarked that he favored running ashore at or near China Gulch to await for calmer weather that our destination could not possible be reached in such weather until well into the night and the indications were now, that is would blow harder and he did not feel that it would be a safe undertaking as we were to continue on, no one protested at this – for they felt it was a wise move on the part of our captain and showed him to be a careful as well as a responsible person to look to for our safety during the trip.


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Turning shoreward we ran quartering to the wind and rough sea, shipping some water and our boats tossing quite at the mercy of the sea, it looked tome almost a miracle if we did not capsize before we would make a landing. Where within a quarter of a mile of the beach we began scrutinizing the shore for a landing. Directly in front of us we could see a large rock which was almost submerged at intervals by the breakers, this ` sight was not inviting in the least, for it foretold an angry surf which is always more or less dangerous, and called for expert handling of a boat to beach it successfully. On the right of the rock we could make out a long sandy beach, but we knew that on this beach it would be out of the question to try for a landing, as the breakers were breaking far out in several parallel lines a white churning never ending roaring and boiling sea of foam.

To the left of the sentinel rock we could discern what looked like a quite favorable nook, between the large rock and a headland, it also being the end of the beach. From the rock to the point of the headland was some 200 feet wide with a strip of sandy beach. On drifting inshore cautiously we finally picked this place as the only possible chance for getting ashore in anything like safety. The rock which stood about 150 ft. from the sand or water edge afforded a sort of a bulk—head and quieter for the angry surf making it a beautiful landing in ordinary weather. The little boat go away [went] first for a landing and slid in on the sand without a shock. The next one rode in safely and with four men on shore now to assist with the large boat we at last was safe and sound ashore.

Built in some what of a limited space the sand proved to be only some 30 ft. wide and not over twice or three times as long owing to a ledge of rock butting into the water and our only escape from our narrow location was when the tide would recede far enough making it possible for us to run I around the point of the ledge which [would] lead us on to the larger beach of sand. In the opposite direction, as I said before, we were completely shut in by the high and rocky headland. I immediately behind us rose the bluff or plateau, forty foot perpendicular without any chance whatever to scale it. Heaped up against the bank was tons of dry sea grass and kelp, but wood was scarce and such as there was did not satisfy our demands, any means.

After unloading our boats and placing them as high up on the rocks against the bank as we could hoist them we again loaded them with our outfit, all but the cooking utensils and bedding.

A camp fire is no easy task to light in a strong wind with beach wood for your only fuel and it mostly soaked with salt water, but we having had forethought enough to start with a large slab of pitch – we dug it up and it proved a valuable assest [asset] many times over, it was noticeable that the wind was going down, it being well along toward evening and as a rule it nearly always died out at this time unless a storm is brewing.

Our beds came next, and in our cramped position, there was barely room to spread them down. Many rocks was removed and replaced by dry sea weed before we were satisfied with anything like a comfortable bed.

Two of the boys, while looking over the ground for a suitable bed location, found that the ledge of rock that barred our escape, had a tunnel through it near the bluff and was full of sea weed, dry and light. They insisted on the rest of boys to make down our beds with them, saying there was plenty of room and that we could get out on to the open beach beyond, if necessary, this was good news, as the beach below was covered with an abundance of drift-wood and if we were compelled to spend any length of time here, we would be handicapped for wood, so now our situation looked brighter.

Having already prepared our beds with considerable labor, we concluded to stay where we were, but might decide to all sleep in the tunnel later on, if we had to spend any more nights in the cove.

I must speak of one thing that gave us several hours of unrest before they subsided, and that was the beach flies; when the boys who had decided to sleep in the tunnel began to gather sea-weed they stirred up millions of beach flies and they swarmed over us, crawling and biting. As one of the boys said, ‘like dogs,’ and so they did. Of all the tormenting insects of the fly specie, these were the worst. I never in all our sleeping on the beach saw any place to compare with it. Darkness did not seem to settle them, they continued to crawl and bite far into the night.

