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Show Blake- D 913 You took the motor off? We took the motor off; we were afraid there would be too much draft for that stretch of river with the motor. Then below this first riffle the river spreads out wide; there was a submerged sand and mud bar on the right- hand side. I tried to land, to pick up my passengers, so as they wouldn't have to walk too far, and got stuck on this mud; the mud was so soft that I had great difficulty in pushing the boat back off of the bar; there was no foundation against which to push, and finally I did work the boat off, and went down lower, where I landed against a rocky ledge, and we ate lunch. Then we proceeded on, and I believe made the first map of a crossing bar. I attempt to wade out to this bar, which did not cross the full width of the river, but left a channel on the right- hand side; the water became to swift when about waist deep, for me to wade, and I couldn't reach the bar to make soundings, but the bar was plainly visible by the surface of the water, the riffles. We then went on -- Just a minute. Are you able to tell the depth of water by the riffles that appear on the surface? Not the depth; but we can tell in some instance the comparative depth in relation to the other water by the wave action and the speed of the water also, sometimes. 2883 |