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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1907)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND. SEPTEMBER 15, 1907. i is V.::-.-.V:---Y' .'.::.';r.--' Expedition to Secure Photographs of Salmon River Falls. Success ful Despite Great Obstacles ' These Women the First to Endure Such Hardships Prove to be Plucky Climbers Hi m mm , SI' IN. -J, i." J 5 i .... ,...... -.. Wm 4 mi "I f T ii iti I far; 11 .-'.X. iff ft; : dw i I !;! .r; GOE-j?jyr7Eyvr camp socrrHnASE-ars-rrj-fooD. 3 I unexplored country Is confined to the wilds of Africa or the interior of Asia, all he has to do Is to penetrate to the Upper Salmon River country and try to seek out spots "there where hardly a single human foot has ever trod. He will find wild, inaccessible country where there is no sign of trail or habitation; where only the wildcat and the bear roam unmolested. A party of Portland people had an ex perience in exploration this Summer dur ing a vacation spent at Welch's, on Sal mon River, that proves how wild a coun try Is Within striking distance from Port land. People camped Bjt Welch's heard of a mysterious waterfall in Salmon River 10 miles to the south which had been seen by white men but twice. These reports have been told by Indians to old settlers. Plucky fishermen with trout rods have succeeded In reaching a point in the Sal mon River Canyon a mile or so from the falls, but could get no further. The high cliffs and gorges through which the river pours resisted any assaults made upon hem. Hunters going after deer and elk have reached points where they could hear the running waterfall, but could never reach it. So far as known, the party of Port landers is the third which has ever suc- ture has placed to guard thiB beautiful waterfall. The Portland party is the first which took women into this little-known and seldom-penetrated country. Portland women were the first of their sex to sea the falls. -John Roberts, of Gresham, who has hunted elk in the region of the Salmon River Falls for 40 years, has never caught a glimpse of them and he was never abla to get near them. Yet his curiosity has led him to try It many times. Invaded by Railroad. Last year the Mount Hood Railway A Fowar Company had to build a trail to carry supplies to its surveyors, and this trail runs to within one mile of the falls. Beyond the trail's end is untrodden wil derness, with thick timber and under brush, while the country Is very rough. Mountains, cliffs, boulders, fallen logs and rapid streams all combine to repel the explorer. To give an Idea of the difficulties of penetrating this wild jungle, it took 20 men a week to cut out one mile of the trail built by the Mount Hood Company. Since the trail was built, parts of it have been washed away and obstructed by storms and falling timber. Credit for the successful trip of the Summer should be given to C. W. Kern, of Welch's Camp, a guide who knows that oountry thoroughly. It was he who proposed taking women to the Salmon River Falls, something never before ac complished. First Exploration Party. On the morning of August 22. a party consisting of Guide C. W. Kern; Mr, and Mrs. F. A. Rasch. 18S East Twentieth street; Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Compton, 694 East Alder street, and Mr. and Mrs Joseph O'Connor, 723 East Ankeny street started from Welch's, mounted on Indian ponies and taking two pack horses with supplies. The first objective point was the lonely cabin at the end of the trail built by the Mount Hood Company. This was made without mishap by noon. Here the party rested for the remainder of the day, the men fishing and the guide mak ing such preparations 88 he could for the rough work ahead. Early the next morning the start was made for the falls. The country traveled was most difficult. Although the falls are only a mile above the cabin, it took half a day to make that distance. The party followed the river It a general way, but often the bed of the stream would have to be crossed and recrossed, and very fre quently big boulders and cliffs would, make further progress along the stream impossible. Detours through the most dense brush and over the. very rough est rocks and big boulders would be necessary. Alpine Climbing. Everyone worked like a trojan. Foot holds often had to be dug before the party could pass. The rope was freely used until the trip partook of the na ture of a difficult mountain ascent. Long poles were frequently resorted to for help in crossing treacherous slld- lngrocks.. At times the party would despair of ever reaching such a difficult goal and the members would be on the point of giving up the undertaking. But the guide urged them again and again to have courage and press on. At one point, where It would have been utterly Impossible to have scaled a high cliff otherwise, a giant fir tree had fallen from the mountain above and the roots still caught on the cliffs above. This saved the day, for the party would have had to turn back had not this tree been made to serve as a lad der, up which the whole party scrambled. Those behind boosted those ahead until all were up, steps having been chopped to aldt in the climb. When this fir tree' was reached, the ladles balked. They did not care to risk life and limb in attempting such a difficult climb. But by the urging of Guide Kerns, they were persuaded to press on and reached the top In safety. The women feared they would not be able to descend by the same way, but this was safely accomplished, also. When the falls were finally reached, the sight was found to be well worth the hardships of the trip. The whole river was precipitated sheer over the cliff about 60 feet high. The moun tains towered perpendicularly on every side. It waa a magnificent sight and the women enjoyed It all the more keenly from the fact that they were the first to ever reach this point. ' In the basin below the falls were In numerable mountain trout. Two of the men in the party brought flshpoles and they cast their flies Into this pool. The finny beauties were quick to respond and the fishermen said afterward that It was a shame to catch the fish, it was so easy. Behind the falls is a cavern 20 to 30 feet deep, and about 15 feet high. This extends across the falls In a cres cent shape over 100 feet. , The cavern has apparently been worn away by the falling water. The return to the cedar cabin at the end of the trail, where the horses had been left, was no less an undertaking that the Journey up the river in the morning, ' and when the explorers reached it again, It was quite dark, and all were thoroughly tired out. They threw themselves into the bunks in the cabin filled with fir boughs and slept like dead. The return was made to Welch's the next day. An incident of the strenuous trip was a slight attack of ptomaine poison ing experienced by several members of the party, which did not, however, result seriously. All declared the rough experience was well worth the trouble, and it Is likely they will try the same trip next Summer, as nearly all who went this year make it a practice to spend the Summer at Welch's. Photographing Under Stress. "How did you .manage to carry your camera on that climb?" asked an Ore gonian reporter of Mr. Rasch, who is an amateur photographer of note. "To be incumbered with a heavy camera when una is using every fiber 4 4 ft -V .. -C-v' r :. .V. ; 2.'