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Show 355 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 attempted 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 too 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 -- " Q. Just a minute. Are you able to tell the depth of water by the riffles that appear on the surface? " A. Not the depth; but we can tell in some instances the comparative depth in relation to the other water by the wave action and the speed of the water also, sometimes. " Q. That is, you can tell, knowing the depth and seeing the waves at one point, you can tell whether the water at other points is deeper or more shallow, can you? " A. As a rule. " Q. All right, go right ahead. [ R913- 914] |