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Show 299 " Q. Do you do that on the bad rapids? " A. On the bad rapids, the very bad rapids; as soon as we heard the rapid we would reverse the boat, instead of pulling downstream, like we do in quiet water, trying to make time, we would turn directly around, we would enter the rapids stern first, and we would be pulling against the current and check the speed of the boat so if you hit a rock you don't hit it so hard. " The boat, as I explained, had considerable rocker, and would turn very quickly; in many cases these rocks project in the only available channel where you know before you get to the rock that the boat has to be turned at an angle, and we would pull over a little to one side and endeavor to pass that rock, and in order to check the speed we would drop in behind, -- a rock sticking above the water gives a little quiet place, even in the middle of a rapid -- we would try to drop into that and get a new grip on the oars and continue on down, and sometimes would have to change the channel four, and five times going through a rapid. " Q. Proceeding from the mouth of the San Rafael, you soon get into labyrinth canyon, don't you? " A. Yes sir. " Q. Did you have any difficulty in that canyon with the sandbars? " A. We had difficulty; we frequently would run on to the sandbars; the river spreads out, has a widening course, changing channel; it would be approximately four hundred feet wide; I think most of the time it was wider than that, on account of spreading out, it had room to spread out; and |