. 4- V r V- MsfcTli sTUliI M of his muscle to make a dangerous climb as this, is no pleasure," he an swered. "You strap It to your back, and every shrub and'tangje pulls and bundles it about your body until you wonder at your stupidity in attempt ing to carry anything with you. Your hat is too much, a cot impossible; why, then, Juet for the mere sake of a pic ture, should a camera by a member of the party? It bad to be petted' and cared for; on the descents of the rocky slides.lt had to be shifted- and ten derly handled: around the treacherous cliffs it had to be passed from hand to hand. You stand hundreds of feet above the roaring waters and the fear of losing limb or life sets every nerve or tension. Why does one with rash decision desire to heave camera and all -to the depths below? And again you hesitate. So far I have carried It, why ehould I acknowledge defeat? Ex haustion says, 'Throw it overboard. Pride says, 'Don't be a quitter.' And so at every hazardous approach these moments came and were conquered. "When the falls were reached, and rest gave your eyes to see and nerves to enthuse your brain to enjoy such a -rfiw v' f sight, then were you thankful that your camera companionship waa a reality and , a view of such grandeur the possibility of friends to enjoy. I had no tripod, and the darkened depths of the canyon made me doubt the speed of my lens to catch the falls with an instantaneous snap. However, I tried, and 'made good.' Climbing boulders and fallen logs, I succeeded in obtaining some good views and groups. Placing the camera on a large rock and focusing, I had Guide Kern snap one of the entire party." Why -Hair Turns Cray 7TLTHOTJGH usually regarded as a r ign of age, gray hair, or canities, as it is called in the language of medi cine, is not always so. It may appear early In life, even in the teens. In thai case it usually affects young women rather than young men. A peculiarity about the gray hair of the young is that it is almost always entirely white, and becomes so suddenly. All the hairs are equally affected, and one sel dom sees the mixed color, or iron gray, so common In those of middle or ad vanced age. Sometimes in the young, even In chil dren, there is one gray lock like an island in the sea of normally colored hair about It. This is usually a family pe culiarity, occurring in one 1 generation after the other. The cause of the hair turning gray is something that puzzles the doctors. The color of the hair is due to the deposit of pigment in the interior of each hair, and grayness follows the loss of this, pig ment. That 1 self-evident, but the puz zle is what causes the pigment to dis appear. Some have believed that it is due to the drying of the hair, which causes a shrinkage of Its fibers, and teo allows the entrance of air bubbles, the refraction of light from which then gives the white appearance. TJie proof which Is adduced In support of this belief I that If a gray hair is put Into the receiver of an air pump and the air is then exhausted, the color of the hair may return more or less com pletely. Metchnikoff. the famous bacteriologist, says the cause of grayness is the pene tration into the hair of wandering cells. resembling the white blood corpuscles. These cells, assisted by other cells, the aggregation of which makes the hair, seize upon the granules of pigment and destroy them. , , Nearly every one has read of instances of the sudden bleaching of the hair even in a single night under the in fluence of fear, grief or some other In tense mental emotion. That such cases have occurred is undoubted, but the ex planation by either of the theories above mentioned is difficult. There to no cure for gray hair so far as is known The use of curling irons Is said to. retard Its formation; perhaps. If Metchnikoff is right, by destroying the activity of the cells which consume the pigment. Heaviest Elk Is Married. Exchange. W. T. Brinson. weighing 585 pounds, has married Lucia Allen, 105 pounds, at Way cross. Ga. Brinson ts said to be the heav iest Elk In the world. Occupation for Diseased (Vienna Correspondence in the Pall Mall Gazette.) SOME interesting experiments con ducted at the state institution at Mauer Oehllng have completely demon strated the great value of work as a means of healing in various .forms of chronic illness, especially in mental and nervous disorders, alcoholism and epilepsy. Under the supervision of Dr. Star linger, tho chief of the institution, no les than 54 per cent of the patients are engaged in some kind of occupa tion. The majority are employed in farm, dairy and garden work, while others turn their attention to mechani cal trades, including the production of a newspaper, which Is printed and also largely. written by the inmates. It has been found that the mentally affected and those suffering from alco holism make the most willing and effi cient workers. Work has a quieting; Influence and renders the patients mucn more satisfied. The favorable effect on their nhvslo cal condition is Bhown from the fact that the number of deaths from tuber culosis have steadily decreased since the introduction of the work treatment, although the number of patients has constantly Increased. One other good effect of the work treatment is that the general publio are found to lose much of their dread of asylums I when they 'see the patients engaged in some useful occupation. AdvertUemmt In tha London Chronicle: "Scullery maid; wages 16. annual rise; gold watch end of five years; teetotaler preferred. Address," etc