The River’s Treacherous Grip
A routine canoe trip on the Snohomish River turns into a life-or-death struggle when a sudden collision with a snag leaves a laborer fighting the current.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Last Tuesday, four men from Clark & Wilbur’s camp were coming to town when they were unfortunate enough to strike a snag about a mile and a half above this place. The collision shattered the canoe into several pieces, instantly precipitating the men into the water. Three of them managed to cling to the wreck and give the alarm to parties on shore, who came to their aid with as little delay as possible. The fourth man was somewhat confused by being struck in the face by a fragment of the canoe as he came to the surface. He attempted to swim ashore, but the tide was ebbing very fast and the current was strong from either shore toward the middle of the river; he was carried downstream nearly half a mile, went under several times, and at last was fortunate enough to catch a small snag, to which he clung until rescued by a canoe from the same camp, which was about a mile behind at the time of the accident. He had little strength left when rescued; all four were thoroughly chilled and were very fortunate to escape at all.
“The tide was ebbing very fast and the current was strong from either shore toward the middle of the river; he was carried downstream nearly half a mile, went under several times, and at last was fortunate enough to catch a small snag.”
The unpredictable nature of the Snohomish River remains a constant in the region, echoing the dangers faced by historical logging camps. While the industry has shifted from timber transport to recreation, the river's fast-moving currents continue to require caution and respect from anyone on the water.
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