When we landed in the cove it was about half tide going out and low tide at sundown with a full moon, a beautiful moon now as the wind had almost ceased, the sea still running modestly high, but with a smooth glassy swell, glistening like silver in the white glare of the moon. A lovely lonesome picture it made. Standing on the beach at night under a full moon in perfect weather has the effect of producing a series of thoughts, that the spirit of man has lived before in a remote past, you feel that somehow you have loved it in the long long ago; that it is part of you now always has been and always will be. “God must be near at hand.” The same several mysterious feeling brings you to the same quietness of mind and peaceful longing for that something, you know not what, except that you feel, oh so insignificant, being at the sea side or on a great high mountain where the view is unobstructed, is the same.

My wandering mind out in this glorious night, as if lost from this earthly realism, would be suddently [suddenly] brought back to earth by those pesky flies, “oh those flies.”

We had just dropped off to sleep somewhere about midnight, I think.


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We had just dropped off to sleep somewhere about midnight, I think.

We were early to bed being up since 3:30 that morning and a strenuous days work we had put in and we were tired and there to be annoyed till almost midnight with flies, was about the point of our endurance, but we finally, after the flies had settled somewhat were sleeping the sleep of the weary when l was awakened out of a sound sleep by what I first thought was some prank being played by one of the boys throwing water on my head, I raised up to ascertain the cause of such an outrage when I perceived others moving out from under the bed clothing staring at what, had no doubt so mysteriously awakened me; for a minute they lay in this l half raised position, when someone asked what had happened. Ed said someone was trying to pull the clothes off his bed. Will said someone was throwing water on him, by this time everyone was awake and lucky for us that we were.

The moon was directly overhead and it was bright as day. But the sea, it was the Captain who yelled [whose yell] warned us just in time to save probably all of us from serious consequences. It was high tide and extreme high time at that, which occurs at full moon, an occurrence which we had evidently overlooked, and the arousing of the boys, was the first swell or breaker of three or four that marks the turning- point of the tide and the last one is generally the largest. The smallest or first of the three or four forming the turning point we had just had a visit from and we instantly knew we had to run for it, but before we could gather up our bedding the second one was upon us, we turned to run for the tunnel leaving our bedding where it was immediately sweep [swept] up by the sea. I had just reached the tunnel when out came the two boys calling to us that it was impossible to get out that way for the sea was further inshore on that side than this owning [owing] to the low and level lay of the sand. We were ankle deep in a whirling gurgling sweep of water, now fortunately receding and with its retreat we saw our bedding and camp utensils being pulled out to sea, cans, buckets, dishes and pots were rolling and clattering over the rock out of our reach. On attempting to rescue part of our bedding and camp outfit, we almost lost our chance of getting out with our lives. “Let those things go,’ yelled the Captain, “and run through the tunnel, it’s our only chance, we may have a shore to get through, but we can’t stay here, the next one will surely get our boats, so beat it quick.” All but two of us got through, and had just turned to our left running through water knee deep when the last and largest breaker overtook us. We were near enough to higher ground to avoid being over powered and dragged down-so got out, but not before we were drenched. We did not know until we reached high ground that we were short of two of our boys.

We had many very narrow escapes before our trip was over, and many severe frights, but none that frightened us as thoroughly as when we found two of us missing, when it was only in the nick of time that we five got out and if two were left-their fate we knew without speaking of it. The receding wave had barely commenced it’s return, before we were following it ankle deep back to the cave where we last saw them. The sea, after rolling in her three mighty rollers, subsided down to her normal flow, this greatly aided us in reaching the tunnel. We were happily surprised to meet the boys emerging from the tunnel, but in a most dilapidated condition, it would have been most comical if it had not been so near a tragedy. They told us that being the last two to reach the mouth of the tunnel they had been overtaken from the rear as well as the front at the same time and the water with a mighty rush and roar filled the cavern to the roof and the rush of water was greatest from the outside which through [threw] them off their feet and tumbled and rolled them back into the cove, bruising them not a little on the jagged edges of the rocks, they fought to keep their head above water and grappling for anything in` reach to keep from being dragged out to sea.

They finally managed to get a hold of one of the boats which had been raised from off its resting place high among the rocks of the bluff and turning over had lodged or been caught on a projecting point of rock and hung stern downward toward the water; they admitted if the boat had been free to have floated they would undoubtly been swepted [swept] away.

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