The west shore., July 01, 1885, Page 205, Image 11

THE WEST SHORE.
205
half-smoothed board still in the vise; the tanner left his
tools where he was UBing them and dropped his apron, to
don it no more in California. As soon as the entire
population had assembled, Rotschoff arose and read Un
orders. Very sad and unwelcome, indeed, was the intolli
genoe, but the edict had emanated from a souroe whioh
could not be gainsaid, and there was no alternative but
speedy and oomplete obedienoe, howevor reluctant it
might be. Time was only given to gather up a few
household effects and some of the most oherinhed keep
sakes, and they were hurried on board the ships. Scarooly
time was allowed to those whose loved ones slopt in the
graveyard near by to pay a last sad visit to their resting
place. Embarkation was oommenced at once.
And with the lb of Uw tick th ihipa wiled out at th tutrix,
LMTiiuj beliind Uutra th dl on tin hurt,
And all the happy scenes of their lives, which had glidnd
smoothly along on the beautiful shores of the Pacific.
Sad and heavy must have been their hearts, as they
gazed for the last time upon the receding landscape
which their eyes had learned to love, because it had been
that best of all places home. J. P. Munro-Frahkr,
KLAMATH RIVER.
THE great Klamath River rises in the two lakes of the
same name, lying just north of the California and
Oregon boundary line, and in its windings through the
mountains pursues a general westerly course until it
pours into the Pacific, near Crescent City, the oombined
waters of the Klamath, Shasta, Scott, Salmon and Trin
ity rivers, as well as numerous losser tributaries.
Throughout all its course, but especially below the mouth
of the Shasta, it is hemmed in by steep and rocky walls,
having cut its way through a range of high mountains.
In this respect it is similar to the Rogue and Umpqua.
The volume of water that goes surging through it rocky
gorges and precipitous canyons in the winter season is
tremendous, and the slowly molting snows on the moun
tain peaks keep the stream a rushing torrent till late in
the summer. Occasional small meadows appoar along
the banks of the stream, especially near the mouth of
some small tributary, which have long since been con
verted to the uses of civilization. The current is so rapid
and the channel so rocky that navigation is utterly im
possible; and, in fact, there are but fow places where it
would be advisable for an lnexpenenoea oarsman w at
tempt to cross it in a rowboat Several ferries cross the
river at convenient points, two of thnra being rivals for
the travel between Oregon and California. They are of
the usual kind used in stroams with a rapid current
stout wire cnlilo is stretched across the river, to which
the boat is attached fore and aft by means of rojies and
pulloys, the pulleys running on wheels along the cabla
Hv s ock nil aft and hauling tauglil lorwaru me nomi 01
the boat is turned partially np stream, so that the strong
current striking the boat quartering propels her across
tliA atroam.
The name "Klamath" is of Indian origin, and was
Ant tDulieJ to the river near iU source by the early
trappers, who asked the natives what they called the
bliiMvui, feud wwe answered "Klniimt," or "1'lamat"
(spelled "Tlamath" by Fremont). Eaoh tribe living
along the stream had its owu name for the groat rivor,
but that adopted by the whites is the only one now known.
It is also applied to the lake which form its souroe,
though the Indians living about those bodies of water
had different and distinot appellations for them. The
native tribes along the stream wore four in number.
Those living about the lakes have generally been known
as " Klamath Lakes," though their rightful triUl name
is " Luunmi." They have also been known as " Muck-a.
luoks" and "La Lakes," the latter being undoubtedly a
corruption and misapplication of the French term la hie,
applied to the lako by the early Canadian trapcrs. This
tribe has always been on friendly terms with the whites,
and its members are now gathorod on the Klamath
Reservation to the number of seven or eight hundred.
Along the river, both nlove and Mow the mouth of the
Shasta, was the tribe known as the "Shasta," whose
proper tribal name has never been learned by the whites,
an ignorance whioh is probably shared by the few dogon
orate descendants that have run the gauntlet of disease
and war. Delow them, and extending to the coast, were
the Ka-roks and Yu-roks, genorally known as the " Kla
math Rivers." The Indians of these tribes were the
finest specimens of physical manhood to be found among
the natives of California. They were fierce and warliko,
and gave the whites trouble from the time the first Can
casian foot invaded their hunting grounds. In the wars
which followed they wore exterminated almost root and
branch, and but a few degenerate specimens may now be
seen of those ouoe powerful tribes.
There is considerable mining carried on along tne
Klamath below the mouth of Shouts River. This river
mining is confined to the bed of the stream and that por
tion of its banks covered with water in the winter and
spring seasons. As early in the spring as it is possible
to work, the minors begin building wing dams ami oonor
dams, so aa to lay bare a portion of the channel. This is
work of much difficulty ami expense in a stream so tur-
bulent, and is by no means unaooompanlod by danger,
since an unlucky fall into the water places one almost
instantly beyond the reach of aid, the xrt of a rushing
torrent sgainst which it were vain for human strength to
trussle. When the water has been excluded, huge dor-
ricks are placed in position, and then work lieglns in ear
nest The gravel and sand are shoveled into large buckets
and lifted from the claim by the derricks, after which they
are run through sluices and the gold dust extracted. The
method of procedure varies considerably in eoconlnuco
with the location of the claim and iU surroundings. U
ofUtn happens that high water continues so Into in I he
spring that only a few weeks remain in which to do actual
mining after the long preliminary work is finished, and
upon the result of this brief season success or failure dn
pend. Home sudden freshet after the dams have lxu
put well under wsy, or some untoward accident, may
cause othr delay, so that the length of Ui mining season